A branch of the Italian government has honored San Diego's Civico 1845 as "ambassadors of Italian cuisine" at an event held in Las Vegas.
"Last night in Las Vegas we have been awarded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Italian Trade Agency as ambassadors of the Italian Cuisine in the United States," wrote Civico 1845 in a post on the company's social media channels. "This special event is part of the candidacy of Italian Cuisine to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. We are very happy and proud to represent our culture and traditions through authenticity in the US! Way more to go!"
During the winter installment of the Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas, a prominent gathering dedicated to specialty food and beverages in North America, the spotlight was firmly on Italy's cultural and gastronomic richness. Italy is currently pushing to have Italian cuisine honored as a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage element. As part of the campaign, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), a governmental entity responsible for promoting and internationalizing Italian companies abroad, orchestrated a showcase of Italian cuisine within the Fancy Food Show. The event was hosted at the Mercato della Pescheria restaurant within Las Vegas's The Venetian Resort.
As part of the ITA event on Monday night, San Diego's Civico 1845 was honored as one of eight contributing restaurants that were considered the best ambassadors of Italian cuisines in the country. Also in attendance were 150 figures from Italy and the United States, representing institutions, entrepreneurs, and standout Italian brands, including Italian pasta brand Barilla. Notable attendees included Matteo Zoppas, President of the Italian Trade Agency; Raffaella Valentini, Consul General of Los Angeles; Bill Lynch, President of the Specialty Food Association – the organizing entity behind Fancy Food Show; and celebrity restaurateur and longtime MasterChef judge Joe Bastianich.
From the Gallo family - brothers Dario & Pietro, who hail from the city of Cosenza in the Calabria region of Southern Italy - Civico 1845 (pronounced CHEE-vee-ko) opened in June 2015 in San Digo's Little Italy. In May 2019, the Gallos opened its second area restaurant, an upscale, 7,000 square-foot "Calabria meets San Diego" fusion restaurant named Il Dandy in partnership with the with father and son chefs Antonio and Luca Abbruzzino of Italy's Michelin-starred Ristorante Abbruzzino. In 2020, Il Dandy was rebranded to become Civico By The Park, which ultimately closed in early 2022 and is now leased by the team behind Little Italy's Nolita Hall. The Gallos are currently working on expanding Civico 1845 into the adjacent space behind the restaurant that last housed Love & Aesthetics.
Civico 1845 is located at 1845 India Street in San Diego's Little Italy. For more information, visit civico1845.com.
