That of the food is an increasingly trendy phenomenon in Italy and around the world, so much so that great attention is devoted to this area even in television spaces. Becoming a chef professional is a coveted goal of many young people who are rediscovering themselves as passionate, talented, and increasingly willing to put their hands to it, after following the right training.
And there are an increasing number and variety of professional cooking classes that are organized, with different formats on the topic.
Italian Food Academy is the body of training in the restaurant industry organizing master, professional cooking classes, thematic courses and specialization and food experience for companies, meeting the needs of those who want to undertake the career as a chef or feel the need to specialize in certain branches of the kitchen.
After going into detail about the 4 master's degrees in cooking (read the article), we will be responsible for presenting the professional cooking classes organized by the institution.
Italian Food Academy's professional cooking classes.
1. Professional Cooking Course.
It is a full-time training course which aims to convey basic and advanced techniques for preparing extraordinary dishes, starting from ingredient selection and various types of cooking, to the presentation of the finished dish.
Here is the educational program (of the course) held by teachers Mirko Ronzoni, Fabio Castiglioni, Davide Spadari, Antonio Sciullo and Massimiliano Maraschiello:
Work tools and their use
Organisation of the pantry
Choose the ingredients
Know how to prepare
Meat
Fish
Vegetables
Know how to cook
Traditional and fast cooking methods
Fish and meat appetizers
Starters and main of fish and meat
Basic recipes: bases and sauces
Dessert
Decoration and presentation of dishes
2. Japanese Cooking Course.
A full-time training course which teaches basic and advanced techniques for preparing traditional Japanese culinary dishes, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The course, provides for the following educational program:
Glossary and tools
Fish cutting and processing techniques
Processing and cooking techniques for rice
Traditional and international sushi
Marinade
Raw
Broth and steam
Ramen
Pasta
Donburi
Stews
Fry
Lunch box and Bento
Seminar on the Sakè
3. Pastry Course.
A full-time training course at basic and advanced cake-making techniques, becoming part of the great Italian and international confectionery tradition. The professional course for pastry chef, held by teachers Fabio Castiglioni, Massimiliano Maraschiello, Alessandro Tiscione, provides for the following educational program:
HACCP – Practical rules of hygiene
Staff Organisation
The enterprise system in confectionery
Pastry Mise en place
The tools
Machinery
Leavening and Baking
Process cycle of products
Base mixtures
Fresh Pastry
Traditional and modern cakes
Bakery: cakes, biscuits, tarts
Creams and fillings
Chantilly, custard and pastry cream
Chocolate decorations
4. Course in the art of plating.
A route in which you learn about theart of serving, with the latest techniques and tools, not without a good dose of creativity, aesthetic sensitivity, study, and precision.
Roberta Schira, Felice Lo Basso, Eugenio Boer, Ivana Carmen Mottola are the teachers of this professional course which follows this educational program:
Taste imprinting
Psychological aspects related to the perception of a dish
Eating design
Plating as an emotional experience
How to project a plat
The laws of color and color pairing
Choice of dishes and food arrangement
Geometric shapes, textures and volumes
The lines of force in the composition
Balancing shapes, colours and flavours
Illusion of taste
The importance of a sort of signature
Practice
5. Course in Food Photography.
The course teaches the basic techniques of ambient shooting, with special reference to the aspects that characterize the food sector, in order to take photos and related reports of dishes, restaurants, food and wine events and press conferences.
The course is taught by lecturers Paolo Castiglioni and Chiara Caprettini and involves the study of the following topics:
Approach to photography (how to balance lines and colors, type of light, hot to create photographic composition)
Food styling
How to create a set
Analysis of the world of food photography
Visual content strategy
Smartphone photography
The Food on Instagram
Differences between publishing and digital world
Practical part: construction of a set for different types of photographs
The stages of Italian Food Academy's professional cooking classes.
The stages of the IFA professional courses involve the following steps:
- Introductory lectures with study of provided texts + online platform
- 20-hour online course aimed at issuing the third-level HACCP Certificate
- Classroom phase: 40 to 48 hours depending on the course
- Internship phase (provided not for all courses) and lasting from 100 to 300 hours depending on the course in part-time or full-time mode
- CV and video CV
Not just food.
Not just food. A good professional cooking course should also impart notions about hygiene practices of catering environments and personnel, related legislation, choice of equipment, as well as inventory management, menu organization and food cost.
If you would like to enroll in one of the professional cooking courses organized by Italian Food Academy, contact the institution and find out all the dates, locations and benefits of choosing a pathway IFA.
