A chef does not have to be a man: it can also be a woman. At the show cooking session organised by A.P.Pa.Fre (the Association of Fresh Pasta Producer SMEs) this year – at Host 2023, fieramilano, Rho from 13 to 17 October – a celebrity endorsement will be provided by Paola Naggi, who was named Best Female Chef in Italy in 2018. She will testify to the extent to which haute cuisine is increasingly becoming also a female profession.

In addition, the A.P.Pa.Fre pasta makers will present their products over the five days of the event. The products offered for tasting will be made directly by the pasta maker associates, and will exemplify true, typical Italian-made excellence. Each day of the event will feature one or more pasta-making members who will offer show-cooking sessions with promotional tastings of the products. Pasta master Danilo Curotto will manage the preparation and production of various fresh pasta shapes directly at the stand.

And among the major championships hosted at Host 2023 in the bakery, two events stand out in particular. At the European Pizza Championship, organised by the magazine Pizza e Pasta Italiana, pizza makers and professionals from all over Europe will compete to win the coveted title. A selected jury of experts will decide the winner according to criteria of taste, presentation, combination of flavours, cooking and the overall skill of the competitors. The European Pizza Championship is a showcase of what is the best-known, best-loved Italian dish in the world: every European city has its pizzerias, often run by Italians but not only because pizza is for everyone, and the art of the Neapolitan "pizzaiuolo" (yes, with that extra letter "U" in Naples!) has been officially declared part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

More details about events in this area can be found in the full programme.