Eats

Festa Italiana 2022 – full line-up, opening times and how to get there

Brought to Manchester by Salvi’s, the festival has become something of a favourite amongst local foodies

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 17th August 2022

Festa Italiana, the free-to-enter weekend-long festival celebrating Italian food, drink and culture is returning to Festival Piazza this August bank holiday weekend for its fifth year in the city.

Taking place from 26 to 28 August 2022 at Cathedral Gardens in Manchester city centre, it will bring together some of the city’s best Italian and Sicilian eateries alongside a host of live music, Italian bars and special chef masterclasses.

Featuring street food pop-ups from the likes of Pasta Factory, T’arricrii and Lucky Mama’s, to a dedicated Aperol Spritz bar and Airstream bar selling Italian craft lagers, and a special intimate chef’s dinner event, there is a lot for foodie fans to get excited about this year.

What is the street food line-up at Festa Italiana 2022?

Over the course of the weekend, foodie fans can enjoy sweet treats from Café Cannoli, wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas from  I Knead Pizza and Proove, and ‘rasta pasta’ from Chorlton-via-Eccles favourites Lucky Mamas.

T’arricrii will bring along handbuilt arancini and fritto misto, whilst the Pasta Factory will be on hand with its authentic plates of fresh Puglian-style pasta dishes.

Elsewhere, there’ll be sweet treats from festival founders Salvi’s, doughnuts from Destination Doughnut and grilled paninis, cakes, drinks and snacks from Kickback Coffee.

What bars are on offer at this year’s Festival Piazza?

The main festival bar will serve Italian favourites including fine Italian wine, Ponte prosecco, Luxardo, gin and tonics and other popular Italian spirits.

An Airstream Bar from Birrificio Angelo Poretti will serve Italian craft beers, whilst an Aperol Spritz bar will be on hand serving up everyone’s favourite low-ABV aperitivo. Soft drinks and coffees will also be available on-site across the weekend.

Live music

This year, Compagnia Sole Luna will bring traditional folk music from Naples, revisited in a folk-rock style from southern Italy.

There will also be a full lineup of local artists and bands including the city’s best-loved opera singer The Manchester Tenor, while DJs will be spinning records each night.

What events and masterclasses are taking place?

Festa Italiana Feaast – Dine with legendary Italian restaurateurs, authors, and UK TV favourites at the Festa Marquee

On Saturday 27 August an intimate chefs’ table dinner featuring top-class Italian TV celebrity chefs, Gennaro Contaldo, Giancarlo Caldesi, and Aldo Zilli, hosted and cooked by Salvis-owner Maurizio Cecco, with fresh pasta made from scratch by Carmela Serano Hayes. Guests and chefs will dine alongside one another, enjoying a four-course meal and drinks reception hosted by Gin Mare.

Festa feast tickets available here

Masterclasses inside the Festa Marquee

Carmela’s Kitchen – Carmela Sereno Hayes will be hosting ‘Carmela’s Kitchen’ across the entire weekend, with free drop-in sessions on the hour, every hour teaching pasta-loving adults and kids how to make the perfect pasta.

Friday 26 August

1.30pm – Festival founder Maurizio Cecco hosts a cooking masterclass with his daughter Sienna.

2.30pm – The team from I Sapori di Corbara Tomatoes will be flying in from Naples and doing a talk showcasing the brand and their products

3.30pm – Giulia Martinelli of The Pasta Factory will be showyou how to be a pasta master

4.30pm – A drinks masterclass from the Luxardo Maraschino team, whose versatile cherries are used in desserts and drinks across the world.

 5.30pm – A drink making Campari masterclass.

Saturday 27 August 

1.30pm – Maurizio Cecco hosts a pasta masterclass

2.30pm – Masterclasses and book signings from Gennaro Contaldo, UK brand ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano, (Saturday Kitchen, Two Greedy Italians, Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast)

3.30pm – Masterclasses and book signings from celebrity chef and award-winning restaurateur, Aldo Zilli (The One Show, This Morning, Celebrity Masterchef) 

4:30pm – A drinks masterclass from the Aperol team, showcasing the methods behind some of the most loved Italian drinks

Sunday 28 August

1:30pm – Masterclasses and book signings from Giancarlo Caldesi (Return to Tuscany, Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch

2:30pm – Gennaro Contaldo returns for a masterclass

3:30pm – A masterclass from Great British Bake Off 2021 winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno 

4:30pm – A very special pizza making masterclass by the team from Pizzeria Da Michele

When is Festa Italiana 2022 and what are the opening times?

Festa Italiana 2022 will take place from 26 to 28 August 2022 at Cathedral Gardens.

It will open across the weekend from 11am to 11pm, Friday to Sunday.

How do I get to the Festa Italiana festival hub?

Located opposite Manchester Victoria Station, the Festa Italiana festival hub sits in Cathedral Gardens. It can easily be accessed via tram, bus or train and is a short walk from Manchester Piccadilly.

Eats

Award-winning Northern Quarter cafe and brunch spot announces shock closure

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Award-winning Northern Quarter cafe and brunch spot announces shock closure

Another Heart to Feed, an award-winning coffee shop and brunch favourite in the Northern Quarter, has stunned Mancs with the news of their closure.

The popular spot on Hilton Street has been operating in the heart of the neighbourhood since 2020, serving dishes like Turkish eggs, breakfast buns, and French toast.

By night, it transformed into a natural wine bar, with great cocktails too.

Before it moved to the Northern Quarter, Another Heart to Feed started life as a cosy Australian-style cafe over on Chapel Street in Salford.

It’s been a much-loved name on the city’s brunch circuit and last year was crowned Coffee Shop of the Year at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards.

But despite all that success, and regularly having queues around the block, Another Heart to Feed is closing for good.

They said they ‘have not been immune’ to the challenges that have been beating the hospitality industry to a pulp, despite appearing to be a real local success story.

In a statement shared on Instagram, Another Heart to Feed said: “Rather than run a risk of letting our brilliant staff and suppliers down we have decided to call it a day.”

The team thanked everyone who has visited the cafe over the years, as well as the past and present team.

Another Heart to Feed is closing in the Northern Quarter
Another Heart to Feed in the Northern Quarter
As well as coffee, Another Heart to Feed was known for its wines
As well as coffee, Another Heart to Feed was known for its wines

They then announced that a new operator is already teed up to move into the space.

Another Heart to Feed’s full statement reads: “Unfortunately, we have to announce that Another Heart to Feed will be no longer operating in the Northern Quarter as of the 1st of September.

“The past 18 months have been incredibly tough. We have not been immune to the many real challenges that hospitality businesses are facing at the moment and rather than run a risk of letting our brilliant staff and suppliers down we have decided to call it a day.

“We want to thank everyone who has visited us over the years, whether that was in the early days in Salford, on Burton Road in Didsbury or at our place in the Northern Quarter. It’s been so great being involved in a place that has brought people together the way AHTF has.

“To our team, past and present, thank you so much for all your hard work. You were the essence of the business and it was a pleasure to work with you.

“A new operator will be moving into the site and we wish them every success, please go and support them!”

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Another Deansgate Square restaurant closes as Salvi’s shuts down

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Salvi's in Deansgate Square has shut down

Salvi’s has announced the closure of one of its restaurants, in another blow for Deansgate Square.

The much-loved, decades-old Italian restaurant group opened the sprawling 3,000 sq ft restaurant in the luxury skyscraper neighbourhood back in 2022.

While its other sites around town have always been cosy, traditional trattorias, Salvi’s went for a more lavish, luxury and modern touch in Deansgate Square.

It was nestled down beneath the city’s swankiest apartments and was split into a heated drinks terrace, elegant restaurant space, Italian deli, bar, and private dining room.

But now, Salvi’s has announced the closure of its Deansgate Square restaurant.

The Italian spot has shut down with immediate effect, teasing that it’s going to ‘make way for an exciting new concept in Manchester’.

All reservations for Deansgate Square will be honoured at their other, original site at the Corn Exchange.

Salvi’s wrote in a statement on Instagram: “When one door closes, another opens… From tonight Salvi’s Deansgate Square is saying ciao to make way for an exciting new concept in Manchester!

“You can still get your Salvi’s fix at the Corn Exchange. All bookings will be honoured there and we’ll be in touch soon if you’ve got a reservation with us.

Salvi's in Deansgate Square has shut down
Salvi’s in Deansgate Square has shut down
It's the second restaurant closure at Deansgate Square in as many months
It’s the second restaurant closure at Deansgate Square in as many months

“Grazie Mille a tutti.”

One person commented: “So sad to hear but also excited to hear that there is something to look forward to.”

Another said: “Only there last night, cant believe that.”

And someone else simply wrote: “I’m starting a protest.”

This is the second restaurant closure at Deansgate Square in as many months – back in June, critically-acclaimed Medlock Canteen also shut down for good.

Medlock Canteen wrote: “With heavy hearts, we’re announcing the closure of Medlock Canteen. When we opened our doors 18 months ago, our dream was simple: to build a neighbourhood spot where everyone felt welcome, serving proper good food you know, love and can’t wait to eat.

“But the current climate has made that dream a tough one to sustain. Rising costs, increased taxes, and tighter spending have created challenges we’ve fought hard to overcome but, sadly, they’re ones we just can’t compete with.

“We’re proud to say our amazing team has been looked after, with payroll up to date and everyone offered roles elsewhere in our family of venues. If you’ve got opportunities going, drop us a message – we’d love to pass them on to anyone ready for their next chapter.”

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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