Slow food chef Delfino Maruca in Malta 5 – 7 October

His cuisine is a blend of raw but noble ingredients, designed to add value to the slow food tradition and testimony of his commitment to the preservation and dissemination of those culinary values that have been handed down from one generation to the next and which tend to be forgotten as a result of today's hectic lifestyle.

Maruca's culinary expertise has been valued and highly prized by Cuoco d'Oro (1987);  by Concorso Gastronomico Europeo for his participation in the traditional cuisine theme "Chestnuts on European tables" held at Bagno di Romagna (FC) in 2000; also awarded the "Collegium Cocorum" prize in 2006, the most notable mark of distinction granted to chefs by the Federazione Italiana Cuochi for having exceeded 25 years of continuous dedication, competence, prestige and passion in the art of gastronomy, while faithfully honouring the Millenaria Tradition of Italian Cuisine.

Delfino Maruca's presence is prominent in the world of Slow Food: his restaurant "Il Vecchio Castagno" di Serrastretta (CZ), has featured for years in the Guida Osterie d'Italia and has also received the CHIOCCIOLA D'ORO OSTERIE D'ITALIA SLOW FOOD award; he is also chef of Terra Madre and none other than Master Professor for the Slow food theme 'regional pasta' at the Salone del Gusto, Torino.

In Maurca's own words, "For all humanity to progress it needs to follow two principles namely to reproduce and eat so as to live.  This philosophy elevates these two mundane principles, transforming them into love and gastronomy."