Stagionello and Dogana Golosa: when meat becomes culture, method and awareness

Stagionello and Dogana Golosa: when meat becomes culture, method and awareness – From maturation to meat culture: the experience told by Maddalena Tessitore during Identità Golose 2026.
From 7 to 9 June 2026, the spaces of the Allianz MiCo in  Milan hosted the 21st edition of Identità Golose, the international congress dedicated to haute cuisine and gastronomic innovation that every year brings together chefs, pizza makers, pastry chefs, bakers, mixologists and industry professionals from all over the world. The theme chosen for this edition, “Future Identities: the freedom to think”, has sparked the debate on how gastronomy is evolving through new visions, new skills and a different approach to raw materials. An invitation to overcome consolidated schemes, reinterpret traditions and build new production and cultural models.
In this context we met Maddalena Tessitore, soul of Dogana Golosa, a reality that has made the enhancement of meat its philosophy. A vision that well represents the concept of “freedom of thought”: the ability to go beyond the simple idea of steak to transform meat into a path made up of selection, maturation, knowledge, food safety and gastronomic culture. An approach that finds  important operational support in the Stagionello® method, training and technologies  , allowing us to combine traditional craftsmanship, process control and enhancement of the raw material.

Dogana Golosa’s reflection starts from a simple but often overlooked assumption: there is no such thing as “meat” as a single category. Each animal has its own identity made up of breed, diet, muscle conformation, fat content, maturation capacity and different sensory characteristics.  “A Marchigiana does not tell the same story as a Chianina. A Rubia Gallega offers a completely different experience than a Maremmagyu. When you start to see these differences, the way you work changes. Flesh becomes a living matter with its own voice.” From this awareness comes the change that has led Dogana Golosa to evolve its model. “We realized that quality alone was no longer enough. Good meat is the starting point, not the end point. The real work consists in understanding and valuing it.” A concept that inevitably leads to questioning the role of maturation and the need to deal with it methodically.

Maturation: not a fad, but a conscious choice

In recent years, dry aging and maturation have become two of the most discussed topics in the catering and butcher industry. However, according to Tessitore, the risk is to transform a complex technical practice into a simple commercial lever. “Maturation, if done without thought, risks becoming just a word to be included in the menu. Not all meats need to mature in the same way and not all require extreme times. Sometimes the value is not pushing further, but stopping at the right time.” A vision that recalls the importance of tools capable of guaranteeing scientific control and safety throughout the process.

Technology and method: the contribution of the Stagionello Meat Curing Device

In the path developed by Dogana Golosa, technology represents a fundamental support to transform a vision into a replicable and safe process. The protagonist remains thought – underlines Tessitore – Technology alone does not create meat culture. The difference is the way it is used.

This is  the context of the Stagionello® Meat Curing Device (Maturmeat), a system designed for professional maturation, fermentation, flavored smoking and meat processing through the constant control of critical process parameters. The system, covered by the European patent EP2769276B1, is the only solution on the market capable of simultaneously managing temperature, humidity, ventilation, water activity (aW) and above all pH of the food, a parameter considered decisive for microbiological safety and for the correct evolution of the product. The system also integrates advanced features such as remote control, automatic HACCP register,  C.I.P. (Cleaning In Place) automatic washing system, weight loss control and Fumotic® cold smoking system. The goal is not only to mature the meat, but to create a controlled microclimatic environment capable of accompanying each phase of food processing in constant and verifiable conditions.

Cuomo Method®: From Conservation to Transformation

At the heart of the Stagionello® technology is the Cuomo Method®, a methodology developed to scientifically govern the processing of meat through the controlled management of pH and environmental parameters. Applied to the Stagionello® Meat Curing Device, the method makes it possible to process not only beef, but also game, deer, horse and sheep and goat species, developing high value-added products such as bresaola, beef hams, pastrami, carne salada, cooked cured meats and ready-to-eat preparations. The technological translation of this approach is represented by the Sicur Food Control® system, which automatically monitors and manages the processing phases within the climatic chamber, ensuring production continuity, food safety and repeatability of results. For Dogana Golosa, this means being able to approach the maturation and processing of meat with an approach based on knowledge, data and responsibility.

The customer at the center of the experience

One of the most interesting aspects that emerged during the meeting concerns the relationship with the end consumer. For Dogana Golosa, the customer must not limit himself to choosing a steak from the menu, but become an active part of a path of knowledge. “When you accompany the customer in front of the raw material and explain the difference between a sweeter meat and a more intense one, between a delicate and a deeper maturation, it completely changes his attitude. He’s not buying a steak anymore. He’s having an experience.” A philosophy that reflects an increasingly evident trend in the market: value does not derive only from the product, but from the ability to tell and contextualize it.

The future of meat passes through awareness

Looking to the future of catering, Maddalena identifies a clear direction. “The future of meat is not about eating more of it. It’s eating it better.” A phrase that perfectly sums up the path taken by Dogana Golosa and that calls the entire sector to pay greater attention to the selection of raw materials, controlled maturation processes, food safety and gastronomic culture. Because, as Tessitore herself concludes: “The freedom to think, for us, was the freedom to no longer see meat only as a steak. It was the freedom to transform it into culture, experience and awareness.”