Southern region of FIC Brasile holds meeting in Curitiba: find out what it was like

FIC Brasile regionale Sud, southern region of the Federazione Italiana Couchi (FIC), held the 5th FIC Brasile Sud Incontro this Monday afternoon (11). The program took place at Inspirar Gourmet, on the campus of Faculdade Inspirar, in Curitiba, an institution partner of the federation, and brought together important members, guests and names from the Curitiba gastronomic scene.

Linked to the Italian government, FIC is the largest federation of chefs in the world, with around 15 thousand members. Brazil has around 760; 100 of these, connected to FIC Brasile Sud, which represents the three states in the southern region. FIC’s intention is to promote Italian gastronomy around the world.

FIC Brasile Sud works to strengthen the sector, making it increasingly united, explains chef Guilherme Guzela, secretary of the southern region. Throughout the year, the federation holds events, classes and workshops for professionals and amateurs who love Italian cuisine. This week’s meeting reviewed the main events held throughout 2023 and the members and professionals in the sector who were highlighted during the year.

“We had a very prosperous year, we developed many quality courses”, celebrated chef Rafael Gonçalves, appointed this year vice-president of FIC Brasile Regionale Sud. “We are in one of the best kitchen structures in Paraná”, he commented when mentioning the facilities from Inspire Gourmet.

Among courses, workshops and events, one of the main highlights was the action carried out by FIC Sul in Muçum, in Rio Grande do Sul, in September this year, when the region was hit by heavy rains and floods. The federation mobilized and sent seven chefs who, in an operation carried out in front of the city hall and, in an improvised way, prepared 1,500 meals to serve the local population. Located in a pavilion with more structure, 4,500 lunch boxes were produced, distributed to the homeless, police, firefighters, rescue teams and volunteers.

“This year was full of many classes, events and meetings”, says Guzela. “For 2023, we intend to expand FIC’s operations, hold a charity event, a dinner that can return the funds raised to an institution”, she adds. The idea is to continue with at least one class per month, taught by chefs on a voluntary basis. All courses run by the federation are free to members.

Tributes

The meeting paid important tributes to chefs Délio Canabrava, the first Brazilian to be awarded the Chef Patron award from FIC, received this year, for his services to Italian gastronomy, and to chef Dirceu Félix, a reference in the teaching of classic French cuisine, who died last year. December 3rd. The chef’s widow, Neuza Félix, received the honor.

The program, which celebrated the work of professionals who stood out in promoting Italian gastronomy throughout the year, presented the southern regional board and featured tasting menus prepared voluntarily by associated chefs and a selection of Pilandro wines.

With new directorates also installed in the interior of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, the objective is to bring programming and content to these places as well. Therefore, the perspective is to increase the number of members. The southern region also now has partnerships such as Gold Food Service, which manages inventory for restaurants and companies in the sector, and Pilandro, an Italian winery with its own importer in Brazil.

Another objective of the southern region is to increase the number of members. For 2024, the goal is to reach at least 150. “We are in the region where we have a large representation of this Italianity, so we intend to increasingly strengthen FIC in the south”, says Guzela.

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