The eat-out will happen in the piazza next to their café, Donna Fügassa, aiming to give visitors “a real taste of Italy”. Going beyond the PR cliché, that will mean 500 free portions of pasta freshly made by pasta expert Lorenzo Toppi from Italy, focaccia and aperitifs.

Toppi will show Hackneyites how to cook pasta. Expect also live music from jazz trio Stanza da Tre and Band Off The Wall; an Italian book stall; games for children and DJs in the evening.

Donna Fügassa also has got local youngsters to work with artist Sara Pitttaluga on a cartoon pasta story.

Maia Rossi told Loving Dalston: “We wanted to give the community the opportunity to enjoy two of the real Italian traditions: good food — and pasta is our national dish — and sharing a meal.”

Gabriella De Matteis, of Pasta Armando, which calls itself an ethical pasta company, commented: “Our pasta is the expression of a bigger project that brings the iconic food of Italy’s agribusiness and its simplicity and honesty to all people around the world.” Eh?Did an ethical pasta chief really mean to refer to agribusiness? Or was something lost in translation?

The event, supported by Hackney council, is part of the Dalston Children’s Festival.

David Altheer 160517

* Dalston Pasta Festival, Dalston Square, Hackney E8 3BQ,  Saturday 3 June 2017, 11am-9pm.

* Backstory: Starbucks slips out of hipster Hackney; It is a Starbucks, says agent; Not-a-Starbucks library café opens; Opening date for library; Don’t call my caff a Starbucks, says coffee man

* All pictures supplied, apart from photograph of Maia Rossi and Alessia Mastroleo, which is © DavidAltheer [at] gmail.com, and for  sale for reproduction. 

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