Through December 12, chef Gaio Giannelli will prepare free and homemade culinary specialities for those in need. Owner of the restaurant Pozzo di Bugia in Seravezza since 2004, Giannelli will keep his stove on for four Saturdays and cook hot meals for whoever knocks on his door. The chef explains that the realities of poverty are so often closer to us than we may think; if houses were made of glass, we would see the difficult circumstances of some of our neighbors, according to Giannelli.
Giannelli hopes to lend a hand to those who do not have anything to eat, as well as cook for frontline workers at the Versilia hospital. He plans to prepare pasta with potatoes, beef stew, and rice custard cake alongside fresh bread and a glass of red wine for those who come by his kitchen. These simple, but delicious foods arrive just in time for the winter holidays.
Various organizations have come out in support of Giannelli’s initiative and have made volunteers available to make home deliveries. In addition to hot food, Giannelli will also prepare packages with basic necessities to help those in poverty. With Christmas in mind, his aim is to spread hope and solidarity through food during the pandemic.
To read more in Italian, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site. (elizabeth berry)