ITALY: EMOTIONS LAB

intensive learning for restaurateurs

How to get a queue outside your restaurant? What does the perfect menu look like? Ask your questions face-to-face with the world’s best restaurateurs during a 7-day intensive learning experience in Italy

4990

per person

ITALY: EMOTIONS LAB

intensive learning for restaurateurs

4990

per person

How to get a queue outside your restaurant? What does the perfect menu look like? Ask your questions face-to-face with the world’s best restaurateurs during a 7-day intensive learning experience in Italy

Learn in person about the vision and cultural change idea of the world’s #1 restaurateur for 2016 & 2018 Massimo Bottura, meet Anthony Genovese the only chef in Rome with two Michelin stars, the celebrated Dario Cecchini to whom an episode in the cult Netflix series ‘Chef’s Table’ is dedicated, Cristina Bowerman the only female chef in Rome with a Michelin star, the founders of the Jerry Thomas Bar, featured  five times among the Top 50 Bars in the World, the acclaimed New York food critic Faith Willinger plus many more top foodie personalities! Numbers are strictly limited to a maximum of 12 participants.

All included

You will learn

  • You will hear stories of tough beginnings, ups and downs, doubts and discoveries on the road to success told in person by some of the world’s best restaurateurs.

  • You will discover the Italian approach to kitchen management, cocktail bar organisation and running a restaurant front-of-house; uncover the secrets behind successful menu engineering and learn more about working with restaurant critics.

  • You will see behind the scenes at some of the world’s most successful restaurants and gain insights into the secrets of their philosophy, inspiration, organization, teamwork, and promotional strategies.

You will meet

Massimo Bottura, Osteria Francescana & Food for Soul

No. 1 restaurateur in the world in 2016 and 2018, No. 2 in the world in 2015 and 2017, No. 3 in the world in 2013 and 2014, 3 * Michelin, 20/20 L’Espresso food guide.

“Everything we think, see and learn gets squeezed into our cuisine. Food is not just the quality of technique or ingredients but the quality of the ideas. It takes consciousness vision and intuition to create a recipe.”

Anthony Genovese, Il Pagliaccio 2 * Michelin

“The strength of Il Pagliaccio is surely the team, like Matteo who has worked in the lounge by my side for 8 years, or Francesco who has been sous chef for 13 years. They are truly my family.

Success is not only getting a great score or meeting a target. Real success is day-to-day making your clients happy and working in a healthy environment. For me this is the biggest success.”

Chef Cristina Bowerman, 1 Michelin Star, Glass Restaurant

The only female chef with 1 Michelin star in Rome. Her kitchen style is the result of experiences, travels, meetings, culinary training and studies, always been the primary source of inspiration. Cristina’s cuisine is a cultural crossing that tells about taste through the constant dialogue between traditions, cultures, memory and places. ‘Glass’ is a contemporary and innovative space both in philosophy and in the gastronomic proposal.

Dario Cecchini, Officina della Bistecca, Solociccia, Dario Doc

“My name is Dario Cecchini. I’ve been a butcher for eight generations, father to son. I try to maintain the high values of my work and of my family’s traditions, trying to improve myself in my art and trying to find the best cut and cooking style for each piece of meat. 

My way of paying respect to the animal, its life, its death, is using everything down to the last tendon with responsibility. This is what I have been doing every day for more than 45 years: I am a butcher from nose to tail.”

Jerry Thomas Bar. Top 50 Bars in the World in 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014

“It was a hot night in 2009, we had a vision. It all started with a cocktail recipe book from 1862, there we found our inspiration.

The years that follows have been made of travels, constant study, cultural exchanges, seminars and loads of determination. After eight years, the “Jerry” keeps being a reference meeting point for the bartending industry in Italy, by prosecuting its efforts in seeking, sharing and spreading its knowledge with the same initial enthusiasm.”

Fourghetti Academy & Restaurants

Fourghetti began its story creating its first restaurant together with the 7-Michelin-Stars Chef Bruno Barbieri who, in 2020, handed over the management of the kitchen to his historical right-arm Erik Lavacchielli.

After few years being part of the top restaurants in Bologna, Fourghetti opened an Academy to bring to the world their “know how” real meaning behind the Italian cuisine and culture. Fourghetti Academy provides masterclasses for food, wine, cocktails, and personalized classes for special needs.

FICO Eataly World

FICO is the world’s most exciting Italian food park. A unique way to experience the flavors of Italy. A place where each food is an experience, offering guests the opportunity to discover how they’re made.

A theme park covering 80,000 sqm with 40 workshops, 9,000 sqm of market area, 25 restaurants, 7,000 sqm cultivation, 4,000 sqm of farming, educational activities and multimedia areas, 6 million visitors and 2000+ companies represented.

Passion for food has never been so fun and healthy!

Hombre, Umberto Panini

“Here, in the endless silence of my fields, amongst my cows, my Parmesan, my tractors, I feel very good. I don’t need anything else. “

“Parmesan, or Parmigiano Reggiano, is the heart of the “valley of taste ”- this is what Massimo Bottura calls this territory of Italy, located between Parma, Modena and Bologna, and area known for its fast Ferrari cars and slow gastronomy where Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham and balsamic vinegar from Modena age for years. “Beautiful women and mountains of delicious cheese – this is the secret of life!”

Castello di Ama, Marco Pallanti

A microcosm of wine, art and hospitality. Our project was born out of love for contemporary art. The idea is simple: we invite 1 artist once a year, like the harvest, to create something special in our castle, inspired by the place and dedicating his work to the current harvest. We now have 12 permanent installations.

Contemporary art is like wine: in someone it will evoke the feeling: So what? I can do that too! And someone will hear the message of the author, the winemaker .. Awareness and attentiveness is required.

Program 2023

Program
2023

Day 1, Rome

  • Arrivals and hotel accommodation.
  • Dinner at Baffetto pizzeria, famous for its queues even on Mondays! We’ll have the opportunity to get to know each other over dinner in an informal atmosphere.

Day 2, Rome

  • Working session: ‘Trends in gastronomy and healthy eating’ with Nino Miele, former chef for Silvio Berlusconi during his administration, former chef for the Italian national football team and currently running the VIP catering service www.relaislejardin.com. You will learn about the latest developments in healthy eating in Italy, and, of course, the recipe for the favourite dish of Italy’s most controversial political maestro.
  • 2 Michelin-starred restaurant Il Pagliaccio www.ristoranteilpagliaccio.com. We’ll meet the owner and chef Anthony Genovese together with key members of his team.
  • Dinner at Dar Filettaro trattoria, famous for its friendly atmosphere, short menu and long queue at the entrance.
  • Working session: ‘Cocktail Bar Management’ at the Jerry Thomas Bar www.thejerrythomasproject.it, one of ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’, followed by free time with a drink when the bar opens (10pm).

Day 3, Rome & Bologna

  • City tour of Rome’s historic centre with an expert guide: Colosseum, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna.
  • Lunch at Glass Hostaria www.glasshostaria.it, 1 Michelin-starred restaurant. We’ll meet Chef and owner Cristina Bowerman, the only female chef with Michelin star in Rome.
  • Departure to Bologna with the Frecciarossa high-speed train. Dinner in the historic centre of Bologna.

Day 4, Bologna

  • FICO Eataly www.eatalyworld.it, the most extensive and spectacular food park in the world, covering an area of 80,000 square meters. We’ll learn about the ideas behind the park and how it works with in-depth visits to the most interesting areas. Lunch is here and we’ll have free time for shopping and exploring the park.
  • Working session: ‘Kitchen Management’ at the Fourghetti Academy www.fourghetti.com.
  • Dinner at Fourghetti restaurant.

Day 5, Modena & Bologna

  • Transfer to Modena. Hombre Parmesan cheese factory visit www.hombre.it where we’ll meet the owner and tour the cheese factory to learn the philosophy, secrets and flavours of Parmigiano Reggiano.
  • Modena. Food for Soul www.foodforsoul.it, a cultural gastronomic project by the world’s top chef Massimo Bottura. We’ll meet the team and learn about the philosophy behind the project as well as their cuisine. Lunch. Meeting with Massimo Bottura.
  • Back in Bologna we’ll have free time for a pleasant walk in the historic centre of Bologna and dinner.

Day 6, Tuscany

  • Transfer to Panzano in Chianti to meet Dario Cecchini www.dariocecchini.com at his butcher’s shop-restaurant. He’ll tell us about his history, philosophy and business approach.
  • Working session: ‘5 Senses of a restaurateur’ with renowned restaurant critic Faith Willinger www.faithwillinger.com. Faith lives between America and Italy, writing about restaurants for major foodie publications of both countries; she was also involved in the Netflix series ‘Chef’s Table’.
  • Lunch at Dario Cecchini’s restaurant to enjoy the famous Florentine steak.
  • Castello di Ama www.castellodiama.com – we’ll visit this iconic castle winery which combines a passion for wine and modern art, explore the grounds surrounding the medieval castle and visit the cellars followed by wine tasting.
  • Accommodation is in a Tuscan villa surrounded by vineyards and olive trees.

Day 7, Tuscany & Rome

  • Late home-made breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere.
  • Visit to hot thermal springs, relaxation and leisure time or an optional stroll around the picturesque streets and craft shops of the medieval town of Montepulciano.
  • Lunch of traditional Tuscan cuisine accompanied by local Chianti and Nobile di Montepulciano. Option of joining the chef to help prepare lunch together and learn some family secrets of Italian cuisine. Relax with a glass of organic wine.
  • Return to Rome (estimated arrival time 8pm).

You will be inspired

Creating not a dish, but emotions through a dish

In Italian gastronomy, the key idea is to create not just a dish but emotions through that dish. “Do you think that people from all over the world go to Osteria Francescana just to eat a plate of great food?” asks Massimo Bottura. “Of course not! They go for emotions and acquaintance with my vision. Tasting the Crunchy Part of Lasagna, they experience the same emotions that I experienced as a little boy, when I ate the tastiest part of the lasagna straight from the pan, ahead of my older brothers! ”. Another example is FICO Eataly, the most ambitious food park in the world, which has chosen as its slogan the key and defining question “Have you ever tasted emotions?”

The restaurant as a socially responsible business

You will meet restaurateurs who run their businesses in accordance with the values of social responsibility, giving importance to a conscious consumption and respect for the life of animals and plants, for food, for nature: “fighting waste – fighting hunger”. You will discover the phenomenon of gastronomy inspired by culture and understand the value of the interaction between gastronomy and art.

Useful information

The cost of the program includes transport (a high-speed train Rome-Bologna and on other days a 13-seater Mercedes Sprinter minibus with licensed driver), meals, accommodation and all activities included in the program, as well as accompaniment by a licensed tour guide, an expert in Italian wine and gastronomy. 

If you have any special dietary restrictions or requirements related to your health, please write to us and we will do our best to satisfy them. If you have any food allergies or intolerances, be sure to check with your guide for the likelihood of its presence before you try it. The responsibility for drinks and food consumed during the trip lies with the participant. By paying for our tours, you agree to our Terms and Conditions, which assign this responsibility to the tour participants.

Free cancellation of the reservation without penalties is permitted no later than 14 days before the start of the tour. To cancel your order, please email us at [email protected] .

Unfortunately, advance payment cancelled less than 14 days before the start of the tour is non-refundable.

If you have any further questions after reading the description of the training course for restaurateurs, please contact us on [email protected] or +39 380 589 83126. Further information, including meeting place, contacts and other travel details will be sent automatically once the booking is completed.