Chef Training Course 2017 Winter term has been completed successfully. Students paired up with another to compete in the final competition. Each team of two students must cook one of the dishes learned during the course without seeing its recipe and within a limited time. Students then waited for Prof. Francesco’s judgment. After tasting all the dishes, the professor had a very hard time deciding the best dish, also taking students’ impressions on each dish into consideration. And the winner was Tomonori. Congratulations! It was great that Tomonori achieved this honor all by himself due to his partner’s absence on that day. I joined the tasting myself, and all dishes […]

Today, our Chef Training class had its third “Sommelier Lesson”. The lesson took place in a wine cellar with many wine bottles in the wall shelves. After tasting 3 different kinds of wines with their labels hidden, students tried to guess each wine’s characteristics and grapes used. Even with wines you are familiar with, it can be difficult to tell the difference when you compare with other wines. Each student made comments based on colors, aromas, flavors and wine legs. Everyone was having a good time learning, listening to some students’ unique expressions. When a student asked the professor which wine he recommended, he replied, “It depends on the food, […]

Starting today, a new student joined our Chef Training class. “Baba” is a Southern Italian sweet that takes time and efforts to prepare, but it is delicious with a touch of aromatic liquor and certainly worth making. Different pasticceria (sweets shops) make different flavors of baba. Some have custard cream while another has ricotta cheese inside. 2017.2.22 Ota

Our Chef Training class had “Mediterranean Cuisine 1” cooking practice. Students learned the best seasons of ingredients in Italy and how to select the best pasta to use in different dishes. Many students have become friends with each other, so I took some pictures of them very relaxed with their buddies. I have eaten polenta a several times before and I love its simple taste. It sure warms me up on a cold day. It takes time to mix polenta thoroughly, and that’s probably how Italian mammas put their love for the families, cooking warm dishes. 2017.2.15 Ota

Our Chef Training class had a cooking practice “Tuscan Cuisine 2”. Students with cooking experience were teaching those with less experience how to use cooking knives and other cooking tips. Prof. Francesco explained that even the same ingredients could be different depending on the regions or the manufactures where the ingredients came from. Some students were really excited by the delicious-looking presentation on the dishes by the professor. Even the non-experienced students must go on to the internship at real restaurants after 6 more weeks in this class. So the professor was giving strict instructions even to the non-experienced students to watch the heat level and pay attention to the […]