In New Cooking Series, 2 friends hope to go the good kind of viral during the pandemic.

Shot the day before quarantine in Brooklyn, New York, two best friends use a series of rare, Italian cookbooks to virtually travel to 4 fantastic regions of Italy without leaving their kitchen as seen in the trailer below:

"Sourcing the absolute best ingredients from authentic Italian markets was the key," says co-host Roberto Serrini, "these places are NYC institutions and for those in the know are better then any high priced specialty market. They really are the lifeblood of Italian culture here in New York City, and what makes it possible to virtually travel to Italy without leaving your city."

The duo visited Pino’s Prime Meats and Caputo’s Italian Grocers in NYC the day before the lock down to find the most authentic, highest quality ingredients for the dish. “We love what they are doing,” says Sal Cinquemani of Pino’s on Sullivan Street, “They’ve been long time customers and at heart we’re a neighborhood butcher, so to see two guys put this much effort into something that will help Italy recover is amazing.”

The two friends didn’t have a plan when they set out to make the meal, just a desire to have a “last supper” of sorts and have a little fun before the “world shut down” as Peter Boggia puts it. "We're all scared, confused and a bit pissed off right now," says other cohost and Motorcycle Mechanic Peter Boggia, "but these books and a little imagination let us travel even when it's not physically possible."

Filmmaker and Travel Writer Roberto Serrini had a camera with him and decided to document the process. “There really isn’t a time I’m not shooting something,” remarks Roberto who has directed commercials for Nike, Victoria’s Secret and Honda, “and I knew this was something special that we would want to remember. Only during the edit when all the news from Italy started coming in did we realized how this film could help bring attention to a country struggling to recover.”

This short documentary was released as a 9 part series and has already flashed with tens of thousands of views and shares online, with the goal to drive attention and hopefully donations to the World Food Bank and Fondazione La Stampa who are dedicated to helping Italy recover. Celebrity chefs and food personalities have been extremely supportive of the project, lending their voice and praise. "It's a fantastic concept," says Adam Richman of Man vs. Food, "and the fact that you're doing it to help Italy recover [from the pandemic] is amazing". 

The project has ongoing interviews with celebrity chefs and epicurean royalty, and is being developed into a series this summer. The duo who created the project has also been working with Atlas Obscura Travel Experience for live events to be held in NYC in June.

"Hopefully this will scratch a travel itch for some people," says Roberto Serrini, a professional travel writer for Get Lost Magazine, "for those that love culture and travel, this time is particularly hard, but, with a little ingenuity, and some pasta, you can still take a trip, even if it is only, in bocca."

In Bocca (In Mouth) can be seen on YouTube, Vimeo, Devour, the NYT, and La Stampa. More information about the series, the books, and upcoming events is on www.italyinbocca.com

Made with love, good friends and great ingredients in NYC.