At the American Academy in Rome, our dining room and garden have always embodied a quiet philosophy: that a table is more than a piece of furniture, and a shared meal has the power to spark new ideas, deepen understanding, and chart new directions. On December 3–4, 2025, the Academy co-hosted Food at the Nexus of Territory, Tradition, and Climate Change in partnership with Dartmouth College, bringing together leading thinkers to explore how we might sustain our food traditions in an era of accelerating environmental change.
Drawing on the Academy's rich tradition of interdisciplinary exchange among scholars and artists, the symposium created a dynamic space for historians, policymakers, scientists, chefs, farmers, and winemakers to challenge assumptions and catalyze new thinking about sustainable foodways. The AAR’s Rome Sustainable Food Project—under the leadership of Head Chef Sara Levi and co-directors Kat Finlay and Mark Bittman—provided the ethos for this symposium, offering real-world evidence of an institution turning theory into practice.
Over two days, dialogue ignited around environmental policy, innovation, land politics, and the tensions between evolution and tradition—all returning to one central question: how can producers, policymakers, and consumers negotiate shared principles for fair distribution, crisis management, and the protection of food heritage?
Day One: Heritage and Ecology
The opening session, led by Nicola Camerlenghi of Dartmouth, examined how culinary traditions persist—and sometimes falter—in a warming world. Breadmaker and writer Laura Lazzaroni spoke to the evolution of Italian food culture and the passing on of food traditions. Indiana University food historian Carl Ipsen (1999 Fellow) reflected on the making and unmaking of tradition through foodways. Maria Giovanna Onorati of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo argued that food remains one of our most revealing social mirrors, and Amy Trubek of the University of Vermont explored how taste itself is shaped by shifting ecologies. Their exchange underscored that culinary heritage is both fragile and indispensable when climate disrupts the foundations on which it relies.
The afternoon session, guided by Danielle Callegari of Dartmouth, turned to the intersections of climate change and terroir. Ecologists Matt Ayres and Theresa Ong examined how warming temperatures and shifting ecosystems challenge our understanding of biodiversity, forest health, and agricultural stability, while environmental scholar Gidon Eshel and farmer Ariane Lotti engaged in a conversation that brought together data and lived experience. Together, they interrogated fundamental questions: What does "authentic" mean when climate forces adaptations in traditional practices? How useful are labels like "local" when environmental conditions no longer remain constant? The panel explored how traditions are not static inheritances but living constructs—continually evolving through migration, immigration, and the need to respond to ecological transformation.
The day continued by widening the lens to consider food and migration, featuring film screenings and a Q&A and wine tasting with journalist and food writer Mika Hisatani and representatives from Frescobaldi, who shared their story of producing wine within a penal colony on the Isle of Gorgona in Tuscany—teaching incarcerated people a new profession as part of their rehabilitation.
The evening ended with a paired wine and zero waste dinner that brought together the incredible work of Tasca d’Almerita, long at the forefront of regenerative winemaking practice and in conversations on a sustainable and equitable workforce, and the Rome Sustainable Food Project. Alberto Tasca, CEO and eighth-generation member of Tasca d'Almerita, and Sara Levi gave a warm introduction of the ways in which food and wine and sustainable practice can culminate in powerful (and delicious ways) at the dinner table.
Chef Sara designed a menu based on repurposing kitchen waste. The RSFP team took this as an opportunity to showcase their creative approach more explicitly—allowing waste ingredients, alongside their more "noble" counterparts, to take center stage. The resulting menu told a story about tradition, innovation, biodiversity, and regenerative agriculture. Highlights included kale stem grissini (inspired by Italian influencer Alessio Cecchini's waste-ingredient cookbook), signature sourdough discard crackers, and Cauliflower Silk with roasted cabbage leaves and cauliflower stems. The pasta course featured casarecce from Eat Wasted (made primarily from leftover bread) paired with ragù from Bergamasca sheep—a giant heirloom breed herded using the traditional transumanza method. This livestock is essential for regenerative agriculture, as managed pasturing benefits the soil. The kitchen adopted a nose-to-tail approach, using every part of the animal, while the sauce incorporated fennel outers and chickpeas from the Academy's beloved farmer, Assunta Bernabei.
Day Two: Migration, Institutions, and Practice
Dartmouth's Meredith Kelly moderated a discussion with Oliviero Forti of Caritas Italia, Dartmouth anthropologist Teresa Mares, chef Aaron Verzosa, and University of British Columbia cultural scholar Gaoheng Zhang that examined how migration reshapes questions of belonging and identity through food. The panel explored how mobility creates both vulnerability—through food scarcity and displacement—and creativity in adapting culinary traditions to new contexts. They grappled with critical questions about provision: how do we provide, and what do we provide? The conversation challenged assumptions about whether immigration necessitates acculturation and assimilation of foodways and tastes, or whether authentic cultural identity can be maintained and celebrated through cuisine even as communities move and transform.
Anne Joyce, former Assistant Legal Adviser for Consular Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, led a session exploring the practical realities of institutional food systems across multiple scales. Dartmouth Vice President Joe Flueckiger candidly addressed the challenges of implementing sustainable practices with American student populations who often have limited palates and fixed expectations of what is palatable. Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Division of Food Systems and Food Safety at the FAO, examined global food governance structures and policy frameworks, while Megan Larmer, Senior Director of Programs at Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, highlighted the critical role of regional agricultural networks in supporting sustainable supply chains. RSFP Head Chef Sara Levi brought the conversation to the lived experience of institutional change, presenting qualitative research on the lifestyle transformations Fellows undergo after ten months of dining with the RSFP—evidence that institutional food culture can fundamentally shift how people think about and engage with nourishment.
The conference culminated in The Dinner Table, an experimental "theatre in the round" conversation that united cultural leaders, policymakers, and producers—including Carla Barroso Carneiro, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Brazil to the FAO; Paolo Cuccia, Chair of Gambero Rosso; Arif Husain, Chief Economist at the World Food Programme; Carl Ipsen; Pierre Yves Guedez, Head of Climate and Environmental Fund at the International Fund for Agricultural Development; American Academy in Rome President Peter N. Miller; Barbara Nappini, President of Slow Food Italia; Alberto Tasca; Barbara Will, Vice Provost for Academic and International Affairs at Dartmouth College; and Academy Director Aliza Wong. Around a shared table, they engaged in candid dialogue examining the intersections of climate change, territorial transformation, and evolving food traditions.
A closing mercatino brought local producers to the Academy, grounding the event in the tangible flavors and practices of the region. And the community and Roman public enjoyed three vegetarian plates created specifically for the event with pairings with Tasca and other sustainable beverages from regional producers. This final “food festival” demonstrated how, for the Academy, cooking and consuming have long been inseparable from listening: to farmers who read their land like a text, to producers who steward biodiversity out of necessity, and to Fellows and Residents who bring questions of culture, history, migration, and identity to the table. Meals become daily rituals of environmental awareness—reminders that every ingredient carries a story of land, labor, and rapidly shifting climate conditions.
This symposium, arriving at a moment of global fragility and possibility, emphasized that sustainability is not theoretical but lived, tasted, and practiced each day in the Academy's kitchen—modeling how biodiversity, local relationships, and adaptive traditions can guide us toward more responsible futures.
Kale Stem Grissini
Recipe adapted from Non Buttarlo! by Alessio Cecchini (Giunti Editore, 2023)
Ingredients:
- 15 stems of kale, chard, or chicory
- 50g all-purpose flour
- 100g breadcrumbs
- Turmeric, salt, pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Simmer the stems in salted, boiling water for 4–5 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 100ml water, a pinch of turmeric, and salt and pepper to make a loose batter.
- Dip the blanched stems in the batter a few at a time, allowing excess to drip off, then coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs (season breadcrumbs if desired).
- Arrange the breaded stems in straight lines on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 10–15 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Serve immediately, as they will soften over time.