OIL: EVO MASTERCLASS FINALE NAMES FUTURE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL AMBASSADORS

New Educational Paths in Hotel Institutes for an Excellence of Italian Cuisine”, at the IPSEOA (Professional Institute for Food and Wine Services and Hotel Hospitality) Amerigo Vespucci in Milan . The three-year EVO Masterclass project was conceived and created by Oleificio Zucchi, an international leader in the oil sector, and Re.Na.IA (National Network of Hotel Institutes) and supervised by the MIM (Ministry of Education and Merit). The first of its kind , EVO Masterclass has the main objective of training catering and hospitality professionals , capable of maximising the excellence of Made in Italy that is extra virgin olive oil , to the advantage of the competitiveness of the sector and the qualitative growth of national catering and hospitality. The 3aI class of the Crocetti Cerulli hotel school, which won the 2024/2025 competition, presented the Elisir di Lunga Vita dish , where EVO oil is the protagonist and perfectly valorized , according to the six judges, chosen among the greatest experts in the field in Italy: Giuseppe Capano ( Chef and consultant specialized in wellness cuisine ), Mariella Cerullo ( Director of institutional relations and corporate communication of Oleificio Zucchi ), Giorgio Donegani ( Food technologist, expert in nutrition and food education and scientific communicator), Flaminia Giorda ( National coordinator of the technical secretariat of the MIM inspection body ), Alissa Mattei ( President of the Alissa – Knoil Association and Panel Leader ), Rossella Mengucci ( MIM consultant and collaborator ). Today's day, moderated by the journalist and mass media expert Klaus Davi, characterized by a live cooking show of the 5 finalist classes, evaluated by the professional Jury created ad hoc, also included an interesting oil tasting, conducted by Alissa Mattei - who will then take care of the course given to the winners - and enriched by the food pairings of Giuseppe Capano. The first final has, above all, seen the great enthusiasm emerge of the boys for the project that creates new professional figures such as chefs, communicators, tasters, blend masters of EVO oil.

The students participating in EVO Masterclass will therefore know:

• · contribute to promoting the excellence of Italy , in relation to the heritage of EVO oil
• · create exclusive gastronomic and tourist experiences
• · enhance EVO oil, as a pillar of the Mediterranean diet and of the typical biodiversity of the Bel Paese
• · promote sustainability, the fight against food waste and a healthy diet , central themes in European Union and national policies
• · disseminate the best agricultural, production, use and marketing practices of EVO oil

EVO Masterclass is, in short, an educational journey on EVO oil without equal , which makes young actors aware even of transversal themes such as respect for the territory and the need to preserve it.

<< We are extremely proud of the results of the first year of this innovative educational path, the first in the sector to establish a real co-design between our company, which celebrates 215 years of history, and the Re.Na.IA hotel institutes. As Oleificio Zucchi, we have always been committed to both social and environmental responsibility and to the application of true sustainability. For this reason, we firmly wanted to put our skills into play and develop a training path of this magnitude, with a view to simultaneously growing the culture and professionalism of the new generations >>, declared Alessia Zucchi, CEO of Oleificio Zucchi SpA.

<< EVO Masterclass has proposed an innovative school program on Extra Virgin Olive Oil, developed within the Professional Institutes for Food and Wine Services and Hotel Hospitality, on input from Oleificio Zucchi. It was aimed at over 130 classes, primarily involving the Food and Wine and Dining and Sales Services department. Open to all Hoteliers belonging to Re.Na.IA, it was created with a three-year duration, planning to develop numerous modules, to compose a fascinating professionalizing journey through Italian extra virgin olive oil. A heartfelt thanks to Giuseppe Valditara, Minister of Education and Merit, and to Alessia Zucchi, without whom it would not have been possible to realize it >>, declared Luigi Valentini, President of the National Network of Hotel Institutes.