CIBRÈO DIGITAL HUB
Accademia

About Accademia

The Accademia Cibrèo training programme is a unique and immersive learning experience. Students will have the opportunity to work with Cibrèo restaurant staff and experience real-life cooking inside an ethical, artisanal and authentic restaurant: the Cibrèo world is in fact based on a particularly respectful approach to food production and consumption, enhancing local resources and connecting with local producers and farmers who apply sustainable development models.

Write to us for further details about the course: Karin Pantzer at karinpantzer@gmail.com

Authentic Food Course

Cibrèo Culinary Academy's training program is a unique, intensive, and fully immersive learning experience – centered around the Sant’Ambrogio market and Cibreo’s restaurants located in the neighborhood, students will have the opportunity to work in Cibreo’s restaurants and experience the real life of a kitchen within an ethical, artisanal, and authentic food business and restaurant in Florence: Cibrèo’s world is based on a respectful approach to food production and consumption, giving value to the resources of the territory and connecting with local and sustainable food producers and farmers.

Cibrèo’s values such as seasonal and fresh products, ethical food production, simplicity, authenticity, and tradition will be the key elements of the learning process, as well as a hands-on in-kitchen immersive approach supplemented with educational modules, field trips, and weekly structured cooking classes.

In the restaurant environments, as well as in the immersive weekly classroom, students will learn the fundamental cooking techniques and how to source and select the best quality ingredients. Starting from the very first day, students will be part of a real kitchen brigade and will experience how a professional food business works by being an active part of Cibrèo’s world. Students will learn how to work in a professional kitchen and how to create and manage a network of local suppliers. Seasonal and local products will be the leading and central theme of the program. Students will explore topics such as sustainability, and ethical and health issues related to food production, consumption, and quality.

Cibreo’s culinary program's purpose is to build a network of contemporary culinary artisans who are able to change the world with their hands by developing a conscious relationship with food and spreading awareness of the importance of environmental and social sustainability, food quality, and terroir.

Cost: 7.800 Euro
Duration: 12 Weeks
Language: English
Modules: Monday to Saturday, shifts
Location: Florence, Italy
Starting in: September / January / April
No previous experience is needed.

Our Curriculum

Students will learn basic cooking techniques and how to source and select the best quality ingredients. From day one, they will be part of a real brigade and experience how a professional business works by becoming an active part of the Cibrèo world. Students will also explore topics such as sustainability and ethical and health issues related to food production, consumption and quality.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing the programme, students:

  • They will learn basic cooking skills using local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.
  • They will be trained to work in a professional kitchen and how to become a qualified leader in the sector.
  • They will understand concepts, ideas and applied strategies of a catering enterprise.
  • They will develop a deeper understanding of the importance of food by analysing its life cycle and its social, cultural, political, economic and environmental implications.
  • They will gain a clearer idea of what their skills, abilities and talents are and how to apply them in their work.
  • They will learn how to value local food resources and how to communicate this value through their work.

TEACHING METHOD

The 12-week course comprises 300 academic hours. Students will devote 60% of the planned hours to practical activities in one of the Cibrèo Group's restaurants under the direct guidance of the chefs and 30% of the hours to theoretical lectures and seminars on food and wine products, cooking techniques, food history and culture, industrial food production, management and branding in catering. In addition, 10% will be devoted to educational trips and visits to artisan food and wine producers.

FUTURE CAREER

The skills, vision and professional training acquired during the course will give students the opportunity to start or enrich a career as Entrepreneurs, Managers, Consultants, Chefs, Event Managers in the Food & Beverage industry. The programme will also inspire students who wish to become food artisans: farmers, winegrowers, bakers or cheesemakers.

Contact Us

If your dream is to work in the restaurant industry, this is the right place for you.
Find out how to become a chef and all the interesting facts about what it means to run a restaurant. Discover the beauty of raw materials and all the work you can do with them. Learn the secrets of the dining room and kitchen.
And if you still have doubts, this is the right place to clear them up. Write to us, it will be a pleasure to fill any curiosity and make you an accomplished Chef!

CIBRÈO DIGITAL HUB
Accademia

Course Tutors

Stefania Borgioli

Name

Stefania Borgioli

Position

Instructor & Head Chef

Stefania Borgioli, chef and sommelier, was born in Tuscany and studied art and literature in Florence. Always passionate about food and culinary culture, she began her career in the field at a small catering company, then worked in a restaurant as a pastry chef and later as a chef. Since 2008, she has dedicated herself exclusively to teaching both cooking and gastronomic culture courses.

 

Sara Lai

Name

Sara Lai

Position

Chef Instructor

Sara Lai is a chef, a teacher and a businesswoman. She started learning and practising in her family's restaurant in the Tuscan countryside. After a degree in Political Science and a Master's degree in Culinary Arts sponsored by the European Commission, she travelled exploring new cultures and cuisines throughout Europe and the United States working with a strong passion and daily commitment. Today Sara joyfully passes on her culinary wisdom, sharing the art of food with all those who seek to explore the delicious mysteries of food.

 

Giulio Ludovico

Name

Giulio Ludovico

Position

Pastry Instructor

After studying at the Boscolo Etoile Academy so that his long-standing passion could begin to have a solid technical basis, Giulio has been working abroad for several years as pastry Chef de Partie in resorts belonging to the Leading Hotels of the World group and 5-star luxury hotels such as Castel Monastero and Hotel il Devero, as well as in Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy such as Castello del Nero, Ristorante Ora d'Aria and I portici. He currently teaches pastry at various academic institutions and cooking schools in Florence.

 

Karin Pantzer, MPH, MA.

Name

Karin Pantzer, MPH, MA.

Position

Director and Academic Coordinator of the Cibrèo Academy of Culinary Arts

After a degree in Sociology, a Master's in Public Health in Barcelona and a postgraduate diploma in Medical Anthropology in Milan, she specialised in History and Culture of Food at the University of Bologna with Prof. Massimo Montanari. She has extensive experience teaching History and Culture of Italian Gastronomy at American universities (Cornell, VanDerBilt, Wisconsin-Madison, Brandeis, Colorado University, Indiana University, Perdue University, James Madison University) as well as designing custom study abroad programmes for the Food Studies Department of New York University and other academic institutions.

 

Joshua Shuffman

Name

Joshua Shuffman

Position

Baker

Our baking instructor, Joshua Shuffman, hails from New York, the Big Apple, and has worked as a chef on both the East and West coasts of America, even earning praise from the New York Times restaurant section before going on to cook at legendary institutions such as Amy's Bread and Tomcat Bakery (NYC). He moved to Florence in 2016 and soon found himself collaborating with Fabio Picchi developing a now famous line of Tuscan sourdough bread for Cibrèo.

 

Cinzia Spatafora

Name

Cinzia Spatafora

Position

Food and Beverage Management

Hospitality and F&B manager, consultant, and trainer, she works with hospitality businesses and restaurants specifically on management and business development. Her education and background allow her to work on marketing and promotion, helping companies validate best practices to achieve their goals. She also works as a trainer in international academies and institutions.

 

Lorenzo Pofferi

Name

Lorenzo Pofferi

Position

Visual Branding

Born in Florence in 1987, where he graduated at the Faculty of Architecture in Industrial Design. He completed his studies in Product Design at the Delft Polytechnic in 2014. With his thesis he was selected as one of the best of its kind and exhibited at the Dutch Design week of the same year. As a professional he deals with training in the field of Interior and Product Design but also Communication. He is currently coordinator of the Design area at Accademia Italiana, teacher at Schola and Istituto Marangoni. He also works as a freelance designer, developing Interior and Product Design projects with his studio Lorenzo Pofferi Studio and also collaborating with other Architecture and Design studios, welcoming clients nationally and internationally.

Cibrèo

CIBRÈO DIGITAL HUB
Accademia

Past Pupils

Patrick Hinman
London
London Supper Club Owner

“The experience with Accademia has completely changed my relationship with food. I was able to learn so much from the course tutors and chefs and put into practice everything I learnt while working at Cibreo. Being based in Sant'Ambrogio is a plus: you are in the epicentre of Florence's culinary sphere and the whole area has a lovely rhythm. I would recommend the course to anyone with a strong culinary interest”.

Jessica Reynoso
Los Angeles
Private Chef

“I work as a private chef in Los Angeles. I have my own boutique catering company, travel to various locations and organise fabulous events. Every couple of months I also organise supper club dinners, which are four- to five-course themed meals in a private venue".

Sam Flinn
Canada
Restaurant Owner

"During the Cibreo programme I learnt a lot about experimentation and developing flavour through simple ingredients. Also great was the insight into technical preparation to simplify service in a busy restaurant. Besides all this, the experience was a lot of fun and a great community experience".

Adalin Farmer
United States

“What sets this experience apart is the Academy's unwavering commitment to local producers and seasonal menus. Each dish was a masterpiece, a tribute to the Academy's dedication to harnessing the finest ingredients from neighbouring producers and embracing the changing seasons to create truly exceptional culinary delights. During this enthralling journey, I had the unique privilege of interning in five distinct restaurant environments, each offering their own personal charm and culinary excellence”.