Ahead of the Chuncheon Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival (Oct. 14–18), Chuncheon is sending an international delegation to Parma, Italy's renowned gastronomic city, from Oct. 16 to Oct. 23 to showcase the best of Chuncheon dakgalbi.
The delegation, led by Deputy Mayor Hyun Jun-tae, will visit Chuncheon's sister city of Parma to promote Chuncheon's food and culture as part of the K-Gastronomic Road — a curated selection of standout K-food offerings — during Parma's "Settembre Gastronomico" food festival. The visit will also include exchange activities in gastronomy, education and tourism.
Chuncheon honorary city ambassador Alberto Mondi and local dakgalbi restaurant chefs will join the delegation.
On Friday (local time), the delegation will take part in a "Korea: Culture and Flavors (Corea: cultura e sapori)" event at the San Paolo cultural complex in Parma. Following a special lecture by Mondi, Chuncheon chefs will prepare and serve dakgalbi live for Parma residents. Students from Liceo Romagnosi will also perform music at the event.
On Monday (local time), a four-hands dinner — "Cena a Quattro Mani" — will be held at Al Vedel restaurant in Parma, bringing together chefs from both cities. Executive Chef Enrico Bergonzi of Parma and the culinary team from Chuncheon's Tongnamu-jip Dakgalbi will present dishes that blend ingredients and cooking techniques from both cities.
The delegation will also take part in a fresh pasta-making workshop with Parma chef Luca Pardini, and will visit a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production facility, a salumi and cheese academy, and global food company Barilla to explore the foundations of Parma's food industry.
Official meetings to strengthen ties between the two cities are also on the agenda. On Friday (local time), the delegation will visit Parma City Hall to meet Mayor Michele Guerra and discuss cooperation between the sister cities. They will then visit ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine, to explore possibilities for expanding ongoing exchanges with Chuncheon and Gangwon Province Life Science High School.
On Monday (local time), Chuncheon and Parma will hold a working-level meeting on international exchange to discuss future cooperation projects, including the 2027 "Ciao Italia" program. Exchange programs between Liceo Romagnosi and high schools in Chuncheon are also expected to be on the agenda.
"Through this visit, we will introduce Chuncheon's food and culture directly to the people of Parma and work to develop concrete exchange projects the two cities can pursue together," a Chuncheon city official said. "We will ensure that the discussions held on the ground lead to sustained exchanges in gastronomy, education, culture and tourism."
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