PAVING THE WAY: Italy’s ambassador to Qatar, Guido De Sanctis, and the Chairperson of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Palma Libotte, at the event yesterday.  Photo by Jayan Orma

Ospitalita’ Italiana Diplomas, a benchmark for gastronomic excellence, will be awarded
to Italian restaurants in Doha that meet very high standards. By Anand Holla

As Qatar’s food scene continues to explode through multiple avenues of deliciousness, Italian cuisine, which has been at the forefront of Doha’s culinary makeover of the recent past, has just got a shot in its arm.
With several Italian restaurants having cropped up in the city, the benchmark for gastronomic excellence has constantly been pushed higher. At the Italian Embassy yesterday noon, Italy’s ambassador to Qatar, Guido De Sanctis, and the Chairperson of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Palma Libotte, announced that, for the first time in Qatar, the Ospitalita’ Italiana Diplomas will be awarded to Italian restaurants that meet very high standards.
With procedures similar to those of being awarded a Michelin star, the worldwide project of Ospitalita’ Italiana was conceived by the Italian Republic’s institution Unioncamere with the support of IS.NA.R.T. and the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad.
Its key purpose is to “enhance the image of authentic Italian restaurants abroad, and ensuring compliance with quality standards typical of the world-renowned Italian hospitality.” By recognising real Italian restaurants and awarding them the “Golden Q”, the prestigious Ospitalita’ Italiana label of Quality, the idea is to “bring added value to the Italian food and beverage culture abroad.” A diploma and a plaque are awarded to those Italian restaurants who guarantee typical quality standards of Italian hospitality.
In 2016, 10 Italian restaurants in Doha will display this prestigious plaque. Since 2009, 1,736 Italian restaurants in the world have received this award. New York is the city with the highest number of authentic Italian restaurants with 154 Golden Qs, followed by Sao Paolo and Tokyo.
Libotte said, “We have been officially appointed by the Italian government to select the Italian restaurants in Qatar, evaluate them and to designate the 10 outlets who will receive this notable certification. We are targeting restaurants that follow the original criteria of Italian Hospitality: the traditional ambience, original Italian ingredients and an experienced Italian chef being some of the main aspects.”
The Ospitalita’ Italiana Diplomas will be awarded in March by the Italian Ambassador at his residence, during a very exclusive gala dinner. “In Italy restaurants that possess this diploma are highly regarded and Italians tend to choose restaurants that bear this symbol at the entrance when abroad,” the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Qatar said. They will also publish a directory to promote the authentic Italian restaurants in Doha, and Qatar Happening, the official media partner of the event, will support the project.
“We are working on the site inspections now, taking pictures of the products imported from Italy, checking out the menus and reviewing chefs’ CVs. We have to admit there are some pretty amazing professionals out there,” Libotte explained, “All the data gathered will be sent to Italy where a panel of experts will determine which restaurants are eligible for the Ospitalita’ Italiana diploma.” De Sanctis, on his part, emphasised on the benefits for the restaurants involved in this project.
The project’s aims also include developing and promoting the traditions of Italian food products and upgrade the culture of Italian food; and “create an international network, providing for the realisation of promotional events of Italian productive excellence.”
Interestingly, 89% of the certified restaurants in the world believe that the Ospitalita’ Italiana diploma brought them an increase in sales. As much as 67% of the enterprises benefit of advantages in terms of image and reputation of their business.
Qatar is growing rapidly in the hospitality sector offering great selection for tourist and the expat community, we are proud to bring this project in Qatar to boost the image of the valuable Italian restaurants that are of a very high standard, hoping to reach a wide target audience of gourmet lovers.
Founded in 2004 under the patronage of the Italian Embassy and endorsed by the Italian Ministry of foreign development in 2013, the Italian Chamber of Commerce covers wide range of activities from PR and media relations to organisation of corporate events, fashion shows, B2B meetings, high level-matchmaking, marketing collaterals content management and graphics for promotional material in English and Italian.
The Italian Chamber provides cost-effective and practical solutions to promote companies in Qatar, and it enjoys good reputation courtesy its solid networking with the Qatari and international business communities.