edited by Silvia Morstabilini
Contemporary catering is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in its recent history. This is not merely a stylistic or gastronomic shift, but a cultural re-evaluation that encompasses our understanding of work, hospitality, our relationship with the local area, and even the very meaning of the restaurant itself.
It is a development that the Ambassadors of Taste are closely monitoring from a privileged vantage point. As a network bringing together professionals from all over Italy and beyond — chefs, pizza makers, pastry chefs, restaurateurs and practitioners of contemporary hospitality — the association is now one of the most authoritative forums for discussion on developments in the sector. A widespread observatory, capable of bringing together diverse perspectives that are united by a shared need: to understand how the contemporary restaurant is changing.
During Identità Milano 2026, which focused on the theme ‘The freedom to think’, this question emerged with particular force. For never before has the restaurant industry felt such a pressing need to redefine its models, moving beyond paradigms that have been regarded as sacrosanct for decades.
The limitations of the traditional model
The traditional model of the restaurant industry — based on rigid hierarchies, an extremely fast pace and an almost sacred conception of haute cuisine — is now showing increasingly obvious limitations. It is not only the public’s expectations that are changing, but also those of the professionals who work day in, day out in the kitchens, dining rooms and businesses of the Italian restaurant industry.
The Ambassadors of Taste tell the story of an industry that is now seeking greater balance, sustainability and authenticity. This transformation extends beyond the organisation of work to the very meaning of the gastronomic experience itself. Today’s customer no longer seeks merely technical excellence or ostentatious luxury: they desire connection, identity and a story. They want to understand the local area, engage with a vision, and enjoy an experience that is more human and less contrived.
Against this backdrop, another key theme also emerges: that of passing on knowledge. The transformation of the sector, in fact, concerns not only the present but, above all, the future and the people who will shape it. Bobo and Chicco Cerea, Ambassadors of Taste, illustrate this well when discussing their relationship with the younger generations. Young people, to whom Lella Cerea devotes a great deal of attention, bring ‘energy to the kitchen’ and represent a vital resource for the sector’s future. But growth requires shared responsibility. As Chicco Cerea emphasises: ‘We must lay the groundwork to ensure it grows in the best possible way.’
This is a consideration that goes beyond the generational handover within a family and becomes a cultural issue: the contemporary restaurant cannot limit itself to training professionals, but must create environments in which new ideas, new sensibilities and new models can flourish.
The role of the Ambassadors of Taste as a network for exchange
In this context, the role of the Ambassadors of Taste takes on particular significance. The association’s strength lies in its ability to transform individual experiences into collective reflections, fostering an ongoing dialogue amongst professionals who work in different contexts but share the same questions about the sector’s future.
The Italian catering industry is facing complex challenges: generational change, the financial viability of businesses, the difficulty in recruiting qualified staff, and the need to create healthier and more modern working environments. These are issues which, until a few years ago, were often confined to individual businesses but which today, however, have become the subject of open and necessary discussion.
It is precisely in the diversity of their experiences that the Ambassadors of Taste find their strength. Their varied professional backgrounds enable them to interpret change from different yet complementary perspectives.
Freedom of thought as a catalyst for change
In this sense, the theme chosen for Identità Golose 2026 takes on a particularly profound meaning. “The freedom to think” is not interpreted by the Ambassadors of Taste as a mere intellectual provocation, but as a practical necessity to envisage new models of dining.
A freedom that certainly encompasses creativity, but which cannot exist without a solid entrepreneurial foundation. This point was highlighted by Richard Abou Zaki, Ambassador of Taste, chef and entrepreneur, who, during Identità Golose, drew attention to a theme that has often been overlooked in the narrative of haute cuisine: ‘There is no creative freedom without economic freedom. There is no such thing as a free chef unless they are a capable entrepreneur.’
His talk offers a crucial perspective for understanding the transformation currently underway. For years, the sector has kept the narrative of cuisine separate from that of the business, as if they were two distinct worlds. Today, this distinction seems increasingly untenable. The freedom to experiment, innovate and develop new languages inevitably also depends on the ability to build solid and sustainable businesses.
Richard Abou Zaki himself says: “The Marche region has given me freedom of thought”, emphasising how a region, a business and a personal vision can become deeply interconnected.
From the end of one model to the birth of a new concept in restaurants
The end of the traditional model does not signify a loss of identity, but rather the beginning of a new phase of evolution. A phase in which the restaurant ceases to be merely a place for dining and increasingly becomes a cultural, social and relational space.
According to the vision shared by the Ambassadors of Taste, quality can no longer be measured solely in terms of technical skill or the formality of service. Today, a restaurant’s value is also built on its ability to foster a sense of well-being, cultivate a gastronomic culture and maintain an authentic connection with the local area and its people.
Carlo Cracco, speaking at Identità Milano, also offered a reflection that resonates with this transformation: ‘To draw on the past, make it our own, and then create something new’. This idea effectively sums up one of the central challenges of contemporary gastronomy: to innovate without erasing what has gone before, to build the future without losing our memory.
The future of the catering industry according to the Ambassadors of Taste
It is a transformation that requires courage, dialogue and the ability to listen. And this is precisely where the role of the Ambassadors of Taste becomes crucial: not only to represent the excellence of Italian cuisine, but also to play an active part in shaping its future.
Because the contemporary restaurant will not be defined by a single, universal new model, but by the ability to interpret change with vision, responsibility and freedom of thought.
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