Italian Catering Makes Sense At An Italian Film Festival

Italy remains a country with many enjoyable cultural aspects. The arts, in particular, do stand out as exceptionally unique. That is one reason why Italian cinema continually captures new fans on the festival and revival circuit. Of course, more people are likely familiar with Italian food than they are with the country's cinema masterpieces. Italian food does share one thing in common with Italian films. Few people realize how expansive both are. Italy produced more than westerns and neorealist cinema, and food choices extend beyond the popular southern Italian dishes. Maybe a savvy film festival booker can bring these two seemingly disparate things together: treat Italian cinema fans to some special Italian food catering. 

Food Breaks and Creative Touches Between Screenings

Popcorn and soda remain popular favorites at all movie events. When running a revival of old movies, however, people want something a little more. A festival can run all day with four or more films playing, which makes for a long day. Attendees find themselves wanting lunch or dinner and rarely want to travel to dine. Pizza stands as a safe staple at such events, and organizers could work with caterers to do a little more. Perhaps serving up lesser-known food choices designed to match the selected film would be a nice touch. How about these ideas:

• Milanese Selections: In the 1950s and 1960s, Rome stood as the epicenter of the Italian film industry. Rome, however, wasn't the only city promoting the arts. Milan did so as well. Many films of the era captured cultural aspects of Milan life. Milan, of course, also has its unique cuisine. When showing revivals of films capturing the essence of Milan, why not serve food born of the city? Milanese Risotto and veal represent two likely appreciated selections. 
• Spinning Wild West Favorites: Perhaps the most popular films from Italian cinema are the westerns starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and others. The films, while made in Italy, took place in America. So, the food eaten by the characters would be decidedly American. That doesn't mean there aren't Italian counterparts to "Old West" staples. Italian versions of baked beans and Tuscany's version of steak and potatoes could be excellent substitutes. 

Other Italian dishes may mesh well with movies. An Italian cuisine caterer could help come up with some interesting ideas for festival lunch and dinner choices. Maybe the caterer is also a fan of Italian films and could help more than you think.

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