Letter from the Chairman

Tony May

Dear Friends,
As we march further into 2010, we felt it was fitting to explore a topic that seemingly pervades every corner of life: Social media. Whether you are on Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends or leveraging the real time updates of Twitter, no doubt social media has had a profound impact on how people communicate today. But what, exactly, does this all mean in terms of dollars and cents? We're excited to explore social media and how it is affecting our industry.

We are pleased as always to welcome new restaurant members into the GRI family. With each new restaurant in a different geographic location we continue to build GRI's mission and reach. In every issue of the GRI Report, we pay gratitude to existing Restaurant and Corporate Members. This month we are excited to profile Restaurant Member Artu Trattoria Rosticceria and Corporate Member Acqua Smeraldina.

Perhaps our most exciting news is the start of our Culinary Lecture Series, Genuinely Italian, in collaboration with the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo at the New York University. Our first lecture on March 3rd with wine consultant extraordinaire Stefano Milioni, kicked off what we believe is an engaging series of presentations on Italian cuisine and history. The second was on March 24th, with one of America's premiere food writers, John Mariani of Esquire magazine who took us through the History of Italian Cuisine in New York and beyond. Our collaboration with Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo and the New York University is a testament to our belief in education as the means to fulfill our mission. We will communicate future lecture topics as they become confirmed and stay tuned to our website (www.gruppo.com) for more details on lecturers and upcoming topics.

April 11-19, 2010 Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani we will make its annual trip to Italy. This year we'll visit Tuscany and the eternal city of Rome. We thank our many sponsors in Italy and Banfi Vintners in helping us develop a truly unique and professional educational tour.

We are also pleased to announce that the GRI Giacomo Bologna Culinary Scholarship winners will travel to Friuli Venezia Giulia this year. Educating the chefs of tomorrow is our number one tool to help authentic Italian cuisine in the United States. We are so pleased every year to offer our scholarship in this effort.

Lastly, we want to hear from you. We are a group that exists because of you, the members. Please keep us informed about all your ongoing activities.

Italian Cuisine Forever,

Tony May

New/Renewed Members

Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani is proud to welcome from across the country new members and those who have renewed their commitment to GRI:

• Tratttoria Dell'Arte (New York)
• Buon Appetito Ristorante (Boston)
• Il Pasticcio (Savannah)
• When in Rome (San Diego)
• SD26 Restaurant and Wine Bar (New York)
• Tomaso's (Phoenix)
• Tomasso's (Brooklyn)
• IL Gatttopardo (New York)
• Alioto's (San Francisco)
• Amarone (New York)
• La Pizza Fresca Ristorante (New York)

GRI Spotlight This Month

Corporate: Smeraldina

One of Sardinia's best-kept secrets, Smeraldina is natural artesian water from an unspoiled territory. The purity of the water is a gift from a pristine area devoid of environmental pollution. The water's unique origin stems from Sardinia, considered a "blue zone" because of the number of residents who live active lives past the age of 100. We took a few minutes to catch up with Giuseppe Pinna, who manages Smeraldina's business in the US to find out what makes Acqua Smeraldina different.

What makes this water from Sardinia so special?

Giuseppe Pinna:
Smeraldina comes from Sardinia that is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, with an extremely low population and very little industry and intensive agriculture.Smeraldina is so special because there isn't any water remotely as pure as Smeraldina Artesian water. Smeraldina comes from an acquifer located 1,000 feet under a granite mountain, The "Mountain of God," that naturally filters the water. Smeraldina is extremely light and smooth and has a perfect combination of minerals and a perfect PH.

Smeraldina entered the US market a few years ago; how have things been going and which markets are you present in?

Giuseppe Pinna:
Smeraldina has been progressively growing in the US and North America in the last 3 years and Smeraldina Artesian water is now sold in 15 States and we are planning to enter another 5 in the next 3 months plus Canada. We are facing a tough competition especially with lower quality Italian waters that are sold only on price but we are confident that the quality, the uniqueness and purity of our product set us apart from any lower end products that are coming into the market.

For more information on Acqua Smeraldina contact Giuseppe Pinna at (414) 431-4751.

Restaurant: Artu Trattoria Rosticceria

"We use beautiful, natural ingredients and prepare it with no fuss. Simple, but complex tastes come from it" Nancy Pelczar, owner of Artu Trattoria Rosticceria proudly sums up her Beach Hill (1995) and North Beach (1992) restaurants' philosophy.

"It's a welcoming, family-friendly home-style rosticceria influenced by the region of Abruzzo. Artu features whole chickens, along with favorite menu items, like broccoli rapini, home-style marinated eggplant, and oven roasted red peppers. Flavors of rosemary, olive oils, parmigiano-reggiano and garlic fill the air. Artu's staff takes care to get it right. "It's a lot of work," says Nancy, "but our patrons appreciate and know what it takes to get food to that point."

"We are as close as you get to authentic", Nancy declares. Reflective of the unusual, but simple building construct that Artu occupies---separately attached rooms that neatly house the kitchen, dinning room and bar---Artu Trattoria Rosticceria is genuine. It's the real thing when it comes to Italian cuisine which is why it remains a favorite destination for Boston foodies that remember great, no fuzz meals that their mothers and grandmothers served.

Learn more about Artu Trattoria Rosticceria at www.artuboston.com

Trip to Italy

Each year, GRI travels to a different region visiting wineries, food producers, restaurants and cultural landmarks providing GRI restaurant members the opportunity to gain insight into new products, wines, techniques and menu trends to bring back and incorporate into their own restaurants here in the U.S. further extending the mission of GRI to enhance and elevate authentic Italian Cuisine through education.

This year, with the assistance of regional sponsors and our Corporate member, Banfi Vintners, GRI will venture to Tuscany and the Eternal City, Rome from April 11-19. Highlights of the trip includes, among others, visits to the Cecchi Castello Mantanto Winery, Accademia Gastronomica (just outside Sienna), the Chanti region with a stop at Castello Banfi and in Frascati, a visit to the Fontana Candida Winery.

Look to our next issue of The GRI Report for a full recap of the trip.

Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo-GRI Genuinely Italian Culinary Lectures Stefano Milioni (March 3rd)

March 3rd, renown wine consultant, writer-editor and wine historian, Stefano Milioni addressed an appreciative audience at New York University's Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo. Along with a beautiful slide presentation, Milioni took members of GRI, Casa Italiana and special guests through various vineyards in regions of Italy commenting on their designs and architecture, and why they are built as they are−for reasons of geography, climate and the variety of grapes grown. He further segmented the producers view points and explained the historical evolution of what they must consider in terms of bottle shapes, label designs and ultimately the very shape of the wine glass which all together contribute to the enhancement wines for consumers.

His presentation was followed by a reception hosted by SD26 Restaurant and Wine Bar, where Milioni directs the wine program, which offered pappa col pomodoro, pasta and Grana Padano. Before the program, GRI corporate member, Banfi Vintners, served refreshing maschio dei cavalieri prosecco and then joined SD26 in serving guest various wines from the Banfi portfolio including the San Angelo Pinot Grigio and Rosa Regale.

John Mariani (March 24th)

The Casa Italiana- Zerilli Marimo (New York University) and Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani proudly presented on Wednesday, March 24th, John Mariani as the second guest lecturer for the Genuinely Italian educational lecture series. Known as one of America's premier food writers, journalist and author of more than 10 books on food, wine & gastronomy, Mr. Mariani is a three-time James Beard Journalism Award nominee and hailed by the Philadelphia Enquirer as "the most influential food-wine critic in the popular press".

Mr. Mariani presented a fascinating and engaging history of the development and myths of Italian cuisine in New York City. He traced the Italian culinary heritage highlighting where preconceptions originated and some of the popular images (celebrities included) and how they shape the way we see Italian cuisine. He was joined on stage later in a lively discussion by one of the nation's most respected restaurateurs and Chairman of Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani, Tony May. The reception hosts for the evening were GRI restaurant and corporate members, Salumeria Rosi and Domaine Select Wine Estates.

Italian Cuisine: A Victim of Its Own Success? (May 25th & 26th)

Italian cuisine is the most popular cuisine in America. Its success has prompted use and abuse! Sizable investments have been made in America by large companies to exploit the popularity of Italian Cuisine, with the obvious results of manipulating its authenticity in the kitchen and its products on the shelves of grocery stores and supermarkets throughout America.

Consumers lack familiarity with Italian food products and authenticity may not necessarily be of interest to them. This ignorance is aided by many manufacturers inventing new Italian sounding names to commercialize products. We need to safeguard our identity and our integrity; the only way we can do so is through Education---first with the restaurant operators, the consumers and the Learning institutions.

To explore this vast topic, GRI, the leading restaurant authority on Italian cuisine in North America, believes that there are many ways to fight this battle. The two-day Seminar at Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo-New York University, with specially invited guest panelists from Italy and the USA, will explore these issues and arrive at a consensus. In doing so, the seminar will establish guidelines for all to follow to safeguard our cuisine, our identity and our culture.

VINO 2010 Recap

Promoted as the largest convention of Italian wines ever presented outside of Italy, VINO 2010 lived up to the billing. Organized from February 2-5, 2010, VINO 2010 was three action packed days of seminars and tastings combined with store and restaurant promotions across the New York City Metropolitan area. In total over 400 Italian wineries with over 2,800 members of the trade and press and countless consumers reveled in the opportunity to discover new Italian wines. The Italian Trade Commission with the participation of BUONITALIA SpA and Vinitaly organized VINO 2010. Exhibiting regions this year included Apulia, Calabria, Tuscany and Veneto.

VINO 2010 kicked off with an inaugural press conference moderated by Kevin Zraly at the famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. VINO 2010 was also granted a Proclamation from the City of New York to the Italian Trade Commission declaring the week officially "Italian Wine Week." The importance of VINO 2010 was reinforced when the Honorary President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, visited with Italian producers at VINO 2010.

Seminar topics ranged from "The 2009 Harvest in Italy: The World Outlook for Italian Wine" to "Virtual Vino, Millennials and Social Media DECANTED!" GRI's own Tony May participated in one of the more spirited seminars, titled "Italian-American Food…Why don't it get no respect?" The seminar traced the food footprint that Italian immigrants left on America's culinary landscape, specifically what is Italian vs. Italian-American. A topic that speaks to the core of the GRI mission, Mr. May engaged in a lively discussion with moderator David Rosengarten and fellow panelists Lou Di Palo, Mario Carbone, Michael Batterberry and Piero Selvaggio.

If you missed the 2010 edition, mark your calendars for VINO 2011, which will take place again in early February 2011.

Social Networking & Restaurants

Facebook? Twitter? Flickr? Youtube? What do all these mean and, more importantly, why should I care! Perhaps you've asked yourself this question when you took a few moments out of your busy day to see what social media was all about. Or maybe you've already embraced it and discovered how these sites can help bring patrons into your restaurant. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, one thing is certain: Social media has vastly changed the communications landscape. Consumers of all ages have embraced the connectivity and businesses of all types have recognized the need for social media.

Social media is, in short, the next generation of the Internet where websites are no longer destinations for static information, but portals for community building. These new sites allow users to connect, communicate and share content in real time. Because of this, restaurants can ill afford to ignore the power these sites can yield. When utilized properly, you can engage an online community of consumers and potential new customers to generate exposure for your restaurant. Social media has the capacity virally spread news, ideas and promotions instantly like no other marketing initiative. Best of all, many portals are free or low-cost.

Akin to websites ten years ago, social media is not a novelty but rather a cost of doing business. Social media offers free or low cost tools that restaurants of all degrees can use to benefit their bottom line. The goal with social media, as with any marketing, is to promote your establishment and ultimately entice people to dine in your restaurant. Consumers today are bombarded from morning until night with multiple messages from myriad sources. Social media can help in this regard by helping you attack on multiple fronts. Ideally you want all social media networks to point to your website. This will bring everyone to a central point where you can control the message. Once you land them on your site, you can offer various incentives to push them towards actually making a reservation or simply coming in. No matter which social media tactics you decide to use, you must tailor your approach for each depending on the type of portal and audience it attracts. Fundamental to the success of any social media application is ensuring the content is updated. The differentiating factor for social media is the real time updates. Social media is not meant to be static and having outdated information can just as easily turn someone off. Here are a few sample ideas of how to get started with social media.

• Create videos of your chef preparing simple dishes that you can upload to Youtube. Recipes are among the most searched content online. Videos can be produced very cheaply and branded with the name of your restaurant.
• Create a Facebook fan page that you use to alert patrons about news, upcoming events

GRI Member Awards

The popular restaurateur known for his extensive philanthropic work will become the latest recipient of a star on the Anaheim Walk of Stars. Bruno Serato, owner of the Anaheim White House, will accept the honor at an unveiling ceremony on Tuesday at the gates of Disneyland.

See more on Bruno Serato at www.anaheimwhitehouse.com

We Want To Hear From You!

We always appreciate receiving news and updates from our members. Whether you have a new chef, opened a second location or have some promotions planned, we want to hear about it. Similarly, if you have photos of events, please send them to us (in the form of PDF file) with a brief one sentence caption and we will include them as well. Send your news to info@gruppo.com..

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