Sweet and sweet stories: when the local becomes theater

Entering a bar, pastry shop, ice cream parlor or establishment of any kind constitutes a unique experience, always new and different, even when the place is apparently the same. Every time our mood changes and that of the other patrons who, in spite of themselves, share a few moments with us, smells, colors and tastes change, thoughts change and the atmosphere changes. Sometimes the gesture of a person who smiles at us moving a little to let us in, the laughter of the people at the nearby table or the greeting of someone on the other side of the counter are enough to give new tones and shades strong> to our daily life. What remains constant is the place: the local which acts both as the engine and catalyst of the situation and emotions and as their spectator and which, at the same time, is the background to many stories that go on stage, intertwining, transforming and becoming new. Like in a theater.

Wanting to develop and deepen this comparison, we can attribute three points of view to the venue or, to remain in scenic jargon, three different roles. Let’s see them!

#1 – The venue as a leading actor

As in a theatre, in bars, patisseries, ice cream parlors and clubs, every day faces approach and move away and eyes meet, cross and tell each other: both moments go on stage simple and everyday habits, such as the croissant-and-cappuccino in the morning, and the emotions and feelings of special occasions, such as friendship and the joy of an aperitif or a cup of tea in company, the affection and serenity of the choice of pastries for Sunday lunch, the love and complicity of a cup of ice cream with two teaspoons. A multitude of actors – supporting characters and extras who take turns on the stage of the bar or pastry shop. The scenography is made up of the furnishing elements, the showcases for displaying the products, the tables, the atmosphere and the mood that the dialogue between these elements and the context help to define and characterize.

The club is no longer a simple place, but becomes the real protagonist of the show, the catalyst around which the stories, events and emotions of all the other secondary characters: the bartender, the pastry chef, the ice cream maker, the customer, the person passing through.

The value and quality of the venue-actor-protagonist’s performance are all the higher the greater its ability to distinguish itself, both for the aesthetic-architectural quality of the design which identifies it and makes it unique both for the excellence of the products it offers. These too play a fundamental role: they must in fact be beautiful to look at and captivating, because the first impression is the one that guides the choice of those who buy them, but also (and above all) good because they must leave their mark on the senses and memory of those who buy them taste. For this reason, in addition to being perfect in taste, they must also be well presented and well displayed in display cases capable of guaranteeing optimal conditions for their conservation. See also this post on the subject.

#2 – The restaurant as co-protagonist

For some years now, in the wake of the success that the various television formats dedicated to cooking, patisserie, cake design and so on and so forth have been enjoying, the performance of the venue itself is sometimes to add also that of a co-protagonist. This is the chef or pastry chef who, during special events organized ad hoc, performs in show cooking shows, i.e. live cooking demonstrations in front of an , during which the masters talk about themselves and their recipes, revealing and sharing anecdotes and curiosities about the dishes they prepare.

On these occasions, it is no longer just the venue and its identity that takes center stage, but also the maestro: the two subjects relate and interact, accompanying each other each other during the show like two musicians in concert. The audience is made up of a limited number of people who work in the kitchen and pastry shop or, more and more often, the so-called foodies, the non-professional food and wine experts, who passionately research and study good food and who are attentive and curious about all the latest news and trends in the world of gourmet cuisine.

Showcooking exhibitions are often organized and carried out not only for didactic-training purposes, but also (and above all) to promote products and venues: today, in fact, the growing attention to cooking and pastry-making, shown precisely by the exponential increase in the number of enthusiasts, by the proliferation of dedicated blogs and websites and by the veritable invasion of programs on the same themes, pushes insiders to want to grab the presence of the hottest names of the moment, so as to to broaden your range of interests. These are therefore shows in which the venue and its products together with the guest called to intervene, perform simultaneously in front of a common audience, sharing the scene and showing off their respective qualities. Among the illustrious names who intervened for the products of the Clabo group there are, for example, the master Iginio Massari for Orion and the chef Maria Vittoria Griffoni for FB Showcases.

#3 – The venue as a scenography

To close this parallelism between venue and theater there is a final role: the one played by the venue itself when it forms the backdrop for moments shared on social media. From this point of view, the methods of interpretation are many and always in continuous transformation and increase: photos, selfies, videos and stories but also tags and hashtags. These are contents in which the bar, pastry shop or ice cream parlor are no longer real protagonists because at the center of the scene are the people who, by publishing and posting, share a particular moment with the rest of the world. The venue acts as a scenography, indirectly participating in the definition of the atmosphere of the photo or video and returning to being a place.

Sometimes it is explicitly indicated through tags, geographical indications or comments, while other times it is left more simply and silently in the background, behind the smiles and hugs, behind the photos of dishes that look like works of art, below the music . On these occasions, the value of the interpretation of the place once again assumes fundamental importance, because it is on it that its recognizability depends. In fact, it is the character and identity of the place, the result of the sum of the design of the place and the quality of the product it offers, that make it unique and easily distinguishable.

So let’s go back to what has already been highlighted in point #1: whether you consider him a leading or co-leading actor, or whether you relegate him to a purely scenographic role, the performance value of the venue is directly proportional to the design and quality of the products it sells. In the field of pastry and ice cream, it is therefore essential to choose the best refrigerated cabinet intended for the conservation and display of desserts.

Come and discover the excellence of the FB Showcases brand and the infographic created by Cinzia di Martino: