TURIN, ITALY, OCTOBER, 2002 - The FCI's CEO and Founder Dorothy Cann Hamilton and Director of Marketing Rena Katz traveled to Turin, Italy to participate in Slow Food's Salone del Gusto, a celebration of artisanal food producers and traditional foods from the whole world. Patrick Martins, the Director of Slow Food USA, had invited Dorothy to bring one of New York's prized culinary delights -- prime deli meats that had been selected by a star-studded panel at The FCI. (See "New York's Deli Meats..." below.)

Over 135,000 people visited this year's Salone, with its 160,000 square foot exhibition space filled with every imaginable epicurean delight. Side rooms accommodated specialized tastings of international delicacies, ranging from multiple vintages, to the Fois Gras World Cup to comparison samplings of wheels of artisan Parmesan cheese at 12, 24 and 35 months of aging.

This was an ideal audience to savor a meaty deli tasting, with mustard and half-sours. But a funny thing happened on the way to Turin. The prize-winning briskets from 2nd Avenue Deli, the corned beef from Sarge's, and the pastrami from Stage Deli - 1,200 pounds in all -- were confiscated at the Milan airport, even though permits were in hand. Vietato is Vietato -- in essence, forget it. No further explanation was available, and there was nothing to do but to uphold New York's deli tradition with the best available at hand in Italy.

Patrick Martins managed to persuade a local butcher to cut a brisket (not common in Italy), so that it could be steamed and sliced for tastings. Zingerman's Deli from Detroit managed to get corned beef across the border. But alas, no pastrami was to be had, cured or found.

In the end, the only two authentic New York products were Dorothy and Patrick, but they had enough New York chutzpah to pull it off! The Italian adventures of The FCI and Slow Food USA will continue at the next Salone del Gusto, two years from now in Naples.

Italy is the site for Slow Food's celebration because this delectable movement got its start in 1989, when an Italian activist named Carlo Petrini learned of a plan to build a McDonald's in Rome. Instead of striking out, he opted for the seductive powers of foods made with care and time. He decided the best tactic was to find, savor, and rescue dishes on the verge of extinction in a fast-food world. There are now 70,000 members in more than 45 counries.

The French Culinary Institute, the pre-eminent American culinary school, is an active supporter of Slow Food USA, partnering in resources, benefit events, and other endeavors. In so doing, The FCI helps to raise the standards -- and level of eating pleasure -- of Americans nationwide.