08 October 2026
On Friday, October 9, 2026, the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo celebrates the graduation of 47 students from the Master in New Food Thinking and the Master in World Food Studies. Coming from different countries and cultural backgrounds, the graduates embody the international outlook of the University and its multidisciplinary approach to food, gastronomy and food systems.
The day begins with thesis defense sessions: the Master in New Food Thinking starts at 8:30 a.m. in the Aula Magna, followed by the Master in World Food Studies at 10:30 a.m. in Aula 4. The official Graduation Ceremony takes place at 12:30 p.m. in the Sala Rossa, following the graduation procession in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.
The two programmes offer complementary perspectives on contemporary food challenges. The Master in New Food Thinking explores food through creative, interdisciplinary and practice-based approaches, connecting gastronomy, hospitality, education, craftsmanship, communication and innovation. The Master in World Food Studies examines food in its cultural, social, economic and environmental dimensions, focusing on the relationships between food systems, territories, communities and global change.
The graduates' projects reflect this breadth of perspectives, addressing subjects ranging from traditional food knowledge and regenerative hospitality to food sustainability, ethnographic research, entrepreneurship, culinary traditions and the future of food systems.
Master in New Food Thinking
26 graduates
The graduating class brings together students from a wide range of countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Japan, the United States, India, China, Malaysia, Spain, Germany, Israel, Taiwan and Thailand.
Hannah Lia Aebi — Switzerland
Thesis: “Cultivating Relationships: Hospitality as a Practice of Care at Agriturismo Valleponci”
Atalia Amir — Israel
Report: “Learning from Fondo Supper Club”
Bezil Betill Belendiran Suja — India
Report: “The Evolution of Baking: Connecting Tradition, Innovation and Gastronomy Through Professional Practice”
Boshan Chen — China
Report: “Beyond the Orchard: Ecological Farming, Smart Agriculture and Supply Chain”
Marco De Filippo — Italy
Report: “Breadmaking in Copenhagen: Craft, Fermentation and Contemporary Bakery Practices at Hart Bageri”
Maria Eduarda Domit Zaniolo Leisner — Germany
Report: “The Food Waste Cookbook”
Larissa Fernandez Brayner — Spain
Report: “From Materials to Learning Experiences: Food as a Tool for Education”
Deniz Francesca Giuliani — Italy
Report: “Redefining Food as Art: The Case of ElBulli and the Role of Multisensory Experience”
Giacomo Giurietto — Italy
Internship report.
Luisa Maria Hächler — Switzerland
Report: “The Responsible Host: Exploring Responsibility, Locality and Guest Experience through Regenerative Hospitality: An Internship Report from Restaurant Storchen Lucerne”
Kuhu Kochar — India
Report: “Branding, Marketing and Digital Storytelling for Food and Beverage Brands: An Internship at Small Batch Co.”
Ayako Kumagai — Japan
Thesis: “Reimagining Education through Food: Learning from Food Education in Tokyo and Wales”
Hsin-Tzu Liao — Taiwan (China)
Report: “Living with the Land and People”
Pietro Manacorda — Italy
Thesis: “Understanding Psychological Strain in Professional Kitchens: An Organizational Psychology Perspective”
Clelia Mazzoni — Italy
Report: “Hospitality Experience in a Biodynamic Winery”
Martina Mingolla — Italy
Thesis: “Building a Sense of Place: From Memory to Practice to Table”
Ayano Osuga — Japan
Report: “Learning Through the Hands: Craftsmanship and Traditional Knowledge at Pietro Romanengo”
Katrina Kayora Ong — Malaysia
Report: Internship report at Cascina Lago Scuro.
Viola Patacconi — Italy
Report: “Traditional Apulian Lifestyle Meets Luxury Masseria”
Aroonwatree Rattanataree — Thailand
Report: “Living Thai Herbs in Milan: Availability and Culinary Practices within the Thai Diaspora”
Tia Antonia Rotolo — United States
Report: “Translating the Herbal Traditions of Greece: Storytelling through Technical and Editorial Texts at Daphnis and Chloe”
Meredith Paige Salmon — United States
Internship report at Masseria Potenti.
Arianna Vaj — Italy
Thesis: “The Paradox of Pastry: On Pleasure, Making and Becoming”
Tosca Aimée Waeber — Switzerland
Internship report at Plat Institute.
Yuval Waldman — Romania/Israel
Report: “Discovering the World of Puglian Wine at Agricole Felline”
Zhimeng Zhang — China
Report: “Rotational Internship Report on a Large-Scale Meal Delivery Enterprise – A Full-Chain Observation from Procurement, Processing, and Distribution”
Master in World Food Studies
21 graduates
The graduating class brings together students from Italy, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the United States, Brazil, Israel, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, South Korea, Turkey and Germany. Their projects investigate food as a cultural practice and a driver of social, economic and environmental transformation.
Giulia Ambrosini — Italy
Report: “Wachtler Spezialitäten”
Jieli Bao — Macao (China)
Report: “Soup as Cultural Practice: Adaptation, Memory, and Care in Hubei Lotus Root Soup and Cantonese Slow-Boiled Soup”
Ryleeann Kathryn Buss — United States
Report: “The Geography of Eating: Food, Mobility, and the Built Environment in America”
Ivan Chan — Hong Kong (China)
Internship report at Masterskip Gulden Leeuw.
Zi Xiang Chan — Malaysia
Report: “What the Brochure Didn't Say: A Kitchen Internship at a Two-Forchette Restaurant in Piemonte”
Fabiana De Oliveira Figueiredo — Brazil
Report: “Fat and Sound”
Lotem Erez — Israel
Report: “Curating a Farmers’ Market: Reflections on Food, Producers, Place and Community”
Athéna Fernanda Irina Martinez Troxler — Switzerland
Report: “From Market Screening to Distributor Mapping: Building an International Expansion Strategy at NEED Ice Cream”
Addison Rose Mitchell — United States
Report: “Lady Oyster: A Summer Submerged in Maine’s Oyster Industry”
Leonardo Maria Moleri — Italy
Report: “Grappa, Territory, Sustainability: An Internship Report at Marzadro Distillery”
Robert-Mario Moldoveanu — Romania
Thesis: “Between Sustainability and Global Connections: An Ethnographic Account of Auroville’s Food System”
Yuval Mor — Israel
Internship report.
Guy Nahor — Austria/Israel
Report: “Winemaking, Agroecology and Adaptation at Cascina Bandiera”
Nkemdilim Taft Ikenna Nnochirionye — United States
Thesis: “Eating Tomorrow: Speculative Gastronomy as Ethnographic Inquiry into Foodways, Culture, and the Futures of Food Systems”
Kwonsoon Park — South Korea
Report: “Internship at Mezzocorona, Province of Trentino as Seen by Korean”
Eliza Allyn Roth — United States
Report: “Content, Craft, and Community: Slow Tourism in Practice at Fritto Misto Comune”
Thomas Frank Shenoi — United States
Report: “On the Plate: Investigating Chef-Ceramicist Collaborations”
Lina Lee Singh — United States
Report: “From Farm to Fermentation: The Question of Scale in Food-System Transformation”
Emily Marie Schmidt — United States
Report: “Growing with a Start-Up Food Systems Advisory Firm: Business Development, Stakeholder Engagement, and Sustainability Research at Anderson-Berens Consulting”
Mingwei Wan — China/United States
Report: “From Cellar to Culture: An Assistant Sommelier’s Perspective on Wine, Territory, and the Limits of Terroir Communication at Borgo dei Conti”
Sarah Désirée Wunsch — Germany
Report: “Learning Sake in Practice: A World Food Studies Internship at Sake Studio in Tokyo”
