Vandemoortele celebrates the Artista del Panino 2024 with TravelDesk

TravelDesk oversaw the organization of the final of Artista del Panino 2024, the competition promoted by Vandemoortele that celebrates creativity and innovation in the world of gourmet sandwiches. A showcase of talent and culinary craftsmanship, the event took place at Spazio Parco Milano.

The 2024 final of the Artista del Panino competition, now in its ninth edition and promoted by Agritech® and Lanterna®—Vandemoortele brands—in collaboration with Bargiornale, concluded with great success. The event celebrated creativity and excellence in gourmet sandwich making, delivering a true display of talent and culinary mastery.

TravelDesk, specialized in events and business travel, managed numerous organizational aspects of the event: from location scouting to supplier coordination, from logistics to agenda management, through to the setup of the two workstations where the eight finalists competed throughout the day with creativity as their main ingredient.

The final took place on February 18 at Spazio Parco, just outside Milan. The venue—an architecturally restored farmhouse set amidst greenery—provided an evocative and elegant backdrop for the competition. In this exclusive setting, the eight finalists, selected from 30 professionals who reached the semifinal held last November in Genoa, showcased their talent in a bid to win the title of Artista del Panino 2024.

The competition unfolded in two stages. In the first, finalists presented the recipe that earned them access to the final round. The jury—composed of three industry experts: Andrea Mainardi, the “Atomic Chef” renowned for his explosive and creative cuisine; Roberto Barat, coordinator of Ristoranti magazine; and Luca Cesari, food historian—evaluated the entries based on taste, presentation, and originality.

Luca Giuliani and Giuliana Vitarelli were selected for the final showdown, which tested their creativity and improvisational skills. Using a mystery box containing secret ingredients revealed only at the moment of the challenge, the two competitors had to recreate a recipe devised by Chef Mainardi. This test required talent, technique, and originality, ultimately crowning Luca Giuliani of the Porco Rosso pub in Colleferro as the overall winner.

Chiara Pozzoli, Project Manager at TravelDesk, commented on the event: “We are pleased to have contributed, starting with the Genoa semifinal, to an event that has celebrated talent and innovation in the gourmet sandwich world for years. This success is the result of strong teamwork with Vandemoortele, and we are ready to support them in future editions.”