by Jenn Scher

Our students who enroll in the Italian Culinary Experience embark on the experience of a lifetime. First they get to experience New York City, truly the culinary epicenter of the world. The availability of virtually every type of cuisine and culture combined with the energy of the city makes it the perfect locale in which to begin their journey into the edible world. For our students, their center is The FCI. They all have chosen us. Most of our Italian Culinary Experience students don't come from New York, or from the east coast for that matter, so for them it will not only be Italy that shapes their future in food, but New York City too.

Alma, the International School of Italian Cuisine, employs an incredibly hospitable group of people. Everyone I met was wonderful. It echoes our family atmosphere here at The FCI. The first night I arrived, a group of of us went out to dinner. I was with Francesca, the International Student Liaison at Alma ; Chef Luciano Tona, who is the head of the Alma teaching program, along with his wife and their daughter; Cristian Broglia, Executive Chef for Alma’s restaurant; Corrado Assenza, Sous Chef at Alma’s restaurant; one of the Japanese students who is currently attending Alma and Keiko Kimura, a visiting representative from Hattori Nutrition College in Tokyo. As we enjoyed our meal at a beautiful open-air café in the Piazza Garibaldi, I really got to feel how closely knit their group is. It felt like, and was, a group of old friends gathering in front of a backdrop of history and a lot of delicious food on the table in front of them.

Every second in Italy is like walking through the pages of a history book. Lovely Colorno is a small town roughly 15 kilometers outside of Parma. The very center of the town is The Maria Luiga Palace. A virtual allegory, the culinary school is located inside this palace. I knew about the palace part going in, so it was no surprise for me, but when I walked through the first archway and the view that opened up in front of me was a cobblestone courtyard and I looked around at the beautiful old windows, my imagination began to take hold. I could see the stately ladies and gentleman begin to materialize in period dress, the ones who came to visit the summer home of Napoleon’s second wife centuries ago. Through another archway there is a beautiful sweeping garden with fountains, flowers, bees and impeccably carved shrubs that appear as a maze when viewed from above. One side of the school building, where the library is located, overlooks this view.

Once inside, I began to come back to the present and remembered that I was at a culinary school for work and not on the set of the latest Merchant-Ivory film. I saw every inch of the school and can honestly say there is no clutter, it has a very simple feel and nothing is overdone. If anything, everything is understated, which makes it the perfect spot in which to learn the history, philosophy, theory and tastes of all the regions of Italy. There is a very simple dining room off of the restaurant where the students eat and get to know each other. Staff and students of the Slow Foods masters program are invited to dine there as well. I love the fact that our FCI students will get to meet other students from all over Italy and from around the world who share the same passion for gastronomy. The kitchen for this restaurant is staffed from outside. In other words, the students do not work in this kitchen, but they do get to eat the lovely food prepared there with Cristian at the helm.

There are multiple Aula pratica, auditorium-style classrooms used for demonstrations, wine classes, cheese classes and guest chef lectures. Each boasts a fully equipped kitchen for the demos and in some cases the students get to assist. They are all set up with recording devices to immortalize the presentation. Eventually they will use one of these Aula pratica for a new technologies kitchen. Think David Arnold (Director of Culinary Technology at The French Culinary Institute), but Italian. The dedicated pastry kitchen is sleek and minimalist, a large open room with a horseshoe-shaped, granite-topped surface facing the ovens. I also got a look at the practice kitchens for the Alma students, which are fully serviced with every type of cooking device, even individual sinks, fryers and dishwashers. There the students work at the stations in teams of two. They are currently constructing the dedicated kitchen for our Italian Culinary Experience students. It is huge, and Riccardo Carelli, Managing Director of Alma, mentioned that there will be twenty individual stations in this practice kitchen. Molto belissamo!

On the ground level I saw the large lecture hall and sat in on one of Andrea Sinigaglia’s lectures. I have had two Italian language lessons which didn't come close to helping me understand a single thing that was being said, although I did understand every time he mentioned basilica and pomodoro! With that said, the class was incredible. It was unlike any class I have ever taken. The students were so engaged, so involved and so ready to absorb everything Andrea was teaching them. My favorite part was when he asked them to describe the essence of the food in the region they were discussing in poetry form . May I please go to school there? When the students want to study, there is a spacious library with more than six thousand volumes as well as computer and Internet access. Or they can take a walk to the garden and study amongst the natural beauty, with the fountains singing their watery tune.

In the courtyard there are frequent cultural events like live music and even films screenings, a la Bryant Park. Right outside the palace walls there is a market set up two days a week. The fresh produce is beautiful and the highlight of the market, in amongst the underwear and strange shoes. Regardless of what they were selling there, the produce was wonderful! Think less Union Square Green Market and more New York City summer street fair, minus the greasy sausage sandwiches.

The town of Colorno is very small. It took less than fifteen minutes to walk from the school to the student housing, and I walk pretty slowly. Before I start my discussion on the fabulous housing, I would like to say a little about the town. There is a sports center, for which Francesca says they are trying to arrange special rates so the students can use the facilities. There is a large chain-type supermarket a five minutes' walk from the apartments, as well as two others, one of which is a cute, old world-style Italian market. The post office is five minutes from the housing and there are banks, little cafes and other essentials, as well as THE best gelato shop right across the street. Laundry can be done in the student housing building.

It is an easy town to get used to, to navigate, to feel comfortable in. I foresee an easy transition for our students, especially as they will be coming from living in New York for two months. They will also have better Italian language skills by then and they will be focused on their schooling. In addition, they will have each other. Twenty students in an intensive culinary program will bond and form friendships that they will hopefully keep the rest of their lives. Plus, it is ITALY!

So, now -- WOW -- the housing! I was blown away. It is beautiful. There is an elevator! It is in a residential neighborhood. I could probably go on and on about it, but mostly it was impressive because it is so unlike anything that American schools would build for their students. It was like I stepped into another world! Our students will be impressed, especially any of them who have had any experience living in U.S. college dorms.

Now, a little about Parma. I am sure that since this was the very first place, outside of Malpensa airport in Milan and the inside of Paulo’s car, where I came to really be introduced to Italy, it will always hold a very dear place in my heart. Everyone should spend some time in Parma. It is a city of bicycles! Everyone was riding one, parking one, or unlocking one to get back on . It is a very fun and lively beautiful city. It is also home to the oldest church in Italy. Parma is rich in history and culture, including being the place where I ate my first scoops of gelato on Italian soil. As an aside, this particular little shop arranged the gelato atop my cono (cone) in the shape of a flower. It was very, very pretty, but I ate it anyway! Besides, it was at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside and I was wearing white. Chocolato gelato would not have looked as pretty oozing down my shirt!

Colorno is only 20-30 minutes away from Parma on the public bus, depending on traffic. There is also a lot there to do, see and appreciate. It is a university town, so there are many students and young people. If you cross over the Parma River, which had no water due to drought, there is a beautiful Parco. Ducal Park has recently been restored and is reminiscent of the Literary Walk in Central Park. A variety of cultural events are presented there, as is the Regio Teatre, one of the most famous theaters in the world and an exquisite site. The small town of Colorno is a fabulous place for the students to find adventure only fifteen kilometers away from the shopping and history of Parma.

This will be quite an experience for our students on so many levels -- educational and historical, yes, but I have complete faith that time spent at Alma will mean so much more for our students. In addition to the practical education our students will be gaining, the Italian Culinary Experience will truly be an experience for them that comes complete with a lifetime of memories.