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OCT. NOV. 2021 VIII AT PAGE 20 IN THE KITCHEN Federico Samaden: lateral thinking takes the stage The director of the Professional Hotel Training Institute and of the Tourism Management School in the Province of Trento explains his training model. Which undermines established practice by reversing roles: theory becomes an aid to practice. And the needs of the working world dictate the agenda by Manuela Falchero His approach is inspired, in fact, by lateral thinking. That is, the method that suggests facing - and possibly solving - a problem by analysing it from different angles rather than the usual ones. This is the path chosen by Federico Samaden when his path in life led him to cross those of the management of a school. A point of arrival reached thanks to a journey that was at times difficult, but always rich in experiences to be made available to all. Having completed his rehabilitation in the Community of San Patrignano, Samaden decided to help other young people get out of the nightmare of drugs. So he accepted an invitation from Vincenzo Muccioli, then owner of the Community, to become the manager of the San Vito branch, in Pergine. Here he learned the value of training and food as an instrument of healing. And he also learned that quality is a necessary and unavoidable condition in all circumstances. A precious lesson that he put to good use in 2009 when he took over as head of the Professional Hotel Training Institute of the Province of Trento. Where, after a year of careful study of the functioning of the courses, he decided to start his small but great revolution. WHAT CRITICAL POINTS DID YOU FIND IN YOUR COURSE OF STUDY AT THE TIME OF YOUR APPOINTMENT AS DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE? I observed that, even with the best of intentions, the school was operating with ‘blunt’ tools. The system was slow to respond to student needs, too bureaucratic and resistant to innovation. HOW DID YOU INTERVENE? First of all I decided to tackle the problem of the school premises: the institute needed more space. Space that was primarily needed by the students of the 4th classes, that is, in the last year of their studies. So I found premises owned by the Province in Roncegno - Villa Flora - which was only used in the summer months. I asked and obtained permission to use it also during the school year and there I had the chance to give life to a completely innovative educational model: the educational restaurant. WHAT IS IT? It consists of a real restaurant, where the students can gain experience in the field. In essence, here, instead of learning in the classrooms of the laboratories, during the days of the lessons the students can deal with authentic customers. With one difference, and not a small one, however, compared to commercial premises: in this case, the operating costs are borne by the food companies in the region. To give just a few examples: Astro, Agraria Riva del Garda and Menz&Gasser - who have seen in this project a model of excellence capable of giving them good visibility. The MAGAZINE