What inspired you to work for ALMA?
When I finished my second working experience in Australia, I returned to Italy. I came to Alma just to say hello and I was offered to stay and work as chef assistant. I took the opportunity as it seemed interesting to me; I worked several years as a chef assistant, starting in the central kitchen of the school, and then I had several experiences supporting our Guest Chefs and assisting the instructors in the courses for foreign students.
After these experiences, I moved on and started teaching the Cooking Techniques Course where I was a Chef instructor for about 3 years. Finally, I was selected as a Chef Instructor for the Advanced Course of Italian Cuisine.
As far as the advanced level course is concerned, I was in charge of the Central Restaurant cooking lessons together with other colleagues. After that, I started my teaching experience with the international courses. It is a great opportunity where I hope to hear several different languages spoken within the school’s walls.
Students in training class
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
It has been a very exciting year as a student at ALMA, both the residential part, which I did in ALMA, and the traineeship. I did it at Chef Antonia Klugmann's first restaurant in Friuli, in the province of Udine. I was with her for 5 months and she taught me a lot.
After that, I continued to work in Italy doing traineeships in various restaurants and I followed Klugman in her consultations for brief experiences. They were sporadic experiences, but I tried to continue to follow what she was doing because I was very interested in it and also because a beautiful friendship had been born.
I then went to do a seasonal internship in a large starred restaurant—at the time 2 Michelin stars, today 3 Michelin stars. Even that, I have to say, left its mark on me, both positively and negatively (honestly enough negatively at the time), but in hindsight very positively. It took me a while to understand the value of that experience, but in the end I understood it and I am very happy to have done it.
Once that internship was over, I left for Australia, where for another year I worked mainly in three places, obviously always in the kitchen. I worked in an Italian Bistro and then in a very touristy restaurant. It was full of people so we were doing many place settings constantly and it helped me a lot. There was mainly Anglo-Saxon culture cuisine there, but I really enjoyed it. I then had experience in a hotel in terms of banqueting and breakfast service.
In my role as a teacher, I try to never forget the difficulties I have encountered and how I have dealt with them. I enter the classroom as a teacher but with the knowledge that, years ago, I was on the opposite side and that when I needed help I expected and hoped for something from a teacher or colleague.
When I enter the kitchen, I try to understand the students’ needs by reminding myself how certain responses or gestures in the past have disappointed me, and I try to behave differently to avoid repeating old, outdated kitchen stories.
Student in restaurant kitchen
What makes ALMA special?
The educational programs that are offered by this school are unique and special because ALMA does not simply give you answers, but more than anything else teaches you to ask questions and gives you the method to go deep into things.
What I have always admired and appreciated a lot, especially when I was a student, is that ALMA did not give me the recipes but taught me the techniques and the language to be able to read recipes.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope they understand that in order to build their future free of impositions, rules, and prejudices, it is essential for them to master techniques, rules themselves, knowledge of the fundamentals of history, of raw materials, and to gain experience. I believe that these are the foundations of a creative professional future.
How do you help support participants?
It is always a matter of doing things again and again. Experience and practice will help you to overcome the technical difficulties that you think to have now. The school is really the right place to make mistakes because here we give the opportunity to all students to understand their mistakes and try again.
I enter the classroom as a teacher but with the awareness that, years ago, I was in their shoes and that when I needed help I expected and hoped for something from a teacher or colleague.
International students of Culinary Arts
What does ethical global engagement mean to you?
It means behaving, thinking daily that each of our actions produces consequences; it means understanding those consequences and deciding where we want to go and which side we want to take.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Confrontation is the best way to know ourselves, dialogue is a means of confrontation, and confronting with others always generates knowledge and cultural richness. I always suggest bringing few things with you because
the freedom of travellers always depends on the weight of their suitcase.
A journey is meaningful when it tells you a story about a new territory, and this can happen through a person, a trip on public transport, a meal in a restaurant or a café, but also appreciating the architecture or experiencing different traditions.
A journey can last years or just a couple of days; it can make you travel thousands of kilometres or simply cross a regional border, but when you find something different and you try to understand it, it will repay you.
