ALMA: world’s most authentic culinary school

The following article was contributed by Il Cuoco ALMA, an Italian culinary school in Korea, on the occasion of the anniversary of the founding of the Italian Republic, which falls on June 2. ― ED.

The story of the founding of ALMA goes back to 2000.

President Albino Ivardi Ganapini worked for 35 years at Barilla, the most famous pasta company in Italy.

After retirement, Ganapini was offered a position at the state government in the province of Parma to develop agriculture. One of his tasks was to establish the culinary school of ALMA ― meaning noble and high in Latin.

One of the courses offered, titled "Corso Superiore'' (Superior Course) is 12 months long, and is officially endorsed by the Italian government.

The culinary course was Italy's first professional one.

Teaching methods at ALMA were developed after a careful review of those used by the best culinary schools in France, Switzerland, Canada and America.

The school cultivated professional Italian chefs by promoting the knowledge and appreciation of Italian gastronomy to the world.

At present, roughly 50 percent of students of the Corso Superiore are Italians, while the remainder are foreigners.

ALMA is situated 10 kilometers away from Parma, a city in the Northwest of Italy, and is housed in the palace built there in the 1700s.

At the Palace of Colorno, students can freely use the kitchen ― the grand salon (Aula Magna) ― a room for practical training, and library, all of which are equipped with modern facilities.

ALMA came into existence in 2004, and was located in 3,500 square meters of the palace. The part that was once a theatre now houses the grand salon, three demonstration rooms, three practical rooms, a sommelier room, a canteen, central kitchen and a 170-seat restaurant, all equipped with an effective audio system.

Besides magazines and journals, there are more than 10, 000 books in the library.

The school is run as a limited liability company.

ALMA has a cooperative agreement with the Ministry of Education and Italian Trade Commission (ICE). In 2006, ALMA won the confidence of the state of Emilia Romagna. It received ISO 9001 certification and has recently entered a partnership with the SDA Bocconi School of Management, the University of Parma and the University of Tastes in Perugia to nurture future leaders in the field.

The international recognition of the school was achieved through two ways: First, ALMA organizes courses abroad with the help of ICE-related restaurants and culinary schools all over the world; second, it offers other courses in cooperation with other famous overseas schools.

Gualtiero Marchesi, the rector of ALMA, is one of the teaching staff.

The faculty includes some of the most important and prestigious professors, chefs and specialists in native gastronomical products ― comprising roughly 70 Michelin chefs.

Marchesi is a legend in the Italian culinary field.

He is well-known and beloved by the Italian people. The public broadcasting company RAI was hot on his heels upon the publication of his book "Il Codice Marchesi" in 2005, and he appeared on the front page of most important newspapers.

His restaurant was awarded three-stars by the Michelin guide (the magazine which has traditionally been regarded as the gourmet's Bible for the past 100 years) in 1985, the first in Italy to receive such an acclamation.

Receiving one-star amounts to a personal honor; two amounts to a familial honor; while three amounts to a national honor.

Not even in France are there many restaurants with this ranking ― in Italy, only three restaurants have received such an award.

In 1986, Marchesi was conferred the status of Cavaliere de la Republica Italiana. His style of cooking is the most important code in traditional Italian gastronomy.

Thanks to his world-wide recognition, many students of the Italian Culinary Academy, New York; George Brown Chef School, Toronto; Institute du Tourisme et d'Hotellerie du Quebec; Il Cuoco Italian Culinary Institute; MSA Istanbul; CESSA Universidad, Mexico; Ecole d'Art Culinaire de Miyagi; and VTC, Hong Kong take advantage of ALMA's partnership with their institutions to study at Colorno.

ALMA had a contract-signing ceremony with the Il Cuoco Italian Culinary Institute (President Antonio Shim) at the residence of the Italian Ambassador to Korea in 2005.

Il Cuoco was founded in 1999, and has organized Italian culinary courses since 2000. The school collaborated with the Italian Culinary School for Foreigners (ICIF) for four years (2001-2004) to organize courses to prepare people for studying abroad in Italy.

Over the last ten years Il Cuoco has produced roughly 2,500 graduates. School activities include designing menus, training workers in the food industry, running restaurants, food-catering and conducting courses which provide university credits.

President Shim is awarded the rank of Cavaliere de l`Ordine de la Stella de la Solidariet Italiana (Knight of the Order of the Star of Solidarity) by the President of Italy for his efforts to promote Italian gastronomy in Korea. With the conferment of the award, the position of Il Cuoco as the primary representative of ALMA in Korea was confirmed.

Instructions for Registration: To enroll in ALMA, you must register with the office of Il Cuoco in Korea. Il Cuoco is now preparing to send its sixth batch of students to Colorno. The seventh batch of students will begin their course next January, and depart for ALMA in April. Il Cuoco takes three months to prepare the students for the course in ALMA. Students will master basic Italian, nutritional science, and theories of gastronomy during the three months. The course in Italy will consist of three months of schooling in ALMA, and nine months of practical training in restaurants in various parts of Italy. The diploma will be conferred upon passing a two-day exam back in ALMA.

For more information, call 02-3472-2111 or fax 02-3472-2430.