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Florence Culinary Arts School (FCAS)

9.22 (9)8 Programs

Why choose Florence Culinary Arts School (FCAS)?

Established in 1983, Florence Culinary Arts School (FCAS) is a professional institute with the mission to spread the excellence of Italian cuisine around the world, as well as to inspire international students to reach their full potential and accelerate their career growth. FCAS welcomes students from all over the world. The diverse background of FCAS’s students creates a rich multicultural co...

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Florence Culinary Arts School (FCAS) Reviews

Hear what past participants have to say about the programs

Overall Rating

9.22

Total Reviews

9
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Overall Rating: 3/ 5 I am leaving a long review as when I was researching this course, I admit it did look like a bit of a scam, due to the limited social media presence/reviews. So here is mine!

by: Polly Symes - EnglandProgram: Italian Cuisine Professional Chef Training
6

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!

Catuccini from Prato!Classic CarbonaraBeef carpaccio

Unforgettable experience!

by: Werner Peratoner - AustriaProgram: 2025 Summer Cooking Courses in Florence, Italy
10

I took the Summer Cooking Course for the whole month of June. It was an unforgettable experience. Living in the heart of Florence while taking cooking classes just outside the city offered me a genuine taste of authentic Italian life. I would 100% recommend this program!

I would 100% recommend this program!

by: Jenny Lawrence - CanadaProgram: Italian Home Cooking in Florence, Italy
10

I took a two-week Italian Home Cooking course just before the summer and it was great. FCAS also offers shared housing but the admissions officer wisely recommended me to book a room closer to the city center. If possible, I would do it again next summer.

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Interviews

Read interviews from alumni or staff

Francesco Coniglio

Interviewed in 2023

Staff

What inspired you to travel abroad?

As an experienced executive chef, I enjoy cooking and I especially love teaching Italian cuisine to international students. Since I worked at FCAS, I have taught more than 2,000 students, and most of them are now employed in Italian restaurants or started their own businesses. FCAS gives me total freedom in the choice of programs and teaching techniques.

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