The James Beard Foundation is proud to be one of the partners creating the USA Pavilion at the next world’s fair in Italy in 2015. As President Obama announced to Prime Minister Renzi in Rome yesterday, “With our partners we're going to put together an outstanding USA pavilion that showcases American innovation to improve agriculture and nutrition and the health of people around the globe.”
Although food has always been an important part of the 160-year history of world’s fairs—from the introduction of the ice cream cone in 1904 in St. Louis to the unforgettable restaurant at the French Pavilion in 1939 in NYC to the first Belgian waffle served in the U.S. in 1964 in NYC—Expo Milano 2015 represents the first time the theme of the entire event will be food. “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” will unite 140-plus countries into action around the challenges and opportunities facing our global food system and the sustainable development of our planet. Some 30 million visitors are expected during the six-month run, May 1 to October 31, 2015.
Working with the International Culinary Center and the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, the Foundation will oversee all design and programming for the pavilion that’s named “American Food 2.0.” Issues of food security, food quality, food waste, and food culture will be central to the experience. It will be a celebration of our country’s diversity and the responsibility we feel toward feeding ourselves and the world as best we can, while drawing on tradition and science. Farmers, chefs, winemakers, brewers, food truck operators, and artisans of every stripe will be part of the delicious fun.
As Porter House chef/owner and JBF trustee Michael Lomonaco said upon hearing the news, “This a great day in American food, one which would make James Beard himself so proud.”
