The long-awaited moment is finally about to arrive. The new Central Market in Milan is about to be inaugurated. The date to be circled on the calendar is Thursday 2 September, where the 4500 square meters of the space will be open to the public, in a gastronomic ecstasy in which to taste the freshest meat and fish, but also typical street food, as well as taste a good wine or a great beer.
The opening has been postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but finally the time has come, and the Central Market is ready to open its doors inside the central station.
There will be celebrities, first of all the ubiquitous Joe Bastianich, who will bring a unique mix between Italy and the United States with his American Barbecue, flanked by the wines produced by his farm in Friuli. Also interesting is the proposal by Fausto Savigni, who will give the opportunity to taste meat and cured meats specialties produced within the WWF oasis of Dynamo Camp, the first Recreational Therapy camp in Italy, which hosts children and teenagers suffering from severe or chronic diseases.
For lovers of biodynamics, eyes on Davide Longoni’s mill, the first baker-farmer in Italy to have land cultivated with wheat. Here his flours will be produced together with Mattia Giardini and Alberto Iossetti. Finally, tasty notes also for lovers of sweets: the great pastry chef Vincenzo Santoro arrives at the Central Market in Milan, at the head of the historic Martesana pastry shop in Milan. The city limits open with the proposals of Ottaviano Sabato, with its Campania specialties, and with the chocolate specialties of Mara dei Boschi di Torino.
Pizza and street food at the Mercato
Do you only have a short time to eat? Do you prefer a hit and run meal than a restaurant? For you too, the Central Market is a hotbed of novelty: in fact, here there will be stalls dedicated to pizza, with Giovanni Mineo and Simone Lombardi from Crosta, but also the focaccia di Recco, brought to Milan by Marco Bruni, or the Chinese ravioli of Agie Zhou , of the ravioleria Sarpi.
The guest of honor? The fish
Inside the premises a special space is dedicated to fish: although everything is said and the opposite of everything, the objective fact is that in Milan there is the largest fish market in Europe, and for this reason it will be developed with particular attention to detail.
Within the fish section there will be an area of fish caught and cooked immediately, by the Pedol fish market, a fish bar by chef Jeremie Depruneaux who will offer raw delights, and a Milanese version of Marciana Marina’s Rendez-Vous , one of the best known restaurants on the Island of Elba, where the chefs are dedicated to preparing fish on charcoal.
What is the Central Market
The Mercato Centrale concept, opened for the first time in Florence from an idea by Umberto Montano, has had enormous success, so much so that two “branches” have been created in Rome and Turin. The opening in Milan will therefore be the fourth opening in Italy: Montano affirms that the adventure in the Lombard capital is the “biggest and most demanding ever. In other words, the most ambitious”.
Big words for the new space dedicated to eating well, distributed over 2 floors, which will see 29 food artisans propose their delicious dishes. But not just food: in full Milanese style, inside the premises of the Central Market there will also be a cooking school and a radio laboratory, as well as a series of floral installations and an area for meetings, exhibitions, events and workshops, even for the little ones.
Finally, a space in the Central Market will be dedicated to the organic market, where it will be possible to shop for fresh and zero-kilometer products. For those who prefer other excellences of Italian gastronomy, there will also be the Truffle shop of Luciano Savini and that of Sergio Barzetti’s rice.
