UNISG Students in Piedmont for Thematic Stages on Coffee and Artisanal Confectionery
From January 23 to 27 the UNISG students will be
on stage in Piedmont, studying two themes of great importance to the
local gastronomy: coffee and artisanal confectionery.
The first-year students will be hosted by Lavazza at their
headquarters in Settimo Torinese, on the outskirts of Turin. Here they
will spend five days participating in seminars and taste workshops held
by the experts of the Lavazza Training Center. They will cover themes
such as coffee’s history, geography and chemistry, as well as learning some of the secrets behind creating a blend.
The students will attend lessons on marketing, commodity economics and
international communication strategies, and, using sensory analysis
techniques, taste and compare coffees of different origins. Attention
will also be given to Lavazza’s sustainable cultivation projects in Latin America.
During the same week, the second-year students will also be in
Piedmont, discovering the world of artisanal confectionery. The stage
will involve practical and theoretical lessons which will show them
different aspects of confectionery production.
Lessons will be held in the UNISG classrooms in Pollenzo. Federico Molinari, pastry chef and owner of the Laboratorio di Resistenza Dolciaria in Alba, will talk about the importance of raw materials; Iginio Massari,
culinary science instructor and master pastry chef at St. George
University in Brescia, will present the aesthetics of sweets throughout
history; Dr. Andrea Pezzana of the Ospedale San Giovanni Antica
Sede di Torino will analyze the nutritional aspects of confectionery
ingredients; and the criteria and economics of selecting raw materials
will be discussed by Alessandro Marengo, head of sales and marketing for Relanghe,
specialists in sweets, chocolate and nougat. Slow Food staff will
lecture on the history of Italian confectionery and on
confectionery-related Presidia.
Workshops on sweet and savory pastry and hot chocolate will be held at the Baratti & Milano cafÈ in Turin, organized by Pier Angelo Pagliotti, head of the company’s Novi Ligure factory.
The artisanal confectionery producers Gallizioli in San Mauro Torinese will hold a workshop on the preparation of ganaches and pralines, under the guidance of the owner Walter Gallizioli. The stage also includes an ice-cream workshop at Grom in Mappano. Guido Martinetti,
owner of Grom, will speak about the search for high-quality raw
ingredients, their delivery and storage, and of course the techniques
of ice-cream production.
The stage will conclude with a discussion forum involving the experts
involved in the lectures and workshops, followed by a guided tasting of
confectionery products from the various companies.