FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) sponsored its first media networking event for American journalists of Italian heritage and Italian correspondents in Providence on Wednesday evening, September 18th at the Culinary Archives Museum on the Johnson & Wales University Harborside Campus. Johnson & Wales University sponsored the media dinner and prepared Italian cuisine tastings from Ancient Rome to modern-day Italy. Chrissy Roberti of the ABC-6 and Jim Taricani of NBC-10 co-hosted the event.

A total of 27 attended the dinner with 17 journalists from the print and electronic media including: WLNE ABC-6, WJAR NBC-10, The Providence Journal, Metro Networks, The Voice of Italy, The Sun Chronicle, WHJJ-920 AM Radio, Boston’s North End Magazine, Grazioso Pictures, The Patriot Ledger, and the Valley Breeze.

Ronald W. Del Sesto, NIAF board member and Honorary Vice Consul of Italy in Providence and Joseph R. Muratore, former Vice Consul of Italy, also attended the event with several representatives from Johnson & Wales.

During the event, Johnson & Wales students gave tours of the museum’s exhibits. The guests munched on Italian delicacies prepared by Johnson & Wales Culinary School and sipped imported Italian wines donated by Five Star Fine Products. Lynn Gargano, the wine’s distributor attended the dinner. The NIAF also greatly acknowledged the cooperation of the Italian Trade Commission in obtaining the wines for this event.

Del Sesto gave an overview of the Foundation’s initiatives and highlighted the NIAF’s events in Rhode Island this year. He invited all to attend the next business council meeting.

The Culinary Archives & Museum at Johnson & Wales University is the premier museum devoted to the preservation of the history of the culinary and hospitality industries. Internationally renowned, the museum’s collection of more than 500,000 items represents five millenniums of history, often referred to as “The Smithsonian Institution of the Food Industry.”