Saturday, February 1st, 2025
10:00 AM
Activity:
Opening Ceremony
Venue:
Real Collegio
Speaker:
Mario Pardini, Mayor of Lucca
Plato Ghinos, President of Shaner Hotel Group
Dr. Donna Quadri-Felitti, PhD, Director and Associate Professor, Penn State University School of Hospitality Management
Moderator and artistic Director:
Maestrod’olio Fausto Borella, extra virgin olive oil expert
Highlights:
Official welcome to attendees.
Overview of olive oil production and how it impacts our lives.
Introduction to the conference’s themes and objectives.
10:00 – 11:30
Activity:
Presentation “Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A Pillar of Health for All Ages”
Venue:
Real Collegio
Speaker:
Dr. Kristina S. Petersen, PhD, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University and expert in dietary interventions for cardiometabolic health
Highlights:
Scientific insights into the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil, its role in reducing cardiovascular disease risk and the importance for children’s and teenagers’ growth and development
11:30 AM – 12:00 AM
Activity:
Coffee Break
Venue:
Real Collegio
Highlights:
Extra virgin olive oil chocolate pralines by Domenico D’Affronto, one of the best Italian pastry chefs, Master chocolatier and pastry chef of Conca d’Oro in Livorno
12:00 PM – 13:00 PM
Activity:
Panel Discussion “Integrating Olive Oil into Modern Diets”
Venue:
Real Collegio
Speaker:
Dr. Sara Farnetti, one of the most important specialists in Internal Medicine, PhD in physiopathology of nutrition and metabolism, expert in functional nutrition
Dr. Kristina S. Petersen, PhD, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University and expert in dietary interventions for cardiometabolic health
Dr. Donna Quadri-Felitti, PhD, Director and Associate Professor, Penn State University School of Hospitality Management
Moderator:
Maestrod’olio Fausto Borella, extra virgin olive oil expert
Highlights:
Strategies for incorporating olive oil into daily meals.
Addressing misconceptions about dietary fats.
Discussion on global dietary trends.
3:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Activity:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Market Exhibition
Venue:
Real Collegio
Highlights:
Market-showcasing of artisanal extra virgin olive oil producers from Lucca, Tuscany and other Italian regions.
Sample and purchase a variety of extra virgin olive oils.
Live demonstrations and interactions with producers.
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Activity:
Pastry Showdown – “The extra virgin olive oil in Pastry”
Venue:
Real Collegio
Participants:
Sandra Bianchi, Italian pastry chef of Pasticceria Sandra in Lucca
Highlights:
Pastry chef Sandra Bianchi will show how to make cookies without using butter but only extra virgin olive oil. Afterwards, there will be a small tasting for the audience.
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Activity:
“The Art of Sashimi marries monocultivar oils“
Venue:
Real Collegio
Participants:
Masaki Kuroda, Japanese Chef from Restaurant NIDA in Lucca
Sabrina Falconi, Sake sommelier at Restaurant NIDA in Lucca
Highlights:
Extravirgin olive oil and food pairing with fish sashimi prepared by Chef Masaki Kuroda.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Technical tasting:
“Olive Oil is a Serious Matter“
Venue:
Real Collegio
Instructor:
Maestrod’olio Fausto Borella, extra virgin olive oil expert
Highlights:
Technical tasting of 10 Extra Virgin Olive Oils with Maestrod’olio Fausto Borella.
Sparkling wine for the participants after the tasting.
Saturday from 3 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. until the end of the event, will be present bartender Mauro Picchi with Quisibeve, a great lover of mixing who has made his work his business. He is constantly on the move between his own bars, appearances, consultations and further training. A point of reference for young bartenders in the Lucchesia region for years, he never misses an opportunity to draw consumers’ attention to quality drinks and to combine his cocktails with extra virgin olive oil.
Sunday, February 2nd, 2025
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Activity:
Continuation of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Market Exhibition
Venue:
Real Collegio
Details:
Market exhibition and final opportunity to interact with producers and purchase products.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Activity:
Show – cooking: “the evolution of extra virgin olive oil in cooking: a new concept for a millenary product”.
Venue:
Real Collegio
Highlights:
Showcooking with the Chef Fabrizio Girasoli, from the Michelin-starred Butterfly Restaurant.
The chef will guide the participants through a journey in the evolution of Lucca cuisine with extravirgin artisanal olive oil as the protagonist.
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Activity:
Declination of Pinot Noir: Italian Stories and Champagne
Venue:
Real Collegio
Instructors:
Leonardo Taddei, Champagne Ambassador 2008, Fausto Borella host Maestro’olio e Maestrodivino
Highlights:
Technical tasting of n.5 classical method in collaboration with the wine bar “Enoteca Vanni”
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Activity:
Show-cooking: “Extra virgin olive oil: the common thread among generations of great Tuscan chefs”
Venue:
Real Collegio
Participants:
Chef Daniele Zazzeri e Chef Andrea Zazzeri, in memory of their father Luciano, La Pineta Restaurant, Bibbona, Livorno
Highlights:
The chefs will talk about the importance of extra virgin oil in their kitchens and how its use has evolved over the years. They will bring small preparations with extra virgin olive oil to give to attending guests.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Activity:
Show – cooking: “From the garden to the table: Brassicas in extra virgin olive oil“
Venue:
Real Collegio
Participants:
Giorgione Orto e Cucina
7:00 PM
Activity:
Closing Ceremony

BIO
Sandra Bianchi is the soul of Pasticceria Sandra in Lucca, and with her Master’s degree in Culinary Nutrition, she created “Linea Benessere”.

BIO
Fausto Borella, food and wine critic, sommelier and taster, founded the Maestrod’olio Academy to promote the knowledge about food-wine-oil pairings.

BIO
Mᴀᴇsᴛʀᴏ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛɪᴇʀ Dᴏᴍᴇɴɪᴄᴏ D’Aғғʀᴏɴᴛᴏ
With his blended pastry art of Sicilian roots, French training, and Tuscany, he will feature chocolate pralines with various extra virgin olive oils.

BIO
She trained in pastry laboratories, kitchens and hotellerie and is know an AIS sommelier and the owner of NIDA, along with Masaki Kuroda.

BIO
Dr. Sara Farnetti is a specialist in Internal Medicine, expert in functional nutrition, PhD in pathophysiology of nutrition and metabolism.

BIO
Giorgio Barchiesi, known as Giorgione, is an Umbrian TV host, social media star and chef known for his convivial and simple style of cooking.

BIO
Fabrizio Girasoli, with his creative cuisine linked to local products and traditions, is the Michelin starred chef at Butterfly Restaurant, Lucca.

BIO
Masaki Kuroda, owner of NIDA restaurant together with Sabrina Falconi, combines the knowledge of oriental cuisine with a passion for Italian cuisine.

BIO
Dr. Kristina Petersen, Associate Professor of Nutritional Science at Penn State University, expert in dietary interventions for cardiometabolic health.

BIO
Donna Quadri-Felitti, PhD, is the Director and Associate Professor at Penn State University School of Hospitality Management.

BIO
Quisibeve was born in 2015 thanks to the long friendship and passion of Mauro and Federico. After years of experience in the world of mixology in Italy and abroad, we decided to combine our knowledge to bring the bar to every place.

BIO
Sommelier and Champagne Ambassador 2008

BIO
Daniele and Andrea Zazzeri of La Pineta Restaurant in Marina di Bibbona, Livorno, carry on the tradition started by their great-grandmothe