Today, half of the class took a Pizza Lesson, and the other half visited a well-known restaurant to see its preparation work. “Pizza Lesson” There are 2 kinds of Italian pizza in general; Roman style and Napoli style. This pizzeria students visited today serves Napoli pizza with chewy crust. It was the first experience for the most of the students to make pizza from a scratch and bake it in the pizza oven. Each student got to eat a real Napoli pizza he/she made. Students learned where in the oven to put pizza in, how long to rest the dough, what the best baking temperature is, and so on. “Practice […]

Today the class had the 2nd Mediterranean Cuisine and Seafood lesson. Students hustled on many preparation works all at once. Decoration using a food ring made the dish look really delicious and impressive. For some students, it became a good experience to use unfamiliar vegetables such as artichokes. Although students got full after eating every dish from the starter to the main, desserts always make students extremely happy. Lemon peel smelled so good which was grated and sprinkled over the dish right before eating. In Italy, people always enjoy desserts after the meal. The tasting time is not only for fun. Professor asks students questions like which dish was the […]

Today’s cooking practice was “Party Dishes”. Students made party dishes that are easy to prepare and easy to eat in just one bite. Cooking with knowledge of the history behind each dish can definitely add different viewpoints and ideas to the way one cooks. Students got to learn a lot about the history of buffet during this cooking practice. The professor also taught students how to prepare a party space that is more enjoyable, how to display food on a large platter, and so on. The idea of fruit skin bowl was really cool and beautiful. It didn’t take much time to create a wonderful party space with decoration of […]

Today, students visited a food wholesaler. They had to gather very early in a chilly morning for this visit. This wholesaler is located in the middle of Italy, which means fresh vegetables from all over Italy get delivered here. Soaking up plenty of sunshine, Italian vegetables grow deep in color and firm in texture. Students learned many reasons behind how professional chefs decide which vegetables to purchase, how wholesalers rank vegetables, why chefs come all the way to food wholesalers, why some individual farmers come directly here to sell, and so on. One of the students commented, “It was such a valuable experience to see what the food wholesaler was […]

Today, students made filei pasta from Calabria region. Around 10 students worked on the pasta making. Each student was at first making pastas in various sizes, but as Prof. Francesco advised them, “A little bit bigger!” “A bit shorter!”, students eventually learned to make them in even sizes. Oil soaking vegetables must look colorful in the bottle, so students felt like they are creating some kind of artworks. “It’s so easy and fun,” many students enjoyed this work a lot. Every dessert dish was presented with care; that sure proves their professionalism. 2016.10. 8 Ota