Purina has announced the opening of Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast, a culinary experience inspired by feline delicacies.
The unique pop-up restaurant will bring the mealtime experience of cats to life at iconic Ponsonby eatery Elmo’s. Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast dishes take inspiration from the detail that goes into crafting each individual Fancy Feast Delights recipe whilst paying homage to the traditional Italian cuisine of Elmo’s.
Kiwis are proven cat lovers with more cats per capita than any other country in the world, making Aotearoa the perfect destination to welcome the dining concept. Auckland’s Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast experience builds on the success of the original pop-up in New York and aims to show guests the delight a well-planned meal brings to their feline companions at every meal.
“Fancy Feast is renowned for creating experiences that highlight the everlasting bond between a cat and its owner,” said Purina New Zealand Head of Marketing, Mark White. “So we’re incredibly excited to be working with the talented team at Elmo’s in Auckland, to bring mealtimes and Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast to life, through this unique dining concept.”
The exclusive dining opportunity will be available for two nights only, cat lovers have the chance to win one of 24 reservations for a table of two. The lucky cat lovers will have their taste buds transported to Italy for the evening whilst they enjoy a tasting menu created by Elmo’s Executive Chef, Joel Bartosh.
“We have loved creating the delectable Italian-inspired Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast menu and infusing the passion and love Kiwis have for their cats into our dishes. Our personal favourite is the super cute paw print Tiramisu – the purrfect grammable dessert,” said Elmo’s co-founder, Bronwyn Payne.
The Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast menu begins with an amuse-bouche ‘saucer of milk’ with white chocolate and miso, before moving on to a selection of entrées including yellowfin tuna crudo, pizza fritta and tomatoes four-ways, followed by the main dish of chicken and sage petite tortellini, and finally Elmo’s classic tiramisu for dessert.
“Food has the power to connect us to others in meaningful ways and take us to places we have never been, and the same is true for our feline friends,” said Fancy Feast’s in-house global chef, Amanda Hassner. “The dishes at Gatto Bianco are prepared in ways that help cat owners understand how their cats experience food – from flavour, to texture, to form – in a way that only Fancy Feast can.”
Due to the exclusivity of the pop-up event, Fancy Feast will share recipes from the menu to its subscriber community following the event, so that cat lovers across the country can replicate the feline dining experience in their own homes.
