Pastry, Desserts & Specialty Breads Tradition and Evolution by Nicola Stratoti & Alessandro Urilli Professional Pastry and Baking Program 1 WEEK FULL IMMERSION & ALL INCLUSIVE with cultural travel and fine dining experiences in several of Italy's top restaurants.

Scroll down for available dates and program price Welcome to the most advanced all inclusive baking and patissier program in Italy Designed for professionals, this course combines all aspects of modern restaurant pastry, patissier, baking and decoration during one week of full immersion Technique is the cornerstone of this program where preparations focus on pastry chefs' and bakers' ability to innovate upon them. Participants will be presented with and prepare classic and modern gateau, pastries, mignon, biscuits, milieu feuilles, mousses, sorbets, gelato, plated desserts and hearth and specialty breads. Decorating techniques include advanced plating, coining, chocolate and sugar work and bread art. The program includes all meals and accommodations, fine dining, cultural travel and culminates with two Pastry Buffets. Nicola Stratoti As a master baker and chef, Nicola remains one of the most versatile culinary professionals in the world. Strict attention to detail with a keen understanding of how to clarify intricate procedures to colleagues has made him Italy's top consultant in the sector. Nicola has a long list of credentials stemming both from numerous medals in international culinary competitions as well as a long, prestigious list of clients in ten countries that depend on him to train staff, product research and development and the introduction of new concepts in baking and cuisine. Alessandro Urilli Culinary competitions sharpens individual culinary skills, demonstrate a professional's cuisine to the world and allows chefs and patissier to see how they compare against the best. The gold medal is important, but the ultimate mission is to update and improve oneself. After years of apprenticeships in Europe's most renown pastry shops and hotels, Alex began competing, and winning, several of the world's most prestigious contests. He is on several pastry teams and is a multiple gold medal winner. After you read the course description on this page, click here for an in-depth look at images from our latest programs. This link includes photos of the courses, market visits, night life and a full panorama of the exciting hands-on cooking and cultural experience. Program Dates 2010/2011 •September 4 - 11, 2010 •March 12 - 19, 2011 •May 28 - June 4 •September 17 - 24, 2011 Additional dates, tailored programs and group rates are available for culinary instructors, schools, agents and associations. Click here for details.

ITINERARY

Saturday
Arrival, Check-in and Welcome dinner

Sunday
Special Breakfast and Wine Tasting; Analysis and Tasting of Raw Materials; Flavor Dynamics & Gustatory Perception

• Program begins with Colazione Italiana alla Artigiana. In the age of frozen breakfast pastries, packaged breads and industrially made condiments, the classic Italian breakfast has become as exclusive as fine dining is at any other time of day. Assorted hearth breads, freshly prepared creams of nuts and chocolate mass and jams made with seasonal fruit highlight this "colazione" or first meal. So rare, even in Italy, an artisan breakfast can only be found at select cafés at triple the price of a common continental breakfast. A brief explanation of the meal and its importance to your clients is followed by a tasting.
• Sensorial Analysis
  • Tasting of the primary ingredients necessary to construct authentic pastry, cakes and desserts in Regional Italian and International Cuisines, emphasizing modern alimentary trends and season.
  • Comparative tasting of lesser known ingredients including wild herbs, fruits, nuts and grains to give participants a wider perception of balancing new flavors indigenous to the Mediterranean and Europe in general.
• Wine tasting
  • Cirò means "Cyprus" in Italian and is the place where the Ancient Greeks named as its capital for what once was Magna Grecia or Great Greece. Participants will taste the same wines that opened the ceremonies at the 2004 Olympic Ceremonies in Athens. The Cirò D.O.C. red wines are the oldest wines in Europe and have recently been dubbed as "Super Southerns" by the world's most authoritative wine publications. In the last 20 years, the region has become renown for a limited selection of super whites and passiti (dessert wines) as well. We'll taste them alongside a lunch of typical cured meats, cheeses, marinades, hearth breads and classic Calabrian "dolci" (sweets) from the region.
• Free afternoon.
• Dinner at the hotel
  
• Evening free

Monday
Plated Desserts & Table Torts: Hot & Cold

• Maestro Alessandro Urilli begins this fast paced program with an insider's overview of the latest trends in patissier in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The author immediately demonstrates his clear objective: to enable even the most advanced professionals to develop new flavors and sensations for torts and desserts. The techniques presented not only modify your repertoire seasonally, but annually as well.
• Chemistry review.
• Assembly of component materials
  • Participants will be presented with the skills necessary to construct classic and modern semi-freddoes, Italian mignon, torts, flans, gateau and plated desserts focusing on "hot months" paying special attention to clients' palates during this time of year.
• A thorough analysis explains how these techniques are incorporated to develop new recipes utilizing different component ingredients relating to specific tastes, season or cost factors. Special attention is given to modern alimentary tendencies developed by Urilli.
• Lunch
• Autumn and winter patissier
  • The lesson continues featuring Italy's latest trends including sweet soups with sorbets and balsamic vinegar, unleavened vanilla crusts, milieu feuilles with zabaglione & Sorrento lemon and chocolate and pistachio based desserts.
• Classic pastissier is prepared followed by its innovative versions demonstrating the evolution of pastry.
  • This technique of new recipe development is examined based on market availability, cost and space factors, and "need for speed".
• End of lesson
  
• Evening transfer by private motorcoach to La Lanterna Rossa one of the area's most popular restaurants, located in a 17th century palazzo on the seaside. La Lanterna Rossa is renown for its fresh seafood delivered twice a day by local fishermen and a wine list second to none.
• Overnight at the hotel.

Tuesday
Personalizing Patissier: Decorations for Plated Desserts & Patissier

• Besides working in Europe's most prestigious hotels and pastry shops as Master Patissier, Alex attended the Westminster University of Art in England, an education to which he attributes much of his success in award winning decorative work.
• Assemblies from the previous day are completed with a series of Urilli's trademark decorating style.
  • Participants are presented with the decorating techniques to "personalize" his or her desserts. Chocolate work, delicate baked and fried garnishes and fine sugar work are all presented in an array of color, textures and, most importantly, flavors.
• Lunch
• Decorating continues
  • Creaming and foaming techniques for plated desserts.
  • Glazing and torching for tortes and tarts.
• Explore how integrating new healthy desserts increase profits by transforming the best known classic Italian pastries and desserts into innovative showpieces.
• Final analysis of the plated dessert, table torts and assigning specific decorations to specific plates based on costs, gustatory and textural balance, colors, season, geographic area, kitchen or laboratory limitations and, of course, emotion.
• Assembly of "buffet di dolci" (sweet buffet). Tasting of all desserts and torts.
• Pairing wines and liquors with patissier
  • The master chooses three "passito" wines to pair with three types of desserts including one of the only reds perfect with chocolate.
• Preparation of starters, doughs and levitated component products for the next day's lesson.
• End of lesson.
• Dinner at a classic trattoria featuring Calabrian mountain cuisine especially famous for porcini mushrooms and homemade pastas.
• Overnight at the hotel.

Wednesday
Specialty Breads & Focaccia: Tradition and Evolution According to ICI

• Preparation of doughs for traditional Italian regional and international specialty breads, hearth breads and grissini using advanced techniques with natural yeast, mixed yeast and compressed yeast.
• Chemistry review
  • Analysis of Italy's unique flours for taste, texture, elasticity, longevity of the finished product, cost and international availability or substitutions.
  • Knowing yeast and proper applications for mother's yeast, natural yeast, compressed yeast and dry yeast including scientific principles, identifying common utilization problems and choosing the right yeast, or yeasts, for each production. Methods to maintain mother's yeast for a lifetime are shown and each participant will create and keep his/her mother's yeast in traditional Italian binding.
• Lunch
• Hands-on assembly using both natural yeast and fast rising procedures with dry, fresh and liquid flavors (spices; herbs; fats; cured & sundried vegetables; emulsions).
  • Flavored rolls for restaurant and banquet service.
  • Specialty breads for retail window displays and buffets.
    • Hearth Breads
    • Mignon Rolls
    • Ciabatta e ciabattina
    • Focaccia
    • Pizza
    • Grissini
• Preparation of starters, doughs and levitated component products for the next day's lesson.
• End of lesson.
• Pizza party
• Overnight at the hotel.

Thursday
Gastronomic Breads: Tradition and Evolution According to ICI
Nicola Stratoti remains one of the world's most versatile professionals as he regularly wins awards in both baking and cuisine and his credentials as a master chef continues to broaden prospects in his baking as demonstrated in this hands-on day of gastronomic baking.

• Overview of the proper planning for gastronomic breads with consideration to sector (restaurant, banquet or retail), menu position, season, costs and availability of raw ingredients.
• Creating a bread menu.
• Hands-on preparation of component ingredients for stuffing, glazing and seasoning.
• Hands-on preparation of doughs.
• Lunch
• Hands-on assembly
  • Stuffed savory gastronomic breads
  • Stuffed sweet breads
  • Strudels
  • Breakfast pastries
  • Crostini
• Special attention is focused on the conservation of all preparations for eventual commercialization depending on sector: restaurant, hotel, banquet or retail.
• Traditional breads and secondary products are confronted with innovative creations demonstrating the proper techniques for new recipe development.
• Assembly of bread buffet
• Pairing wines and ports with gastronomic breads and tasting
  • ICI director and sommelier John Nocita, joins Nicola and participants for a unique tasting of wines and selected ports along with a discussion on how to best pair breads with spirits and recommending breads to clients from a special bread menu. Sampling of the bread buffet.
• End of lesson
• Dinner
• Overnight at the hotel.

Friday
Open Air Market Visit; Behind the Scenes at an Artisan Gelato Maker; Gala Dinner

• Morning visit to a traditional mercatino for tastings and shopping for raw materials that can only be found in this part of the world. 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, sweets, cheeses, naturally cured meats and sundried fruits that are still produced by artisans. Participants compare and taste the difference between these products to those of the industrial sector.
• Free time at the market for shopping, tasting and a caffé or prosecco on the seaside.
• Lunch
• Afternoon visit to an artisan gelato maker. In addition to producing over fifty types of gelato, the maestro also produces the famous "tartufo di Pizzo", a classic Calabrian dessert that is even on the menu in Ducasse's 3 Michelin Star Paris Restaurant menu.
  • Historical origins and the evolution of gelato: from ancient China to the present.
  • Chemistry review.
  • Contrast of mixes vs. Artisan production
  • Equipment review.
  • Gelato production demo
  • Tastings
• The tasting is followed by an examination of Italy's unique gelato menus, service and accompaniments.
• End of lesson.
• Farewell dinner

• Euro 2395 per person

THIS PROGRAM IS ALL-INCLUSIVE
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Special group rates available for colleges, associations 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 and onsite locations. (50+ hrs. Full Immersion over 1 Week)
  
• Accommodations at the Hotel Nettuno or private villa apartment in Soverato or Badolato, Italy. (**Dbl. Occ.) 7 Nts.
  
• Full use of hotel/condominium facilities.
  
• Complete board: All meals and wines included at the hotel, institute and during excursions:
  
  • Welcome dinner
  • Dinner at the hotel (2)
  • Transfer and dinner at La Lanterna Rossa restaurant
    
  • Transfer and dinner at a classic trattoria
    
  • Pizza party
    
  • Farewell dinner
    
  • Lunches (6)
  • Breakfast (7 including special Colazione Italiana alla Artigiana)
    
• 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 room supplement is Euro 225.00 pp