Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread. And Yesterday's Too

There's a word that sounds strange in a kitchen, almost out of place: waste.

As if food – born from months of the earth's work, from the warming sun, from nourishing water – could truly be "in excess." As if we could afford to consider it a residue, a leftover, something to dispose of.

Yet it happens. Even in the most careful restaurants, even when everything is calculated with precision. Yesterday's bread that can no longer be served. Perfectly good vegetables in excessive quantities. Preparations that never found their moment.

So we asked ourselves: what do we do with what remains?

The Project

It's called Cooking Class No Waste, and it comes from a simple intuition: if we have good ingredients we can't use, why not transform them into something meaningful?

Four times during the winter season – every second Wednesday of the month – our Chef Simone Cantafio opens his kitchen. Not to guests, but to all of us. To the entire Casa Costa 1956 staff: those who work in the kitchen and those at reception, those who serve in the dining room and those who handle administration.

And together we prepare canederli, soups, traditional recipes. Using leftover bread, remaining vegetables, everything that would otherwise be lost.

At the end of each afternoon, everything we've cooked is delivered to Bancarela dl Mangé – the Food Bank of Badia that every second Thursday of the month supports families in difficulty in our territory.

Why We Do It

It's not just about not wasting. That would be reductive.

It's learning to see value where distracted eyes see only a problem. It's discovering that yesterday's bread can become tomorrow's canederli. That the vegetable that didn't meet its dish can still meet someone who needs it.

It's also breaking down hierarchies – because in that kitchen it doesn't matter if you're a chef or a manager. We all learn together. We all get our hands dirty together. We look each other in the eyes while kneading, and maybe we talk about things that would never be said at the check-in desk.

And then there's the most important thing: giving back to the territory. Because these mountains, this valley, these people nourish us every day. And us? What do we give back?

This project is a small but concrete answer. Not a solution to everything, but a gesture that says: we are here, not just to take.

The Three Pillars

If you've been following us for a while, you know our Foundation works on three areas: Soil, Soul, Society.

This project touches all three.

Soil – because every ingredient saved is a small step toward less environmental impact. Every kilo of food not wasted is preserved earth, water, and energy.

Soul – because cooking together creates bonds. Because learning from a chef like Simone Cantafio isn't just technique, it's culture, it's listening, it's discovering that food has a story that must be respected.

Society – because at the end of each afternoon those canederli, those soups, go to people who need them. People who live here, who are part of our community. Not distant beneficiaries, but neighbors. Some we perhaps pass in the supermarket without knowing it.

An Experiment That Becomes a Model

Let's be honest: this is an experiment. A pilot project. We want to understand if it works, if staff participate, if the Food Bank truly finds this collaboration useful.

But if it works – and we believe it will – it will become a model. We'll replicate it in other Casa Costa 1956 restaurants and, why not, with other hotel kitchens in the territory. We'll share it with anyone who wants to try. Because good practices, if they remain locked in a drawer, serve no one.

The minimum objective is small but concrete: 40-50 kilos of food donated, 8-10 people per session, high average satisfaction.

The real objective is more ambitious: to demonstrate that you can offer quality hospitality while taking care of the territory. That these aren't two separate worlds. That in fact, one nourishes the other.

Thank You for Being Here

We're writing to you because you care. Because your trust is precious. Because every time you support us, you give us the freedom to try new things.

This project wouldn't be possible without you. Not just for economic reasons – the Foundation coordinates, Chef Simone brings his expertise, Casa Costa provides the structure. But because knowing you're there gives us the courage to experiment.

To try a new model. To believe we can do better. To not settle for "that's how everyone does it."

If you pass through Val Badia this winter, if you happen to be here on the second Wednesday of the month, stop by. Come knead canederli with us. Visit our friends at Bancarela on Thursday, to see where what we prepared together ends up.

Because this project is yours as much as it is ours.

The first appointment is December 17th, the day after tomorrow.
Every second Wednesday of the month, the kitchen warms up, hands get covered in flour.
And yesterday's bread finds its tomorrow.

With gratitude,

Fabio Bertocchi
Director, Casa Costa Foundation ETS