New York City:- The Italian Culinary Academy of New York City, whose founder is Dorothy Cann Hamilton and dean is GVCI member Cesare Casella will play a prominent role in the next International Day of Italian Cuisines and they are full steam working on this event (read more on the ICA participation here).

AUSTRALIA:- "The Adelaide Review" magazine has published an article on the Grupo Virtuale Cuochi Italiani (GVCI) called "The Great Debate". Written by GVCI member chef Salvatore Pepe who explains the dynamics of this unique virtual group of cooks and how it works: debating, sharing and exchanging experiences and opinions. But most of all, as a standard of authentic Italian cuisine. Also, more information on the upcoming International Day of Italian Cuisines. Click here to read the whole article.

Beijing: GVCI associate chef Vincenzo Pezzilli, formerly Executive Chef of Piazza Italia in Beijing, is now the Chief Operating Officer of Agrilandia, an organic farm that has recently started its activities in the Chinese capital. Agrilandia has various operations revolving around the farm, among which are the Casale restaurants located inside the farm itself and in the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts, plus 2 pilot ministores for a potential franchising.  Chef Pezzilli aims at creating a pole of Italian cuisine excellence in Northern China, which may continue what Piazza Italia begun but wasn´t, unfortunately, able to do so due to management flaws.

The “pomodorino del piennolo del Vesuvio“, a round cherry tomato with a pointed end that is kept on the vine until winter, has been granted the Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) by the European Union. This luscious pomodorino, which is cultivated in the Vesuvius (and Mount Somma) area, in the province of Naples, is now part of the more than 180 Italian food specialties protected by the European Union. The Committee promoting the PDO had to wait over 6 years to achieve such a result.

Donato De Santis’ Villa della Pasta, a program aired by El Gourmet Channel in South America, was awarded the Martin Fierro prize as the Best Cooking Show of the Season (2008). This is the highest recognition of Argentinean television and is the second time Donato has been honored with this award (the first one was for his program Donato Cucina in 2002). Villa Della Pasta, is a program where De Santis reveals his audience the secrets in the making of the best handmade Italian pasta.