N. 291 - Federazione Italiana Cuochi

ILCUOCOINTERNATIONAL
SEE PAGE 3
FOR THE ITALIAN TEXT
Hotel and
catering
colleges: let’s
stop the reform
by Paolo Caldana
President of Fic
With more than 22 thousand professional
members, the ultimate organisation
representing the “white
hats” in Italy expresses its worries about
the possibility of reform of Hotel and
Catering Colleges. It does so by sending
an official document to the Ministry of
Public Education, the Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies, the full text of
which is published on the web site
www.fic.it.
In particular, the possibility of remodulating
technical-professional subjects,
with reduction of the hours of the
timetable does not take into account the
fact that within the framework of Italian
secondary education, Hotel and
Catering Colleges represent an atypicalness
that should be safeguarded and
developed. While the hotel, catering and
tourism sector call for qualified and specialised
professionals, the State school
risks putting it on its knees in the
decades to come, producing badly
trained operators for the sector.
As we have already maintained in the
past, in a document sent to the Minister
of Public Education, “the problem
of hotel and catering education must be
raised. Many kitchens in our Italy are becoming
the prey of incompetent and unqualified
operators, to the disadvantage
also of those who have the best qualities
and professional skills. The specialist
school in the sector must tackle
the problem and understand that the
training course cannot last only a few
years nor can it be totally abdicated to
the job world”.
Having stated this, FIC asks the
Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to
re-examine what is planned for the initial
two years and in the final three. In
particular, it expresses worries about the
possibility of joining together in one s-
ingle class called the “Laboratory of wine
and food services”, the current subjects
“Technique of services and operating K-
itchen practice” (C500) and “Technique
of services and operating practice of the
Bar Room” (C510). Currently the k-
itchen is science, technique and ongoing
professional preparation. What will
the future hold if new chefs are taught
by teachers who must also teach a subject
which has always been treated separately
such as the Bar Room? The job
market asks Hotel and Catering Colleges
for specific highly trained figures and
not all-round experts.
Equally worrying is the idea of joining
together in the next three years all
three technical disciplines into just
one single class. Joining “food and
wine services” and “hospitality services”
seems illogical to anyone who knows the
hotel and catering world.
Finally, FIX expresses its bewilderment
about the inclusion of new subjects to
the detriment of hours dedicated to the
technique of kitchen services. Giving future
businesses operators with a professionally
inadequate preparation will
mean creating difficulties for a sector,
the tourist sector, so important for
the economy of our country.
F
SEE PAGE 6
FOR THE ITALIAN TEXT
FIC 2010
Congress:
appointment
on lake Garda
The XXVII edition will be held from
24 to 28 October at Castelnuovo del Garda
(VR) and will be attended by thousands
of chefs belonging to FIC and operating
in Italy and abroad
The arrival of the participants at the
XXVII national Congress and at the first
international Congress of FIC is expected
on the morning of Sunday 24
October, with accommodation at the
Gardaland Hotel at Castelnuovo del
Garda and other hotels in the area followed
by registration.
During the afternoon, the Congress
participants will meet inside the Gardaland
Amusement Park for the parade
and the official ceremony to inaugurate
the Congress at the Gardaland Theatre.
A welcome cocktail will follow presented
by the pupils of the Hotel and
Catering Colleges of the three organiser
regions: Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino
Alto Adige.
LOMBARDY DAY
On Monday 25 October, technical visits
to the Consorzio Tutela Grana
Padano and to an oil producer in the
Garda area are planned. Participants will
return to Gardaland for lunch based on
a tasting of risottos: different qualities
of rice grown professionally in the rice
fields of Lombardy will be presented by
the chefs. Wines produwwced by the
wineries of Franciacorta will be tasted.
During the afternoon there will be a
conference on rice (The organoleptic properties
of rice and news about the curative
properties of this product), a corner of professional
demonstrations held by technical
professionals in the cooking and
pastry-cooking sector and a round
table (The risks and opportunities deriving
from being included in gastronomic guides).
During the afternoon, a training course
for the youngsters of hotel and catering
colleges. In the evening, at the Aladino
restaurant in the Gardaland Amusement
Park, an aperitif prepared by the
LadyChef (Association of Chefs of Brescia).
Dinner organised by the Chef
Team Lombardia.
TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE DAY
Whole day at the Gardaland Hotel
with the Agorà dei Giovani and a training
course for the youngsters of hotel
and catering colleges. For the Congress
participants, a trip along the
“Strade del Vino e dei Sapori del Trentino”
(Roads of Wine and Flavours of
Trentino): departure from Garda on the
characteristic steamer “Brennero” and
mini-cruise as far as Riva del Garda and
the old “Pala Fiere”, where there will be
a welcoming reception offered by Uctaa
and a welcome toast. Inauguration of
ExpoChef at the Pala Fiere with a visit
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