by Dany Stauffacher
Looking back, it seems impossible that my passion for good food and wine, developed over the years thanks to many experiences around the world, led to all this. A venture born by chance, between friends. My great love for my region, on the other hand, has always been there.
I have always been Ticino, it's what I feel when I wake up in the morning, I am Ticinese in every moment of my day and this feeling has led me to think and create ideas that can support the best of my Canton, to continually seek new situations in which we can all feel good.
When I created the in 2007Sapori Ticino agency, with the aim of managing various events through quality food and wine, I never imagined I would get this far.
An idea to promote Ticino as a tourist destination, it was immediately embraced by a group of leading hotels and restaurants, who decided to offer their expertise to create the Festival. They shared a common goal: to support and highlight a region through excellent hospitality, with the belief that haute cuisine could be a key factor, bringing the best of international food and wine to the Canton of Ticino to collaborate with Ticino's hotels and chefs.
There wasn't much talk of stars yet, even though there were already some important restaurants. It wasn't yet clear that the gastronomic element would become a key factor in choosing a destination, and few considered the richness of our region's food and wine. Therefore, it was unimaginable that Ticino would become one of the regions with the most stars in the world, relative to its population.
Then, in 2009, S.Pellegrino, the leading mineral water brand and ambassador of gourmet cuisine, linked its name to the event. Thus was born S.Pellegrino Sapori Ticino, a successful partnership that launched the event internationally. Over the years, some of the world's top chefs have participated: Massimo Bottura, Mauro Colagreco, Joan Roca, Rasmus Kofoed, Martin Berasategui, Andreas Caminada, Peter Knogle, and Franck Giovannini, to name a few.
To communicate ever better and more, the first Sapori Ticino Magazine was published in 2011, and in 2012, lounge evenings began to bring quality food and wine to young people as well.
In 2014, an important partnership was launched with Swiss Deluxe Hotels, the association that brings together 43 of the best and most exclusive 5-star hotels in Switzerland, which will allow the flavors and knowledge of Ticino to be brought beyond the Gotthard. In 2015, the first female chefs arrived because even female cuisine has a sensitivity that cannot be ignored; just as we cannot ignore the role that food plays in our quality of life, in 2019 the collaboration with EOC began with the project Salute con Sapore.
This rich journey was recognized in 2021 with the Special Award for Best Food and Wine Event from Food&Travel Magazine. A lot of work, a lot of enthusiasm, and a lot of pride, I must admit. But Sapori Ticino hasn't stopped.
Since 2024, an important collaboration has begun with EHL Lausanne, the world's leading hospitality school, which develops future leaders in the hotel and restaurant industry, and beyond. This represents an opportunity for significant exchange to further develop the culture of hospitality, which is crucial for tourism and the entire economy.
The goal has always been to network different businesses to promote the industry's excellence. Hospitality is a way of life, and gastronomy is its beating heart. That's why I always strive to create synergies between food and wine, hotels, culture, and landscape.
With this in mind, we will be participating in the Luxury Hospitality Conference in Milan from 2023, a full-day event dedicated to luxury hospitality, designed to help professionals understand emerging trends, new approaches, and future prospects in the sector. We have always collaborated with the Grandes Tables Suisses, the association of Switzerland's finest restaurants, which will be among the protagonists of the twentieth edition, together with the GaultMillau Channel, which, thanks to a new partnership, will amplify our messages throughout the country.
Since its inception, the Festival's goal has been to establish a relationship of cultural exchange: the stories, characters, flavors, and knowledge of the host countries are always the protagonists, alongside the excellence of our own territory. With this in mind, in recent editions we have also crossed national borders and presented our food and wine riches in Paris, Munich, during the Paris and São Paulo Olympics, and again in Milan with always crowded press conferences.
This year, Swiss gastronomy will be the star of the Festival, and thanks to its rich food and wine culture, we will showcase Ticino and Swiss identity. By becoming the best ambassadors for our region, Swiss chefs will discover that modern gastronomy originated in Ticino, specifically in the Blenio Valley in the mid-15th century with Maestro Martino.
This entire journey continues to be possible thanks also to Ticino Turismo, Lugano Region, the Lago Maggiore and Valleys tourist organization, Bellinzona Turismo and Mendrisiotto Turismo, who have always supported us and to all the partners who believe in the event, because more than ever today tourism passes through food and wine, a fundamental factor in choosing a destination.
Eating and drinking have always been expressions of a place's culture, and Ticino has thus revealed its great potential.
Sapori Ticino will continue to promote Ticino as a destination that goes beyond its food and wine excellence, expressing a unique Mediterranean spirit in Switzerland, made up of a lifestyle, hospitality, and food and wine and landscape heritage, as has already been happening for years with Ticino Gourmet (ticinogourmet.ch).
And S.Pellegrino Sapori Ticino, after 20 editions, isn't concluding its journey, but will evolve, leveraging its expertise, relationships, and experience gained over twenty years of activity, contributing to the development of an even broader and more strategic vision, focused on young people. A journey that will center on the region and its most authentic identity, bringing the great chefs of the future to the public.
So, many new and interesting events still await us, but for now let's enjoy the twentieth edition starting mid-September!
