Italian Cuisine Professional Chef Training

Cooking Lessons/Field Trips/Wine Seminars: Pros: - The chef, Giulio, was everything I could have asked for. He was encouraging, knowledgable, and managed to maintain a focused yet fun atmosphere. - I am now much more confident with my cooking skills! - Every lesson, the students actually made the food, rather than simply watching the chef do it. - We all ate what we had cooked communally after each lesson (meaning either lunch or supper). This was a great time to bond and learn about other people’s dishes. - The kitchen was well-stocked, both in terms of food and equipment. - The field trips were very informative and fun - especially going to the agriturismo and the wine cellar. - The wine seminars were thorough. Cons: - Over two months, we only received 17 cooking lessons. This translates to 2-3 lessons a week. In my opinion, there should have been minimum 3-4, if not 4-5. - Some classic Italian dishes/food areas were missed out. For example, we did not cover much on fish or pastry. - In every lesson, each student would only learn one recipe in depth, and understood little about the others that other students were making. - Actual techniques such as knife skills/filleting weren’t covered much. We focused more on the recipe making. - The kitchen was up to an hour bike ride from the accommodation, or a 30 minute trip with an electric bike. Then the Florence bus system is infamously unreliable. - Our wine seminars took place in the Michael Collins Irish pub in Piazza della Signoria. I would rather not learn about wine in an Irish pub! - Our barista class took place in a cafe right in the outskirts (Pasticceria Ripa) - it would have been more informative to visit a busy café in the centre. Accommodation: Pros: - It was really fun to live communally with the other students on the course and cook/eat together at home. - It was useful that the accommodation came with the course, as it was one less job to deal with. - In my second flat, I enjoyed living slightly out of the centre to get a ‘breather’. - I was able to feel at home there. Cons: - At first, I was put in accommodation with a Japanese family (unconnected to the course) who didn’t speak English, had a severely disabled daughter, lived in a very dirty flat, and only allowed me to use the kitchen at limited times of day. Not to mention that I couldn’t speak to my roommate, who only spoke Japanese, not English or Italian. - In my second flat (I requested to move), we were lacking several kitchen appliances such as chopping boards, cutting knives, a scale, dish cloths, baking trays etc. - Also in the second flat, our landlady would often enter without warning. - Again in the second flat, it was in a ‘dodgy’ area, a 15 minute tram ride from the centre, in the cellar of an apartment building. In the apartment, things would frequently break owing to poor quality. - Many students I spoke to would have preferred accommodation closer to the cooking lessons. Italian Language Lessons: Pros: - The teacher, Marco, was very friendly and encouraging. - The regular nature of the Italian lessons (3-5 lessons a week) meant that driven students could make tangible process, quickly. - They took place in the centre of Florence. Cons: - The Italian lessons were too long - four hour long lessons mean that students were unable to focus. - The teaching methods were rather un-engaging, consisting of worksheets and not much else. They were missing conversation exercises, frequent tests, presentations, videos, props etc. - There were much more Italian language lessons than cooking lessons - this was meant to be a chef training course, not a language course! General feedback for the school: - Considering the frequency of the cooking lessons and the quality of the accommodation, the course was too expensive. If you sign up for the 1 month course, you will pay €6,000 for only 8 cooking lessons. - I was really happy to be in a group of mostly Americans (I’m British), as well as a Canadian, a Swiss and a German. From the FCAS website, it appeared to be very Japanese-dominated, so I’m glad I was in a group with people who spoke my language! Advice for students: - Book an appointment at the Agenzia delle Entrate AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to organise a codice fiscale. This will allow you to buy the transport subscription. If, instead, you pay for a ticket (or a batch of tickets) every time, it is very very expensive. - Download the ‘Ridemovi’ app and buy the Movi Prime subscription. It is 100% worth the money as it gives you access to bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters - especially useful to get to class, or get home quickly after a night out. - Download the ‘at bus’ app. This will enable you to quickly buy tram/bus tickets (the trams are great). - Try to connect with other students who will be on your course (e.g. through Facebook) and organise accommodation with them, not with the school. You could use sites such as Air B&B. - Bottom line - would I do the course again? 100% yes I would; I had a great time!

Yes yes yes!! I'm getting emotional and choked up writing this review right now. that is how much I absolutely loved my time at FCAS in beautiful Florence. Not a day goes by that i don't think about my teacher and my classmates. It has not only changed my perception of the world but it has forever changed my life.

Amazing experience, especially for someone that loves cooking, the food industry, and anything related to food. Furthermore, I can't describe how beautiful is Florence and how friendly are the Italian people. Being a chef has been my dream school since the ninth grade in 2016 through 2017. I started the culinary program in my school, and all I can think of is baking. Everyone looked so professional and helpful, and the excursions were absolutely magical. I loved the wide range of places students can do their internships. I would like to thank our Chef instructor, Prof. Francesco, for his patience and dedication. He really cares about his students. Just like any other place, there are things that need improvement, but there are always people working to solve any issue.