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Gourmet Cooking

Fancy Feast Creates Gatto Bianco Italian Trattoria for Cat Lovers

Fancy Feast is opening Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast, a limited-time, Italian-style trattoria and culinary experience in New York City, to celebrate its new globally inspired Medleys recipes.

Gatto Bianco will bring the mealtime experience of cats to life for cat owners and cat lovers and includes a special appearance by the iconic Fancy Feast cat herself, according to the company. The dishes (for humans!) take inspiration from Fancy Feast Medleys recipes and pay homage to traditional Italian cuisine, with a menu developed by Fancy Feast’s in-house chef, Amanda Hassner, along with Michelin Star winning Italian chef and acclaimed New York restaurateur Cesare Casella.

Chef Amanda Hassner

Located between the Far West Village and the Meatpacking District in New York City, Gatto Bianco will be open for dinner on Thursday, Aug. 11 and Friday, Aug. 12 only, with four reservations per evening at 6:30 p.m. ET. Each reservation will accommodate two guests (ages 21+).

Chef Cesare Casella

The 16 lucky cat lovers will enjoy a complimentary tasting menu that will transport them to Italy for the evening, as Chef Casella shares his Italian heritage and passion for cooking with a menu of authentic, Tuscan dishes, while Chef Hassner shares her culinary expertise to mirror the sensory experience of cats at mealtime.

“Food has the power to connect us to others in meaningful ways and take us to places we have never been,” said Hassner. “The same is true for our cats. The dishes at Gatto Bianco are prepared in ways that help cat owners understand how their cats experience food – from flavor, to texture, to form – in a way that only Fancy Feast can.”

The chefs will provide guests an inside look at the detail and expertise that goes into crafting each Fancy Feast recipe through a variety of delectable dishes and culinary exercises. The Gatto Bianco experience builds on the success of the Fancy Feast cookbook, launched in 2021, and is the newest way that Fancy Feast is showing cat owners the delight it brings to cats at every meal.

Reservations for Gatto Bianco will open for booking on Thursday, Aug. 4 at noon ET through OpenTable. Cat enthusiasts can go online to try to secure their spot and for more information. Reservations are limited and based on availability.

And for those who can’t come to Gatto Bianco, Fancy Feast is sharing recipes inspired by the Gatto Bianco menu so that cat lovers across the country can have an exceptional dining experience right in their own homes. Click here to download the recipes.

Fancy Feast Medleys are available at select retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $1.13.

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Chile Hosts Americas Selection of World Pastry Cup

Team Canada

The Americas Selection of the World Pastry Cup will be held for the first time in Chile at the Metropolitan Santiago, managed by competition organizer GL Events, on July 13.

During the internationally renowned competition in the world of pastry, the candidates will have to convince a jury of prestigious chefs, including Gustavo Sáez, honorary president of this edition. Named best pastry chef of 2016 by the World’s 50 Best Restaurant in Latin America, he is also the winner of the Copa Maya in 2018, which he won alongside the Chilean team.

The top three nations will qualify to take part in the grand Finale, which will be held at Sirha Lyon in Lyon, France, in January.

The eight teams, each composed of two candidates and a coach, will compete in a five-hour technical competition, during which they will have to create two frozen desserts, 12 frozen lollipops, seven restaurant-style desserts and two 145 cm artistic pieces (one in sugar and one in chocolate).

New for the 2021 grand Finale, the restaurant dessert will be included in the tasting rounds of the continental selections. The presentation, composition and service is up to the candidates, who will be judged by a jury of renowned pastry chefs and cooks, composed specifically for this event.

To honor finger food, the candidates will also have to make frozen lollipops, in the shape, color and composition of their choice.

Through the two artistic pieces and fruit entremets, the teams will have to show their technical skills and creativity to sublimate the products and express all the sensitivities of pastry-making.

Teams:

Argentina
Chocolate Candidate: Matías Dragún, Dragún Gelato (Miami, USA)
Sugar Candidate: Lucas Carballo, Escuela de Pastelería Profesional (Buenos Aires)
Jury: Néstor Reggiani, La Nueva Muguet (Buenos Aires)

Team Brazil

Brazil
Chocolate Candidate: Alessandro Lira, Harald Chocolates (Santana de Parnaíba)
Sugar Candidate: Marcia Garbin, Gelato Boutique (São Paulo)
Jury: Lucas Corazza, Queen Bee (Curitiba)

Canada
Chocolate Candidate: Alexandrine Grégoire-Guindon, Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec (Montreal)
Sugar Candidate: Patrick Bouilly, Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec (Montreal)
Jury: Daniel Hinojosa García, Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec (Montreal)

Team Chile

Chile
Chocolate Candidate: Alejandro Espinoza, Xoc Chocolate Shop (Santiago)
Sugar Candidate: Javiera Villegas,  StudioPas Academy (Santiago)
Jury: Camila García Elizalde, StudioPas Academy (Santiago)

Colombia
Chocolate Candidate: Carlos de Ávila, Hôtel Marriott (Bogota)
Sugar Candidate: Daniel Martínez Cerón, Mazama Artesanos del Dulce (Medellin)
Jury: Laura Mójica Rodriguez, DLK S.A.S (Bogota)

Ecuador
Chocolate Candidate: Geovanny Puzma
Sugar Candidate: Hugo Maldonado
Jury: Christian Flores, Pastelería Flores (Quito)

Mexico
Chocolate Candidate: Gerardo Reyes Aguilar, Tout Chocolat (Mexico City)
Sugar Candidate: Anahí Martínez, Tout Chocolat (Mexico City)
Jury: Osvaldo Ortega, Tout Chocolat (Mexico City)

United States of America
Chocolate Candidate: Julie Eslinger, Country Club at Castle Pine (Castle Rock, Colo.)
Sugar Candidate: Jordan Snider, The Sanctuary Hotel (Kiawah Island, S.C.)
Jury: Christophe Feyt, Hilton Anatole Hotel (Dallas)

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Williams Sonoma Launches Seed & Harvest Food Collection

Williams Sonoma, a brand portfolio member of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has launched Seed & Harvest, a collection of food that prioritizes providing customers with unprecedented transparency in ingredients and sustainable sourcing practices to accommodate various dietary, food or lifestyle preferences.

As a result of these commitments to transparency and sustainability, packaging of Seed & Harvest products will feature iconography that will assist customers in easily identifying products that are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher or dairy free. Additionally, all Seed & Harvest products are refined sugar-free and all packaging of Seed & Harvest products are either compostable or recyclable.

Williams Sonoma has a rich history of offering our customers best-in-class food products made with clean, high-quality ingredients that we develop in-house or source from premiere vendors around the world,” said Williams Sonoma President Ryan Ross. “We are developing Seed & Harvest products to appeal to the palate of all of our customers while also being mindful of those who may have various dietary, food or lifestyle preferences. The accommodations we are making with this collection will allow our customers with specific needs to easily shop Seed & Harvest products with confidence without having to question quality or compromise on flavor.”

The sustainably sourced ingredients featured in Seed & Harvest products will be identifiable through premiere third-party certification organizations like Fair Trade and through purveyors and partners of Williams Sonoma such as Renewal Mill, an award-winning, women-led food company that’s dedicated to fighting climate change with upcycled flours and baking mixes.

The Seed & Harvest collection by Williams Sonoma features 33 items ranging across all food categories from savory and sweet to snacks and beverages:

  • Brownie and Cookie Mixes – $14.95-$16.95
    • Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Sugar Cookie
  • Cake Mixes – $16.95
    • Chocolate Cake, Yellow Cake
  • Quick Bread and Muffin Mix – $15.95
    • Raspberry Lemon Quick Bread, Banana Date Quick Bread
    • Blueberry Oat Flour Muffin
  • Breakfast Bars and Protein Pancake Mix – $14.95-$16.95
    • Banana Oat Breakfast Bar
    • Blueberry Protein Pancake, Protein Powder Pancake
  • Sweets – $9.95-$14.95
    • Gummy Worms, Organic Vegan Gummy Bears, Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Beverage/Cocktail Mixes – $18.95
    • Blueberry Lemon Thyme Cocktail Mix, Citrus Ginger Cocktail Mix, Pomegranate Paloma Cocktail Mix
  • Sauces and Seasonings – $14.95-$16.95
    • Chipotle Black Pepper BBQ Sauce, Original BBQ Sauce, Smoky Peach BBQ Sauce
    • Everyday Seasoning Rub
    • French Mustard, Ginger Soy and Ultra Herb Sheet Pan Seasoning
  • Salad Dressings/Marinades/Oil Drizzlers – $16.95-$18.95
    • Golden Goddess Everything Sauce, Green Goddess Everything Sauce, Red Goddess Everything Sauce
    • Balsamic Basil, Garlic Meyer Lemon, Sonoma Herb Veggie Roasting Drizzler
  • Pasta Sauce $18.95
    • Hidden Veggie Marinara Pasta Sauce, Vegan Vodka Pasta Sauce
  • Pizza Sauce and Crust Mix – $14.95-$16.95
    • Pizza Sauce
    • Cauliflower Pizza Crust Mix

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