Positano Man and Woman Italian Designer showcased their clothes at the Couture Show 2012.
Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 .
greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA’s centenary celebrations.
A prolific goalscorer, for a number of years, he was regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe, leading to him becoming the world’s most expensive player in 1999 when Inter Milan paid Lazio £32 million (€43 million) for his services.
Something of a footballing nomad, Vieri played for no fewer than 12 clubs throughout his career, mainly in Italy, but also in Spain and France. He started his career with Torino in 1991, but his most notable and successful spells were those at Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Lazio and Inter, clubs with which he won several honours.
As well as picking up several winners medals during his career, Vieri also claimed many individual awards including the Pichichi Trophy and Capocannoniere awards for the league’s top scorer in Spain and Italy respectively, and the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year twice.
At international level, Vieri scored 23 goals in 49 appearances for Italy between 1997 and 2005, and is the joint ninth-highest goalscorer for his national team, alongside Francesco Graziani. He is also Italy’s highest ever goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup, along with .
Roberto Baggio and Paolo Rossi, with a combined nine goals from nine matches at the 1998 and 2002 editions of the tournament; he also took part at Euro 2004.
We had the pleasure interviewing Christian Vieri, at the 34th Annual Great Sports Legends Annual Dinner ,to benefit the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis , where he was honored as a Great Sports Legend.
See more about legendary sports people in our World Liberty TV, Sports Channel and Blogs by clicking here.
Today Gianluca Mech is an ambassador of healthy eating and the personal health consultant of many Italian and international celebrities. In 2007, in cooperation with the University of Padua, Gianluca founded the “Gianluca Mech Research Center” with the objective to offer everyone the same nutritional guidance he is famous for among the italian and international celebrities.
Gianluca Mech’s successful slimming program is based on the use of a combination of natural herbal extracts that speed up the metabolism, especially the one of fats, allowing you to purify the body in order to guarantee a healthy weight loss. The Gianluca Mech Diet is certified in 24 scientific published researches and is protected by an international patent valid in the USA, Canada and Europe.
This exclusive interview took place at IL Mulino Restaurant New York City, see more in our World Liberty TV Food and Wine Channels and Blogs by clicking here.
Carnival Venezia is a Venice-class cruise operated by Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Originally intended to serve the Chinese market, she debuted as Costa Venezia for sister brand Costa Cruises in Shanghai on 18 May 2019.
At 135,225 gross tonnage (GT) and with a capacity of 4,208 passengers, she became the largest ship commissioned for the Costa fleet upon her delivery.
In March 2023, she was officially renamed Carnival Venezia during her pre-delivery renovation and debuted for Carnival the following May as the lead vessel for the new sub.
On 1 November 2017, Costa Cruises announced that the first of the two vessels built specifically for the Chinese market would be named Costa Venezia.
The announcement came at the coin ceremony for the ship at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone.
On 22 June 2022, Carnival Corporation announced that Costa Venezia and sister ship Costa Firenze would be transferred to Costa’s sister brand, Carnival Cruise Line, in 2023 and 2024, respectively, under a new sub-brand, “Costa by Carnival” operating as “Carnival Fun Italian Style”.
Both ships would be renamed with the Carnival prefix, painted in a hybrid Costa and Carnival livery, and staffed and operated by Carnival.
It was a project aimed at boosting Carnival’s capacity in the American market during its recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and came after Carnival had sold numerous older vessels in its fleet while Costa faced operational challenges in its core markets, including Europe and China.
The ship left the shipyard in late-May and commenced operations on 29 May 2023 with her inaugural voyage, a two-week transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York, after which she was christened by her godfather, American comedian Jay Leno, on 14 June 2023.
Carnival Venezia sails year-round from her homeport in Manhattan to the Caribbean and from December 2024, she operates week-long Caribbean voyages from Port Canaveral on a seasonal basis.
The ship spans 12 passenger decks, accommodating up to 4,090. 1,061 Length in Feet, 1,424 Onboard
Crew it has a total of 15 decks.
Deck 3: The social hub featuring the Grand Central Atrium, Piazza San Marco, and the lower level of the main Canal Grande Restaurant.
Deck 4: Home to the Venezia Casino, Dreams Studio, and the multi-level Teatro Rosso.
Deck 5 (The Piazza): Features the interactive Bonsai Teppanyaki, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Bonsai Sushi, and the elevated Il Viaggio.
Deck 12: Features the Cloud 9 Spa, Fitness Center, and a 9-hole mini-golf course.
Deck 14: Features the sprawling Carnival WaterWorks aqua park and a high-ropes course.
Carnival Venezia’s deck plan includes an adults-only spot: the Serenity Deck on Deck 15. It’s a large area with sunbeds, loungers and clamshells. There’s no charge, but it fills up fast, especially on sea days, when towels are clipped into place early, even if the actual chair occupants don’t return till much later.
As you tour the Carnival Venezia ship, you’ll find the outdoor sports facilities and activities on decks 11 through 14. These include a running track, pickle ball and basketball court, ropes course, waterpark, mini golf and gym, and an arcade.
The double-deck lido area is like an Italian piazza, surrounded by cafes, bars and restaurants, including a new venue Tomodoro (Mexican/Italian); Guy’s Burger Joint and the buffet. It’s enclosed with a sunroof (or Magrodome), which opens and shuts depending on the weather.
Main Dining: The two primary complimentary restaurants are the Canal Grande and Marco Polo restaurants.
Cabin category’s include: Interior, Oceanview, Balcony, Suite, or Terrazza.
The “best” deck on the Carnival Venezia depends on your travel style. However, Deck 5 is widely considered the overall favorite due to its exclusive Terrazza staterooms, and Deck 6 or 7 Midship are ideal for quick, quiet access to dining and entertainment.
The cruisers on Carnival Venezia, we met and spoke to mentioned Decks 5, 6 and 7 as best decks on the ship, which is close to many amenities and activities.
The Carnival Venezia is a highly rated, elegant ship praised for its beautiful, Italian-inspired decor, specialty restaurants, and engaging entertainment.
Each room includes, dedicated stateroom attendant, Soft, cozy linens, Plenty of closet and drawer space, In-room safe for valuables, Television and Stateroom climate control.
Sails To: Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada/New England, Caribbean. Sails From: Manhattan, New York City, NY; Port Canaveral (Orlando), Fl; Miami, FL. Duration: 2 – 5 Days, 6 – 9 Days, 10+ Days.
It was our 1st time sailing on Carnival Venezia, in May 17-28 2026, for 11 days Caribbean Sailing.
So I will share my experiences, about the ship, food, entertainment, and people I met on the ship who have cruised on Carnival Venezia, many times who shared their experiences and why they keep coming back.
Carnival Venezia Ship: It is an elegant ship, not too big easy to navigate through the ship. It took me 4 hours to figure out where everything is on the ship. If I needed help I asked the staff who directed me to my destination to where I needed to go. So this was a very good thing. I did make notes before I went on the cruise to get familiar with the layout and what was on each deck and that was very helpful for me.
It was very clean all the 11 days I was on it. Staff was working around the clock to make this happen day in and day out.
As I was taking my morning walks on the Deck 12, the floor was wet, and I saw the workers standing and immediately moping the wet floor on a regular basis, so nobody slips or falls or have any other accidents.
Sometimes once the announcements were made over the speaker you might not hear them you had to go outside your room to hear what was being said. I was a little concerned about that, I had my room service guy talk to guest services, once he spoke with them, that was handled very fast and we had no issues with this matter.
Food and Dining: Deck 10 Lido Marketplace, is the Buffett which is free and has all kinds of foods, during, breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I ate many times at the buffet, the food was very fresh, well cooked, and I mostly eat fish, fresh fruits, vegetables, pasta options, many dessert options which included cakes, Swirl Ice cream , Vanilla , Chocolate and strawberry flavors, which were pretty good, I tried all three, I liked the chocolate flavor best.
Food was different on a daily basis there were Ice Tea and Lemonade drink options also included free of charge , or you could drink filtered water, which I drank on a daily basis, I took my own bottle which I filled up an daily basis and carried it in my backpack , to keep me dehydrated .
I also want to give a shout out to the Christian from Italy Executive chef, for taking time to prepare certain dishes, we could eat, due to our religious observance and to certain allergies.
The Executive Chef Christian, came out of few occasions to find out if our food was correctly prepared and that we were having a good culinary experience. I would say that was very highly appreciated on the Executive Chefs side, as he had to oversee hundreds of meals for guests during dinner, and make time to come to ask us if everything was fine. That was a class act on his side.
I also like to give a shootout to some people in dinning. Andrius from Lithuania and Tarriq from Bosnia, maître d’ who were in charge Canal Grande restaurant dining room. Both these guys were wonderful always happy social, greeting you every time, you came for breakfast and dinner.
I want to thank our head waiter who took care of us for 11 days, while were cruising, Reymark from the Philippines, he was the best, he had the appetizers, ready , with our salads, and main dish, as soon as we finished one course, he would bring the next. To get us out in half hour, so we can get ready for our night show.
Also I like to thank Remuth from India, who bought us our bread and lemonade when requested. Allan from Indonesia took care of us during breakfast, wonderful personality, always asking if you need anything else and going above and beyond.
I also wanted to thank the front office staff who would book your seat nightly and check you in every time you came for breakfast and dinner.
I wanted to thank Anastasia from Belarus, in charge of booking tables, every night she would give us the same table, looking right into the ocean, she would tell us if we were 15 mins late the table will be given to someone else. We were never late and had the same table every night for the 11 days of cruising we did.
Mariella from Philipines and Erika from Colombia, will greet us at the opening of the dining room and check us in, and grab our hands and lead us to our table, always smiling, happy, and social. Willing to help.
I have traveled on many cruises, and dined on many places, this was the best service, and I had from executive chef, to maître d’s, waiters, food servers, front staff , never seen anything like this. I would go as far to say Carnival for us is king of food and service, for now.
Shows and Nightlife: Teatro Rosso: The ship’s main, multi-deck theater—inspired by dramatic Venetian design—hosts Playlist Productions, which are full-scale, musical stage shows.
We also participated in Captain Claudio Cupisti, Formal captains’ cocktail party, with his senior officers, where we took pictures with the Captian and his senior staff.
We also attended on many occasions, Park West Gallery art auctions, seeing art by masters like Picasso, Salvador Dali, Peter Marx, and many more artists, from around the world.
William Earp –Jones Principal Art Auctioneer for Part West Gallery from South Africa, and his staff did a wonderful job. What I enjoyed most was the talks about Picasso, a 45 minute talk, about him and his art works.
Also Peter Marx artist, world renowned Artist, From New York. Which to me was a learning experience, as William our host mentioned, that Peter Marx, was one of the people alongside Lee Iacocca, former chairman of Chrysler, to raise $150 Million dollars to restore and repair the statue of liberty.
Mr William also spoke about many upcoming artists, there style of art, painting and creativity. I really enjoyed this so much. As living in New York, you have so much museums one goes and see’s so much.
First-timer or lifelong collector, Park West’s cruise ship art auctions are built for all, and our selection showcases it. Each voyage brings a freshly curated lineup of originals, limited editions, and works across every style, medium, and price point.
So in conclusion, it was our first Carnival Cruise, I will say the following. It was a good experience, we enjoyed our time, met very interesting people, Cruise ship, had a vintage look to it.
The Staff was very nice, had a pleasure of speaking with Captain Claudio Cupisti, during formal night a wonderful man who has been in this kind of work for over 42 years.
The Food was the best we ate, fresh daily different options daily, breakfast many choices daily, Sea day brunches, were my favorite, especially the 7 layer Chocolate cake melts in your mouth.
Many activities, shopping experiences, Spa’s specialty bars and so much more.
After this great experience, I look forward to doing another Carnival cruise, and having a wonderful experience on another ship. I am truly a big fan of Carnival.
To learn more about Carnival or to do any bookings click here.
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A joyful day of culinary discovery brings together 3,500+ chefs from across the East Coast with 270+ farmers and specialty producers from around the world, offers delightful beachside “boardwalk” programming, and spotlights industry leaders Matty Matheson, Christian Petroni, Missy Robbins, Paul Carmichael, Matt Rodbard, Tiffani Faison, Marian Chang, Tim Ma, and more.
Baldor Specialty Foods, one of the largest distributors of premium produce and specialty foods in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, returned with Baldor BITE 2026, the biennial gathering of hospitality professionals with the farmers and specialty producers who power and shape the modern food industry, on April 21, 2026, at Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City.
Centered around BITE’s whimsical ethos “Play With Your Food,” BITE 2026 comes to life with a nostalgic and convivial summer boardwalk theme that aims to take chefs out of the relentlessness of the kitchen in order to enjoy some early vacation vibes.
Connecting the dots between more than 16,000 customers and over 1,000 farm and supplier partners, Baldor Specialty Foods is the trusted purveyor of choice for some of the world’s most acclaimed chefs, restaurants, and hospitality groups—including Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Major Food Group, Jean-Georges, Union Square Hospitality—alongside neighborhood favorites, quick service restaurants, hospitals, schools, retailers such as Eataly and Union Market and event spaces, like Madison Square Garden and the US Open.
“Baldor BITE is our way of turning the tables of hospitality on our customers, who provide delicious and memorable experiences to their customers every day. It’s also a way for us to enable the success of our suppliers, by helping more chefs discover their products,” says Margaret Magnarelli, VP of Marketing & Communications, who oversees the event.
“At Baldor, we say we’re the ‘to’ in the phrase ‘farm to fork’ and this day it’s a special opportunity for us to live that promise, and in an environment that is as delightful as it is delicious.”
The show floor featured 271 exhibitors representing the full catalog of Baldor’s offerings, broken up by protein, produce, dairy, bakery, and grocery areas, a pop-up Farmers’ Market featuring small regional farms like Meadows and More, Norwich Meadows Farm, and Taproot Farms, and a new Emerging Brands spotlight showcasing up-and-coming producers that need to be on culinarians’ radars.
Among the exhibitors will be B&W Quality Growers, Driscoll’s, La Trafila, Natalie’s Island Juice Co, Gotham Greens, Tanimura & Antle, Zero Acre Farms, Upside Foods, and many more.
In addition to showcasing exhibitors, BITE notably spotlights chef and supplier thought leaders through various panels and programming. The event features a keynote by chef and television personality Matty Matheson (The Bear, Just a Dash) in conversation with Chef Christian Petroni, New York Times bestselling author of Parm to Table. Other headlining talent included Matt Rodbard (Editor-in-Chief of TASTE), Chef Missy Robbins (Lilia, Misi), Chef Paul Carmichael (Kabawa), Chef Tiffani Faison (chef, restaurateur, and judge on Chopped), and Chef Tim Ma (Tim Ma Hospitality).
Highlights from BITE 2026 include: Keynote Conversation: Matty Matheson: Unfiltered. A keynote conversation between chef and television personality Matty Matheson and New York Times best-selling author Chef Christian Petroni, where they will discuss restaurant culture, creativity in the kitchen, and the evolving role of chefs in shaping food communities.
The Chef’s Table: What It Takes to Achieve Success in Today’s Culinary World. Moderated by Editor-in-Chief of TASTE Matt Rodbard, this panel brings together leading chefs and restaurateurs, including Chef Missy Robbins, Chef Paul Carmichael, Tiffani Faison, and Chef Tim Ma, to explore how restaurants are evolving, from sourcing and sustainability to leadership and culinary creativity.
The Flavor Makers: From Farm to Phenomenon. How Suppliers Behind Beloved Ingredients Ensure the Best for Your Kitchen. Highlighting the farmers and producers powering restaurant kitchens, this discussion will feature Garland S. Reiter Jr., Chief Commercial Officer (Driscoll’s), Dan Rohrberg, VP of Sales (DemKota Ranch Beef), Saleena Subaiya, Founder (BKE Kombucha), Marian Cheng, Co-Founder & CBO, (Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings), and Aaron Choi, Founder (Girl & Dug Farm)
Golden Meat Co. Hot Dog Eating Contest: Chef-led gourmet hot dog eating charity competition, with participating chefs to be announced.
Cutting Demo: Golden Meat Co.: A live demonstration of a whole rib roast broken down into steaks, showcasing Baldor’s premium meat program through Golden Meat Co., its in-house butcher and meat supplier.
Cutting Demo: Pierless Fish: See the art of big fish butchery up close as Baldor’s in-house expert fishmongers demonstrate initial breakdown to portioning.
Parmesan Wheel Cracking: Italian cheese supplier Ambrosi will present a live cracking of a full wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, showcasing traditional cheese presentation and service, and a technique-driven demonstration on how to perfect Rome’s most iconic pasta dish, Cacio e Pepe.
Pastry Demo: Strawberry Shortcake with Driscoll’s Berries. Pastry Chef Jatee Kearsley of Je T’aime Patisserie, in collaboration with Farmers Direct and Driscoll’s, will prepare a seasonal strawberry shortcake highlighting peak berries.
Demo & New Ingredient Showcase: Zucchiolo. Casa Pons and Malena Produce will introduce Zucchiolo, a new vegetable developed in South Spain, making its U.S. culinary debut through a live ratatouille demonstration that offers a fresh take on the Provençal classic.
About Baldor Specialty Foods: Baldor Specialty Foods is one of the largest distributors of premium produce, specialty foods, dairy, meat, and fish in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with more than 16,000 customers and over 1,000 farm and producer partners. Beginning as Balducci’s Fruit Stand in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1946, and spun off as a separate company in 1991, Baldor maintains its original commitment to freshness, flavor, quality, and service.
Baldor’s reliability and commitment to quality you can trust and service that delivers make it the purveyor of choice for some of the world’s most acclaimed chefs, restaurants, and hospitality groups, including Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Major Food Group, Jean-Georges, and Union Square Hospitality. By providing quality ingredients, innovative solutions, and seamless logistical experiences, Baldor frees up chefs’ headspace to focus on creativity rather than supply chain logistics.
This trusted network extends beyond restaurants to include corporations, hospitals, schools, and major retailers and event spaces—from Madison Square Garden to the US Open to Eataly, and beyond.
From that fruit stand push cart start, Baldor has grown into one of the largest distributors of premium food in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. While founded as a produce company, Baldor has strategically expanded its catalogue to cover the entirety of the plate, distributing over 6,000 SKUs, including specialty foods, meat (via its Golden Meat Co. acquisition), fish (via its Pierless Fish acquisition), and dairy.
The business remains in the family, under the leadership of CEO T.J. Murphy, and maintains its original commitment to freshness, flavor, and meticulous service that was praised early on by food icons like James Beard.
Underpinning Baldor’s growth is a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing, driven by a diverse network of carefully curated farm and producer partners across the country and the world.
These vendors—be they generational farmers or emerging agriculturists and makers—are true experts, and are committed not only to the highest quality food but also to social responsibility and improving the conditions for their crops and animals.
It was a very wonderful event, company’s and brands from all over the world, showcasing their great brands, thousands of people in attendance interested and learning more of the partners involved with Baldor Specialty Foods, tasting there foods and getting a deeper under5standing of the food companies.
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