Parma, March 20th, 2006

In occasion of the 50th edition of the Italian Michelin Guide, Academia Barilla organized and hosted today, the grand occasion and gathering of 226 star chefs in Parma, Italy. An event with a rich program faces to exalt the excellence of Italian gastronomy of which Academia Barilla fostered.

For Paolo Barilla, Vice President of the Barilla group: "the initiative strengthens our tradition and our daily engagement towards a future with a main objective being that of quality.
The event emphasizes, in fact, the engagement of excellence of Italian restaurants- protecting the authenticity and the originality of Italian products, to the defense of tradition and against the risk of cultural counterfeiting, protecting the patrimony in an international context by never forgetting the creative innovation of the origination.
We are pleased to share with Michelin, this important milestone today. The French company is known, through a specific product, to increase its vision to the taste and the pleasure of travel, by means of the adventures. Our two groups share, moreover, being two international companies, founded and still under the direct guide of the family, that carry the last name of our respective companies".

Gianluigi Zenti, General Executive Manager of Academia Barilla, comments on the event: "Today is a special occasion for Academia Barilla, celebrating with Michelin the important milestone and goal of the guide; continuing the distance that began two years ago, we are in agreement with its mission- promoting the excellence of Italian gastronomy in Italy and in foreign countries. After this day, Academia Barilla will be even more central to the spreading of the gastronomic tradition of our country. Eight Star Michelin Chefs that were present today left an impression of their hands in terracotta, the first of a star series that will form the bridge between the chef and the stars of gastronomic excellence, and that will remain in Academia Barilla displayed as testimony of their engagement. An engagement shared today between Academia Barilla, Michelin and the star chefs present, sealed with the company in the Manifest of Intents that our will testifies to diffuse the excellence of fine Italian cuisine".

"We are happy to celebrate this important milestone of the Italian edition of the Michelin Guide, hosted by Academia Barilla. The Michelin guide celebrates a particularly important anniversary, the 50th year of its Italian edition"- declares Jean Luc Naret, Director of Michelin Guides in the world - "The Michelin Guide of ITALY contains thousands of addresses of hotels and restaurants in various categories of price and comfort. Known everywhere for its stars, the Michelin Guide acknowledges small and large businesses alike. Every year, eight hundred thousand Michelin Guides are sold all over the world, because of it's great quality and independent selection; it's a guide made for its readers, in order to render their travel more pleasant. Michelin thanks Academia Barilla for its acceptance and the engagement always shown in valuing the tourism, the gastronomy and fine Italian cuisine. Michelin and Barilla are very proud of welcoming these particularly prestigious practices that they have consistently known to conserve quality to the highest level. Eight of the 226 Star Michelin Chefs received a prize as confirmation of their engagement for this important acknowledgement: Gualtiero Marchesi for a meaningful career, two from the star restaurants in the first edition of the Michelin Guide in 1956, an award to the youngest three star chef Europe, three awards to the women who earned three stars in the Italy Guide, and one award to the new Three Star Chef of 2006, the year of the fiftieth anniversary."

Three central moments:
The 226 chefs present, engaged with Academia Barilla and Michelin, diffused the quality of the products and the Italian gastronomy in the world, by affixing their business in a Manifest of Intents; this manifest emphasizes the engagement of Academia Barilla, Michelin and the Star Chefs' desire to spread fine Italian cuisine and gastronomy.
To seal their engagement, eight of the restaurateurs present, left their hand prints in terracotta that will be displayed outside Academia Barilla buildings. This will give life to a connection of prints, classified exclusively to the protagonists of the culinary art, similar to the stars of Hollywood, and testimony to the place in which they engaged themselves who disclose the excellence of the Italian gastronomic culture.
The event is moreover the grand occasion of "the Italian gastronomy in the international panorama, to promote and to support the Italian gastronomic culture of excellence to the foreign country".

In discussion were: the 5 Chefs with the highest acknowledgment of three stars ("Pinchiorri Wine Celler" of Florence, "Dal Pescatore" of Canneto sull'Oglio, "Al Sorriso" of Sorriso, "Le Calandre" of Rubano, "La Pergola" of the Hilton of Rome), Gianluigi Zenti, General Executive Manager of Academia Barilla and Gian Paolo Galloni, responsible for communication of Michelin.

For additional information:
Academia Barilla Ilaria Rossi 0521.2621 i.rossi@barilla.it
Michelin Roberto Restelli +30 02. 33953610
www.academiabarilla.com www.michelin.it