26-06-2020
The guys from Alma, Colorno (Parma). The International School of Italian Cuisine reopened its doors and restarted its classes after the pandemic: cooking, pastry and bread making classes, and the dining room service too
Having the right numbers matters. Since 2004, ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine with headquarters in Colorno (Parma), has presented almost 5K graduates. Around half of them attended the Corso Superiore di Cucina Italiana; one thousand the Corso Superiore di Pasticceria; around 200 the Corso Sala Bar Sommellerie; same for the Master Alma–Ais; plus one hundred or so attended the Corso Manager della Ristorazione; and over 50 the Panificazione Moderna and more than 600 theCorsi Internazionali. These numbers are matched by very comforting numbers in terms of occupation: 1 student out of 3 are hired by the business where they complete their internship; over 90 % found a job within 6 months from their graduation. Of them, 70% work in Italy, 30% abroad.
Within this overall positive outcome, there are cases that stand out and that are a concrete proof not only of the personal talents and gifts of the specific person, but also of how valid the training that Alma has developed over the years in different fields of the catering industry is. For many young people, and even for some who are not so young, Alma was a turning point that changed their life for the better, giving them the chance to transform their passion into a job and in some cases to achieve some important awards from the press.
We celebrate with pleasure the post-pandemic reopening of the school with some of its most successful graduates, starting from those who attended the Corso Superiore di Cucina Italiana and have received a Michelin star or some other acknowledgement from the media:
Class of 2015, chef at Venissa in Mazzorbo, Venice (1 Michelin star) Born in 1985, two degrees, one in Political Philosophy, Chiara Pavan started attending the kitchens of trattorias and restaurants since she was in her twenties, to earn some money for her holidays. This choice led to the enrolment at Alma. After starred experiences at Caino in Montemerano (Grosseto) and then for a couple of years at restaurant Zum Löwen in Tesimo (Bolzano), she met Francesco Brutto who then introduced her to Venissa in 2017. The restaurant, already awarded with a star, with the arrival of Pavan kept the acknowledgement and now can also boast a Female chef of the year award from the Guida ai Ristoranti d’Italia de L’Espresso in 2019, and best Female chef for the Guida Identità Golose 2020. From this year she works elbow to elbow with Brutto himself, his partner in life and at work.
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
1. To be continued
Reviews, recommendations and trends from Italy, signed by all the authors of Identità Golose
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Author of Gli anni d'oro della cucina parmigiana, published by Accademia Italiana della Cucina, she contributes to “Gusto”, the food page of Gazzetta di Parma