Beirut celebrates Italian Cuisine Week

Beirut hosted a warm, Mediterranean-flavored celebration as the Italian Embassy and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) organized a tasting evening at the Vresso Italian Kitchens showroom in Jal El Dib. The event marked World Italian Cuisine Week, drawing diplomats, chefs, media representatives, and culinary enthusiasts under one roof.

Italian Ambassador Fabrizio Marcelli and Vresso President Frij Sabounjian welcomed guests to a night that highlighted Italian gastronomy not just as food, but as culture, innovation, and this year, an official candidate for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This edition of Italian Cuisine Week emphasized a central idea: Italian food is a bridge. Between people, between cultures, and between Mediterranean traditions that echo across Lebanon and Italy.

Promoting “made in Italy” in Lebanon

Vresso President Frij Sabounjian, whose company represents 63 Italian brands across food and culinary equipment, emphasized Italy’s expansive global presence. The showroom transformed into a sensory landscape of flavors, olive oils, fresh pastas, desserts, and dishes showcasing the craftsmanship and long-standing tradition behind Italian cuisine. Ambassador Marcelli described Italian cuisine as a model of health, balance, and innovation. He noted that Vresso’s presence in Lebanon is proof of the strong industrial and culinary bridges that connect both countries, especially as Italy champions its UNESCO candidacy for global cultural heritage.

A dialogue between Lebanon and Italy

The evening also spotlighted Lebanese chef Maradona Youssef, owner of Meze restaurant in Milan, whose work builds on the shared Mediterranean DNA of both cuisines.

Throughout the week, Youssef led a series of events including live cooking on Lebanese television, training workshops for hospitality students at Saint Joseph University and Al Hikma University, and the tasting night at Vresso that placed culinary fusion at its center. He was joined by Italian chef Claudio Kenali, a member of the Ambassadors of Taste Network, adding further depth to the cultural exchange.

In a country where food has always carried emotional, cultural, and social weight, this year’s Italian Cuisine Week found resonance in Lebanon: a reminder that the Mediterranean, its flavors, people, and traditions, has always thrived on connection.