Barilla Teaming Up With Italian American Committee on Education and The International Culinary Center to Bring Italian Cooking Classes to Children of New York

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, Barilla, the Italian food company, is partnering with the Italian American Committee on Education (IACE) to sponsor its "Eat Healthy and Speak Italian" cooking series for children at The International Culinary Center in  New York City.

The educational cooking classes are a celebration of Italian food and culture, where students ages 10-15 will learn to cook traditional and nutritious pasta dishes from scratch. Renowned Italian Chef Cesare Casella, Dean of The School of Italian Studies at The International Culinary Center, will teach students to make authentic Italian recipes, demonstrating the same techniques used in the school's professional culinary career programs. Students will prepare and enjoy recipes from the Barilla family including:

• Barilla® Whole Grain Rotini with Braised Fennel, Carrots and Spring Onions
• Barilla® Whole Grain Spaghetti with Fresh Vegetables

The International Culinary Center is one of the most authentic Italian culinary programs in the country, and this series broadens its scope by teaching younger students how to speak Italian words and phrases. Additionally, students will learn about the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition's Double Pyramid – a tool that demonstrates a healthy diet, founded on the principles of the Mediterranean way of living, is not only good for kids' well-being, but it is also good for the environment.

"For more than 130 years, we have been dedicated to helping people live better by teaching them the importance of eating and cooking healthy foods in their everyday lives," said Anna Rosales, RD, CSO, Nutrition Manager of Barilla America. "By educating children on the importance of proper nutrition, the IACE is truly focused on helping children in New York develop healthy habits from a young age that they can then benefit from for the rest of their lives. We couldn't be more honored to join hands with them to help children develop healthy habits."

"Eat Healthy and Speak Italian" classes will be offered on March 6, March 13, April 16, April 23 and April 30 at The International Culinary Center at 462 Broadway, New York, NY. (Note: All classes are currently sold out.)

For more information about "Eat Healthy and Speak Italian" classes, visit: http://www.iacelanguage.org/2011/06/italian-cooking-classes-in-collaboration-with-the-italian-culinary-academy/

For more information about the Barilla Double Pyramid and Mediterranean Way of living, view this educational class video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2SY-4KyU4&feature=youtu.be 

For more nutritious recipes from Barilla, visit: http://www.barillaus.com/Pages/Recipe-Landing.aspx?cID=2

About the Barilla Group

Barilla, originally established in 1877 as a bread and pasta shop in Parma, Italy, ranks as one of today's top Italian food groups. Barilla is a leader in the global pasta business, the pasta sauces business in continental Europe, the bakery products business in Italy and the crispbread business in Scandinavia.

Barilla owns 43 production sites (13 in Italy and 30 outside Italy) and exports to more than 100 countries. Every year, about 2,500,000 tons of food products are featured on dining tables all over the world under the brands of Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Voiello, Pavesi, Alixir, Academia Barilla, Wasa, Harry's (France and Russia), Lieken Urkorn and Golden Toast (Germany), Misko (Greece), Filiz (Turkey) and Yemina and Vesta (Mexico).

Barilla has become one of the world's most esteemed food companies and is recognized globally as a symbol of Italian know-how by upholding its longstanding traditional principles and values, considering employees a fundamental asset and developing leading-edge production systems.

For more information, please visit: www.barillagroup.com and www.BarillaUS.com.

About the Italian American Committee on Education (IACE)

IACE is a non-profit organization that promotes the study of the Italian language and culture: through its grants it supports over 42,000 students from Pre-K through High School during a 3-year-commitment. Every year 20,000 new students are enrolled in Italian classes in around 100 schools in the Tri-state area of NY-CT-NJ. In 2011 more than 14,000 students and teachers attended IACE cultural events, such as "Tutti all'Opera" (Let's all go to the Opera). Italian has become one of the most requested languages by high school students in New York, after Chinese but more so than French. IACE operates with both private funds and funds from the Italian Government, and it is under the supervision of the Italian Consulate General of Italy in New York. For more information: www.iacelanguage.org

About The School of Italian Studies at The International Culinary Center

The School of Italian Studies at The International Culinary Center is one of the most authentic Italian culinary programs in the country. The unique 28-week career program divides course time between New York or California and Parma, Italy. The curriculum, which is updated every few months, was designed by Chef Cesare Casella, Dean of The School of Italian Studies and renowned chef-owner of Salumeria Rosi in New York City. The next Italian culinary program begins March 12. For more information on the School of Italian Studies, visit: http://www.internationalculinarycenter.com/italian/watch-video.htm.

SOURCE Barilla