Italians Study New Hampshire Food Culture

A group of young Italians spent much of the summer here in the Granite State as exchange students with UNH's new eco-gastronomy dual major, the first of its kind in the country. It’s a relatively new field, combining aspects of sustainable agriculture, hospitality, and nutrition.

The fourteen students are in their final year at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy. It's founder, Carlo Petrini, is also the father of the slow food movement. It started twenty years ago to resist McDonald's opening a restaurant near the Spanish steps in Rome. It's since expanded to 800 chapters, or "convivia," in 132 countries.

The school aims to reconnect food consumers with producers. This month the group has toured farms that raise goats, grow blueberries and melons, and produce maple syrup.

The students are aware that slow food has developed a bit of an elitist reputation, especially now as people are looking for ways to spend less money on food, not more. But the students say the slow food movement stems directly from Italy’s agrarian roots.

Our producer Avishay Artsy took on the sacrifice of sampling food and wine with the group at Flag Hill Winery in Lee, NH. He filed this report as part of our "next green thing" series.

(Frank Reinhold, owner of Flag Hill Winery, addresses the students, as Annalisa Sivieri and Paolo Camozzi look on. Photo by Avishay Artsy)