Artisan Italian Gelato Technique & Production One Week Full Immersion for Gelato Makers, Chefs, Patissier & Gourmets Equilibrating, Flavors & Colors, Mixes, Machines & Equipment, Chemical & Technical Applications, Personalizing, Merchandising ALL INCLUSIVE OF ACCOMMODATIONS, MEALS, COURSE & CULTURAL TRAVEL Certificate Program Instructed by the ICI Masters •March 2 - 9, 2013 •June 8 - 15, 2013 •September 21 - 28, 2013

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About this Program 17th C. aquatint depicting cherubims bringing 'gelato' to the heavens. Artisan Italian Gelato: Technique and Production is a profound course of instruction for the production of what many industry leaders believe is the fastest growing confectionery delicacy in the world: Italian Artisan Gelato. Participants learn the theoretical and chemical constants that are indispensable for perfect gelato making followed by the techniques necessary to produce personalized flavors according to taste, client trends, regional availability of raw materials, etc. A recipe book is furnished that contains techniques enabling participants to reproduce, create and experiment with a myriad of personalized gelato. While the program concentrates mainly on the art of gelato making, it also outlines the parameters necessary for the operation of a gelato business for both single and multiunit enterprises. Based on years of consulting for operations in Europe and throughout the world, this program addresses key elements for startups and sets foundations for new and ongoing activities By establishing a completely independent artisan quality production process, 'gelatai' (gelato makers) are able to eliminate the need to import anything as the operations' system is developed and implemented according to the availability of the local market, vital for long term success. Uniquely presented entirely on location in artisan shops, participants work with a broad range of equipment including machines, special display cases and more. The history of gelato, menu development, pricing, hygiene and safety, storage, distribution, selling techniques, staffing and an in-depth analysis of raw materials are covered. As always, this program is all inclusive from the time of arrival at the airport until departure. Accommodations, ground transfers, all meals and cultural travel are all included.

Program Dates 2013

•March 2 - 9, 2013
•June 8 - 15, 2013
•September 21 - 28, 2013

ITINERARY

Saturday
Arrival, check-in and welcome dinner

Sunday
Visit to gelato makers and gelato tastings

• Breakfast at the hotel
• As not all gelato is the same, neither are all gelato shops. Production volume, laboratory dimensions, display space and style, the diversity of audiences and, of course, the philosophy of flavor help make up distinctly different units even in the same town or city.

  By visiting several different locations prior to the laboratory phase of this program, participants will gain a keen idea of how and where he/she wishes to place his/her own activity with regards to these special considerations as well as an inside look at how other established professionals have chosen their equipment and designed their shops.

• Several special gelato tastings will enable participants to distinguish flavors, textures and balance on the palate at the onset of this program and work toward defining personal tastes, and those of potential patrons, which will be all important in the coming days.
• Lunch
• Afternoon free.
• Dinner

Monday
Background; Raw Materials; Fundamental Rules and Chemistry

• Gelato Yesterday and Today
  • Few food products, especially confectionery, have existed with so little change for so much time. This brief background provides a panorama on why gelato remains Italy's favorite dessert while giving an insight to the 'gelato culture' that continues grow and which has contributed to annual sales that even surpass pizza.
  • The benefits and restrictions for the production, display, sale and distribution for the five main types of gelato.
    • Cream Based
    • Egg Based
    • Fruit and Cream Based
    • Sorbets
    • Special Bases
• An examination of the principle raw ingredients used for bases and selecting the best products available according to specific principles followed by a presentation and tasting of many of the flavors used in gelato making internationally.
  • Sugars
  • Milks, Creams and Eggs
  • Flavors
• Lunch
• Chemistry review of the physics involved in production of component recipes, the final product and secondary products relating to the functional characteristics of each element. Understanding how each ingredient reacts within these principles enable participants to create master gelato recipes used as a base for all subsequent recipes.
  • Fats
  • Coloring
  • Stabilizers and Tactility
  • Additives
• Safety and Hygiene
  • Gelato production is comprised of several steps all of which include highly perishable products. Proven work habits are introduced that go far beyond standard international HAACP regulations ensuring not only a sanitary production line but, most importantly, a better product. This standard method can be applied to both single operations as well as multiunit establishments.
  • Overview of dangerous microorganisms and how to prevent development through proper handling and sanitation along the production process.
• End of lesson.
• Dinner at a classic trattoria

Tuesday
Equilibrating; Mixes & Additives; Machines & Equipment

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Structure is what makes gelato so uniquely appealing. Equilibrating is the technique which, once mastered, will deliver perfect gelato every time and everywhere.
• Based on the chemistry review of the previous day, the techniques are applied for equilibrating liquids and solids for cream, egg, syrup and fruit based artisan gelato offering a clear understanding of the production process and its component recipes as well the nutritional and pricing information for an array of final products.
• Lunch
• Ready made mixes and additives: pros and cons.
  • This is an artisan gelato program designed to enable participants to produce consistent natural gelato even on an industrial scale. It is imperative, therefore, that there is also a keen knowledge of the scores of ready made mixes available on the market. Understanding these products let artisans mirror many of the principles for which mixes are so popular especially concerning their role in effortless production and unchanging, albeit unnatural, results. Stabilizers and additives are also addressed.
• Machines and Equipment
  • Since production requirements are different for everyone, a prospective of several operating models and examples of various gelato making situations are matched with the correct equipment as, even here, selecting the right equipment is based on an exact set of prerequisites. All areas of the necessary apparatus for the production cycle are addressed.
    • Containers, Mixers, Small Tools and Appliances
    • Pasteurizers
    • Gelato Machines
    • Freezers and Flash-Freezers
    • Display Cases
    • Presentation and Serving Items
    • Storage and Transport Equipment
• End of lesson.
• Dinner at a classic pizzeria

Wednesday
Recipe Development & Production

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Recipe development and production of artisan gelato - Part I
  • Cream Based
  • Egg Based
    • Participants produce the main types of gelato bases alongside the master. Upon completion of production, each gelato is analyzed for structure, texture and aesthetics.
    • A tasting follows to enhance gustatory perception, critical for gelato makers who need to produce several different flavors that are all unique.
• Lunch
• Recipe development and production of artisan gelato - Part II
  • Fruit and Cream Based
    • The production complexity of fruit based gelato centers on the mechanics of ingredients which often contain high acidity versus creams whose fats, essential for equilibrium, are subsequently weakened. Commanding this aspect is what separates good gelato from great gelato.
  • Sorbets
    • Although not part of the gelato family, at least some selection of sorbets should be present in the display case. Therefore, several essential sorbets are produced utilizing natural ingredients interchangeable in all parts of the world.

    
    Tasting and gustatory analysis follow each production.

• Production planning
  • With the aid of the ICI Recipes & Techniques' manual issued to every participant, a multi-flavor production system is constructed. Flexible parameters enable gelato makers to design ad hoc or custom production systems based on individual needs including regional availability of raw materials, market demand, staff challenges, cost factors and laboratory and display space.
• End of lesson.
• Dinner

Thursday
A Flavor for Every Taste: Personalizing Flavors

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Every country has particular tastes that become even more individualized in different towns and cities within the same country. As is the case within cuisine and patissier, gelato masters must understand how to create a harmony of different flavors while always incorporating the absolute best ingredients available in any given place.

  This segment combines theory with hands-on application while participants work with the master producing new, personal flavors, and mastering the technique of new recipe development.

• Personal Production

  1. Choosing the types of gelato
  2. Selection of ingredients and balancing the choices
  3. Incorporating the ingredients into master recipes
  4. Choosing the production process
  5. Making the gelato
  6. Tasting and critique

  • All participants will produce product alongside the master. At the end of production, each finished product is tasted and critiqued by the master and other participants.
• Lunch
• Personal production continues
• Difficult flavors
  • Heating and freezing have different effects on ingredients. Some become soft and some hard. Corrective measures and solutions are explained and demonstrated for several primary ingredients considering their placement in all master recipes.
• Coloring
  • Perhaps the single element that most distinguishes artisan gelato from industrial products, the development and application of natural colors are as much a science and art as is the rest of the gelato making process. The maestro explain the importance of, and demonstrates, how participants can develop a 'personal palettes' comprising only nonsynthetic materials.
• Tasting, analysis and critique
• End of lesson
• Dinner

Friday
A Flavor for Every Taste: Personalizing Flavors continued; Market Visit; Troubleshooting; Merchandising; Secondary Products; Farewell Dinner and Awarding of Certificates

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Early morning visit to a traditional Mercatino for tastings and shopping. A typical Italian open air market offers culinarians an insight to the country's most traditional aspects as well as an opportunity to browse foods, cheeses, wines and cured meats that are still produced by artisans. Participants compare and taste the difference between these products to those of the industrial sector.
• Personal production: Troubleshooting
  • All products made during the last day are analyzed and tasted for eventual alterations including discoloration, separation, running, condensation and crystallization. Defects are addressed and master recipes are adjusted accordingly.
• Final production
  • Under the supervision of the master, participants prepare a third round of personal products.
• Service
  • The proper methods of serving gelato considers pricing, menu structure, flavor combinations and quantity. As in any other type o eatery, serviceware for both in-house and take out gelato is examined.

  After all are served, a group tasting and a discussion of the final gelato production ensures that master recipes are finely tuned for subsequent productions.

• Lunch
• 'La Vetrina'
• Known in Italy as 'la vetrina', selecting and arranging the display case is considered as important as the quality of gelato it holds. An audio visual tour of the best gelato shops in the country is presented in an interactively giving participants a broad range of concrete ideas for their respective gelato operations.
• Overview of Accompaniments
  • Cones, toppings and countless other products enhance the gelato experience. An overview of their importance is followed by a tasting. Steps and resources toward in-house production of many of these accompaniments are identified.
• Overview of Gelato Secondary Products
  • Traditional and innovative products using gelato as a main ingredient range from the classic ice cream cake to intricate semifreddos, spumoni, cassate, tartufo and fruit filled gelato candies and mignon.
  • Several of these products are tasted accompanied by a brief explanation of assembly.
• Gelato Menus
  • Menus from several of Italy's most famous gelato shops are presented for consideration with an attachment of production costs for each item and the formulas necessary to apply them in any country.
  • End of Lesson
• Farewell dinner and awarding of certificates.

Saturday
Departure

PRICE:

• Euro 2495 per person

THIS PROGRAM IS ALL-INCLUSIVE*

• contact us here to register for a masters’ course
  
  Special group rates available for colleges, associations, corporations and agents. Contact us here to inquire about eligibility.

*PRICE INCLUDES:

• Transfer by private motorcoach from Lamezia Terme International Airport to the hotel.
• Theoretical and practical lessons & all related costs at the Italian Institute for Advanced Culinary and Pastry Arts (IPSSAR & Professional Establishments). (50+ hrs. Full Immersion over 1 week)
• ICI Recipe & Techniques Manual
  
• Accommodations at a 3 star hotel or private villa apartment in Soverato. (**Dbl. Occ.) 7 Nts.
  
• Complete board: All meals and wines included every day of the program.
  
• ***Special excursions:
  
  • Transfer, visit and tastings at gelato shops
    
  • Transfer and dinner at a classic trattoria
    
  • Transfer and dinner at a classic pizzeria
    
  • Transfers to and from Mercatino
    
• Certificate of Completion
  
• Tax and gratuities
  
• All meals include wines, bottled water, tax and gratuities.

  *Price does not include airfare or other travel during free time.
  **Price based on double occupancy. Single supplement is Euro 225.00 pp