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FEB. MAR. 2018
XI
ALMA’s mission is to bring the
Italian agricultural heritage into
the world through the excellence
training of catering operators: chefs,
restaurant staff, confectioners,
sommeliers ... Those who leave
Alma have had an education very
much linked to typical products,
knowing the difference between
a typical original product and a
misleading product and having
the right basis to spread this
knowledge».
GROWTH THROUGH
COMPARISON
Just like ALMA, also the hotel
institutes of all Italy are very careful
to teach Italian typicality. The Carlo
Porta Institute of Milan combines
theoretical and practical training.
“At a theoretical level - explains the
recently appointed manager Rossana
di Gennaro - some representatives
of the EU parliamentary office have
held conferences with us on the
uniqueness of the Italian product
and the means to guarantee it,
protect it and promote it. On a
practical level we participate in
exchanges with other schools, both
Italian and overseas (the youngsters
have just been to Norway) in which
each group cooks and makes
their typical products known. The
professionalism of the youngsters
has improved over the years: they
are aware of what they are doing
and are able to explain it to their
peers in other schools and areas
of the country. Along this path
we will be attending meetings
dedicated to teachers and students
on healthy eating.” The training is
also intended for restaurant staff,
who have dedicated courses on
oil tasting, on dishes that can be
prepared in front of the customer,
on communication ... Gennaro
appreciates the idea of dedicating
a whole year to Italian food. “It is
important - he says - with a view to
emphasising the theme of healthy
eating, through the characteristics
of the product, the origin, the
traditional preparation techniques ...
the attention that can be dedicated
to this theme is welcome.” One of
the schools with which Carlo Porta
had an exchange is the Institute
of Professional Hotel Training
in Rovereto and Levico Terme.
“At the headquarters of Levico
Terme - says the manager Federico
Samaden - there is an educational
restaurant open to the public, run
by the 4th year students. In the
course of specialisation in regional
cuisine, four regions rotate each
year. This year it’s up to Piemonte,
Lombardia, Sicily and Campania,
who send us a group of students
from another institute for 4 or 5
days, accompanied by a teacher.
Our students study the menu with
the guests, put it in place, present
it and continue to propose it for
two weeks. Thus they extend their
knowledge of the products of other
Italian regions.
In our preparation we also care
for food education, through the
knowledge of the nutritional
aspects of the products and the
development of balanced menus.”
For Samaden, attention to food is
important, but it is not enough. “We
offer a high-level training course
in hospitality management - he
explains - where young people of
about 20 years of age manage an
educational hotel. Again, there
are exchanges with other schools.
I believe this is the best way to
transfer knowledge. I appreciate the
Ministers’ choice, but I think it is
important to emphasise that food is
an expression of a territory and part
of a broader concept of hospitality.
In my opinion it is necessary to
promote Italian hospitality and the
soul of the territories and within
this process to enhance food too.”
A popular idea spreading south,
the approach does not change. “In
our daily work - explains Giovanna
Ferrante, manager of the Marchitelli
Institute of Villa Santa Maria (CH
) - we use local products, we try
to help the youngsters discover
them and explore the territory
through its typical features. The
two discoveries go hand in hand
and complement each other. We
teach to put the quality of the food
product at the centre of the dish. In
this we collaborate a lot with local
companies: training includes visits
and internships and is completed
by experience with the use of these
products. Then we try to make the
youngsters more aware, through
the comparison with flavours and
knowledge of other Italian areas
but not only this: we are starting
a project with a French school.
It is a common practice for hotel
schools to make exchanges and I
think this is an element of growth
for children.” As for the decision to
dedicate a whole year to our food,
Ferrante considers it a good idea.
“Italian food - he says - already
enjoys great success, but to name
a year for it as an element that
unites mankind seems to me very
positive.”
THE PROGRAM OF THE
INITIATIVE
2018 will host a series of events,
initiatives, events ... related to the
culture and to the enogastronomic
tradition of Italy. It will focus
on the appreciation of UNESCO
awards related to food, from
the Mediterranean Diet to the
latest recognition, the art of the
Neapolitan pizza maker and will
be an opportunity to support
the candidacy for Prosecco and
Amatriciana. Initiatives will be
put in place to make known and
promote, even in terms of tourism,
historical rural landscapes and
there will be a focus on the fight
against food waste. The two