A group of gourmets from Italy, a culinary mecca of the West, recently came together in Yangzhou, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in China, for culinary exchange and cooperation.

Italian gourmets stroll along Pishi Street in Yangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: YZDaily]

They attended the Sino-Italian culinary exchange event, which was hosted by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce from Oct 16 to 19 in Guangling district, bringing authentic Italian flavors to locals.

Among them, Vito Bellomoa, executive chef of Gusto Restaurant and founder of pasta brand Airmeter, stole the spotlight. With a culinary journey spanning Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and Spain, he can skillfully incorporate diverse food cultures into his creations, captivating foodies.

The delegation also toured several food companies at the Yangzhou Food Industry Park, like the Jiangsu Weiyang Milk Industry Co. Vito saw immense cooperation potential since Italy also has many such dairy product enterprises.

Mr Deng, the China regional director of Italian craft beer maker Postwave Brewing, after meeting with local counterparts like Handsome Bear, said that he would come here again for collaboration and investment discussions.

Six centuries after Italian adventurer Marco Polo's legendary tour of Yangzhou, the city and Italy have forged closer ties through enhanced culinary interactions. With the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce's push, more Italian food firms are choosing Yangzhou as their gateway to the Chinese market, while local firms are expanding globally, venturing into Italy and the European Union.