Costa Cruises celebrates Platinum Jubilee Year with Sant’Egidio

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Costa Cruises is kicking off its 75^th anniversary celebration in Genoa with an initiative to support those in need who turn to the Community of Sant’Egidio each day.

Today, at the cloister of the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata in Genoa, Costa Cruises Corporate Chef Antonio Brizzi, prepared lunch for about 150 guests of the Community who live the harsh reality of the street every day.

The initiative, coordinated by the Costa Crociere Foundation, saw the participation of chef Bruno Barbieri, signature of gastronomic excellence aboard Costa ships.

“We wanted the first celebration for our 75th anniversary in Genoa to be with those who are often considered among the last in our city. We hope that this initiative, on which Costa chefs and volunteers have worked passionately together with Sant’Egidio volunteers, as did our friend Bruno Barbieri, granted them a moment of comfort and happiness. This also reflects a path of collaboration that we started back in 2015 with the Community of Sant’Egidio and that to date has allowed the distribution of around 700,000 meals to people in need in Genoa” – said Costa Cruises President Mario Zanetti.

“It was a truly important moment of celebration for those who find themselves in the difficulties of life. We had a family lunch with adults, children, and the elderly whom we have known for a long time and whom we help thanks to the support of Costa Crociere and its Foundation,” explained Maurizio Scala, head of the homeless service of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Genoa. “It is also an important sign for the entire city, because putting the most fragile at the centre can be an example of an inclusive city community, in which there is room for everyone”.

For the lunch Costa’s Corporate Chef Antonio Brizzi specifically created a six-course menu inspired by the dishes served daily in the restaurants of the Italian company’s ships, with consideration for the different needs and eating habits of the guests.

The ingredients used for the lunch came partly from Costa Cruises’ warehouses and partly from Italian suppliers with whom the Italian company habitually collaborates, some of whom donated them free of charge, such as Tavi srl of Genoa and Conor Veneto of Padua. For the supply of fresh bread, the Cooperativa Sociale Italforno, which has its production workshop inside the Genoa Marassi Prison, was chosen.

The volunteers from Costa Cruises and the Community of Sant’Egidio who helped chef Antonio Brizzi prepare the menu and serve it at the tables wore aprons made by Progetto Quid, a brand supported by the Costa Crociere Foundation that creates accessories and clothing from recycled fabrics, providing employment and inclusion opportunities for vulnerable people. In particular, the fabrics of the aprons come from tablecloths no longer in use in Costa ship restaurants, which have been given a second life.

Crockery, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, tablecloths and napkins used to prepare the lunch were disembarked from the Costa Toscana, Costa’s flagship that calls in Genoa every Friday.

They will be brought back on board next week when the ship returns to Genoa. Procurement and logistics required for the lunch were taken care of in-house by Costa Cruises.

Costa Crociere Foundation’s Food Assistance project was born in 2015 with the desire to support the Community of Sant’Egidio in Genoa and promote lasting change in the lives of the city’s most fragile people.

The Costa Crociere Foundation’s commitment focuses on the Community of Sant’Egidio canteen in Santa Sabina, Genoa, guaranteeing full hot meals to people in a state of destitution as well as supporting the purchase of accompaniment food for the daily street distribution of cold meals to homeless people.

Approximately 700,000 meals have been provided so far thanks to this support.

From Genoa, the Costa Crociere Foundation’s Food Assistance project has expanded to provide support to other communities Costa encounters on its ships’ itineraries and in emergency situations. In total, including the Community of Sant’Egidio, the program provided around 1 million meals to people in need in Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Ukraine.

The lunch with the Community of Sant’Egidio was the first of six events that make up Costa Cruises’ 75th anniversary celebration program. On the evening of Friday, October 20th, Costa will offer the city a show never seen before in Italy: the Monumental Tour.

Open to all, the appointment is at 8.45 pm in Piazza Matteotti, Genoa, for a show combining electronic music, heritage, and digital art, created by French DJ and producer Michael Canitrot.

75^th anniversary menu

Centrepiece: Chickpea hummus; Beetroot hummus; Tabuleh; Gorgonzola and mascarpone cheese mousse; Marinated vegetable salad.

Starter: smoked salmon tartare, cream cheese, salmon caviar, capers, onion and egg.

First course: Lasagna Bolognese, pumpkin cream and crispy bresaola.

Main course: Reconstituted veal medallion, vegetable caponata, natural sauce and herbs

Dessert: Tiramisu

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