SPACE FOOD EXPERIENCE

A JOURNEY FROM EARTH TO SPACE AND BACK FOR THE ITALIAN NATIONAL SPACE DAY 2024

To celebrate Italy’s National Space Day 2024, a culinary journey from Earth to Space and back will take the guests through the evolution of space food from the era of the cubes and tubes to modern gourmet meals.

Bringing back to Earth what they learned from astronauts the EAT freedom team will offer an event that is a time and a sensory experience at once.

Chances are, your life as Earthlings might be different afterwards!

LOCATION & DATES

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ITALY’S NATIONAL SPACE DAY

Italy’s National Space Day was introduced by the Italian government in 2020 as an occasion to raise awareness on the Italian contributions to space exploration.

It is since then celebrated every December 16th to remember the launch date of Italy’s San Marco I Satellite Program, which established Italy’s position as the third nation, after the U.S. and the Soviet Union, to achieve a physical presence in space.

EAT LIKE AN ASTRONAUT

Facts, myths and science about space food

Calories matter. Burn calories. Eat calories. Achieve your (space) adventure goals.

As food-loving Italians who work in fields requiring scientific precision, we like to challenge this widely spread mindset.

Exposed to a stressful endeavour, our body switches to an emergency mode to cope with new environmental, physical, and mental factors. The food we take along can become key to determine whether we stay healthy and safe, and if we succeed in the end.

This is why in space exploration food is no longer required to be only nutritious, it must also be appetizing. We would argue that’s not even enough: it must be gourmet.

Meal development pillars

Taste • Health • Science • Circularity

TASTE

Rooted in the Italian tradition, our meals are prepared with carefully selected premium ingredients, that are processed gently to preserve their value, scent, taste and consistency while offering a long shelf life.

HEALTH

We prefer whole grains, high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and low processing temperatures. We make limited use of salt and sugar and we create our recipes as much as possible as single meals with a high variety of ingredients.

SCIENCE

We balance our treats inspired by the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate guidance and we apply the principles of nutrigenomics to help the body respond best to environmental stressors.

CIRCULARITY

We strive to reduce our environmental and social impact. We choose local ingredients and we work with suppliers who follow their seasonality. Beneath our production choices are careful considerations aimed at reducing waste.

EAT FREEDOM

The German startup that speaks Italian

Shortly after the foundation, EAT freedom was chosen to develop part of the customized meal selection of ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti for the Mission Minerva to the International Space Station in 2022.

Four unique dishes and one snack have been crafted, working closely with the astronaut and in collaboration with the team of nutritionists and doctors that follow the mission preparation. The meals are aligned with the company’s core principles while fulfilling the strict shelf-life and safety requirements for space flight.

SARA ROCCI DENIS | FOUNDER

An “accidental” entrepreneur, Sara is an aerospace engineer at heart determined to gear you up with functional, performing products of great value beyond delicious taste.

STEFANO POLATO | CHEF

Relentlessly passionate about creating lip-smacking delicacies you crave, Stefano is obsessed with the very core of your food experience: the ingredients.

MORE DETAILS

FROM EARTH TO SPACE AND BACK

This immersive journey starts back in the days of the “cubes & tubes” to follow the evolution of space food; it continues with a practical demostration by EAT freedom’s chef and it culminates with a tasting of authentic astronaut food.

1. JOURNEY THROUGH
SPACE FOOD

2. LIVE SESSION
WITH THE CHEF

3. SAMPLING REAL
SPACE FOOD