Wazzup Pilipinas!
The prestigious Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF) in Asti, Italy, once again hosted nine young Filipino culinarians from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM) as they successfully finished their extensive and immersive three-month practicum training.
Through the nine-year partnership between DLS-CSB SHRIM and ICIF, a premier institution that highlights and promotes the value and excellence of authentic Italian cuisine, the year’s blessed students learned the traditional and modern techniques and applications from the experts.
They mastered the wide variety of Italian dishes from antipasti, soups, salads, pizza, fresh and dried pasta and risotto, to seafood and various meats. Not to mention they likewise honed their craft for pastries. Not only did they cook, they also had lessons through informative lectures, live demonstrations and food tasting sessions, plus an extensive one-on-one program where the protégés explored and executed their own plating styles through hands-on workshops.
The comprehensive learning experience was made possible with the support of ICIF Headquarter Referent and Educational Director Ilaria Scalet and ICIF Executive Chef Massimillano Careri.
To completely familiarize, understand and appreciate the rich heritage of the Italian cuisine, the culinary aspirants observed the process at the Grana Padano Cheese Factory, among several other places. They likewise engrossed themselves in a number of vineyards within the province of Asti, where they tasted the undiscovered old world wines.
The highlight of the trip was the actual internship, where the students were able to apply their new skillsets as they were deployed to top-tier restaurants in and around Italy, such as in Ristorante San Marco, Ristorante Il Grecale, Ristorante Manuelina, Ristorante Dolce Stil Novo, and Trattoria 1960.
The batch of trainees was comprised of Jaubrey Dranreb Bete, Frederick Paul Adrian Briones, Paulina Katrine Diaz, Danica Ingalla, Anne Marie Louise Macaraig, Rencez Clariss Nierva, Irvin Mathieu Pascua, Elijah Moses Uson, and alumnus Grant Mitchel Zuñiga.
“ICIF prepares students for the real world and the industry because through this program, the students learn to work independently, become more efficient, and acquire culinary techniques from Italian chefs,” DLS-CSB SHRIM Culinary Arts Chairperson Chef Margarita Marty noted. “This exposure will boost their careers in two ways: when applying for a job as chefs in the industry and when putting up their own businesses in the future as they can take with them the best practices they have learned.”
DLS-CSB SHRIM ensures that its students are trained to be future industry leaders. Through its several existing partnerships with global institutions, the College provides access to quality education in and outside the four walls of its lecture halls, hatcheries, and culinary laboratories through engagements in key culinary cities around the world.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
