Above: Chef Davide Pugliese Wali Nikiti. Photo credit: Holger Eckstein

Davide and Cathy have known each other for a number of years and attribute the Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch event as the birthplace of their friendship. This will be Davide’s sixth year of presenting at the event where he has been serving up tastings of his original recipes of Italian based dishes blended with the Caribbean flavours of his elective home in the BVI.

“Partnering with Cathy meant coming up with a purely Italian recipe,” says Davide who was born and raised in Florence, Italy. “Trippa may be an unusual dish here in the USA, but it is one of the most popular fast foods that we all enjoy in the streets of Firenze. I just spent time with my family in Italy and I couldn’t get enough of this treat. It’s a simple recipe and the taste is phenomenal!”

Originally classified as the 'poor man's food', Trippa alla Fiorentina is the epitome of Florentine street-food with a history that goes back as far as the fourteenth century. It is an aromatic dish of strips of pre-boiled tripe, cooked in a broth of sautéed celery, carrots, onions, and tomatoes, topped with Parmesan cheese. It's served piping hot on slices of ciabatta bread, quickly dipped in the broth and eaten with a green sauce of freshly chopped parsley and extra virgin Olive oil.

Cathy, who is a six-times James Beard Award finalist, is passionate about everything Italian. Her restaurant, Nostrana is famed for its pure, regional, Italian dishes and she believes that pairing up with Davide is a perfect opportunity to bring something different and authentic to the annual gastronomic fundraiser.

“As a long time devotee of Italian food, I can think of nothing more exciting than cooking Trippa alla Fiorentina side by side with a my friend Davide, real Florentine,” said Cathy. “I am thrilled to introduce Wilmingtonians to this beloved rustic street treat.”

Davide and Cathy will be serving the tasters of Trippa alla Fiorentina on individual bread rolls specially baked from a Tuscan recipe and presented in the original wax paper as used by the street vendors in Florence.

Trippa alla Fiorentina originally was served to artisans in their work place and transitioned to the streets in the 1800s where pedlars would sell the snack from hand-painted wooden carts.

Today the mobile tripe stands are very much a part of the street-food culture of Florence in the same way hot dog and pretzel stands are emblematic of the street corners of New York City. Now, more than 700 philanthropic guests in Wilmington will get the chance to savour the authentic taste of Italy.

The Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch takes place from 11:00 am –2:00 pm at the Hercules Plaza located at 1313 N Market St in Wilmington. Tickets are $175 per person and guests will get the opportunity to taste other dishes by international and nationally acclaimed chefs including Food Network Canada host, Michael Blackie, Top Chef Canada François Gagnon, Kenny Gilbert from Top Chef, 2014 James Beard Semi-Finalist Jeffrey Osaka, 2014 James Beard Semi Finalist Alexander Seidel, and Tyler Wiard from Top Chef.

The Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch which has been hosted since 1998, is the final event of the weekend long “Meals from the Masters” - the largest annual fundraiser held by Meals On Wheels Delaware. The fundraiser helps to support the Meals on Wheels programs throughout the entire state and last year the funds helped to provide and deliver 710,000 hot, nutritious meals to 4,000 homebound seniors statewide.