High-level course
for culinary professionals
A better future starts at the restaurant
Drive the change.
Become a climate-smart chef.
Food is both a cause and a victim of climate change. We all know this is a big challenge, but we do not always know what we can do about it in our daily lives and our jobs. As chefs, in fact, we can do a lot about it. This course shows you how.
By participating to the course you will learn:
- Why food is important for our planet’s future and for solving climate change and other environmental challenges.
- How food can be good for our health and good for the environment.
- How you can make this happen in your role as a chef to create menus that are delicious, healthy, affordable and good for the planet. But also profitable!
- How to reduce food waste and save money. How to communicate the value of sustainability with your staff, suppliers and customers.
- How to use a specially designed menu engineering tool to create menus that are healthy, affordable and good for the planet.
About
the
course
Description
The course includes 36 hours of training and will be partly online and partly in person in the fantastic training facilities of ALMA, the School of Italian Culinary Arts in the heart of the Food Valley, Colorno. Sessions will be taught by experts in the field, professional chefs and trainers. The course is free to attend. Support could be provided for accommodation costs.
Requirements
Who is the course for?
18 years old+
Operator or student in the restaurant or hospitality sector
Working/ studying across the EU
With basic understanding of English language.
Course
contents
Introduction to food sustainability and sustainable diets
In this module you are going to identify and outline the main challenges for a sustainable food system at every stage of the food chain; to extrapolate the main elements of healthy and sustainable diets taking some examples from Mediterranean Diets; to apply the knowledge acquired about healthy and sustainable diets to real life examples in the kitchen; to be able to define the concepts of carbon and water footprint and to give examples of ingredients with high/low carbon and water footprints.
Introduction to food sustainability and sustainable diets
In this module you are going to identify and outline the main challenges for a sustainable food system at every stage of the food chain; to extrapolate the main elements of healthy and sustainable diets taking some examples from Mediterranean Diets; to apply the knowledge acquired about healthy and sustainable diets to real life examples in the kitchen; to be able to define the concepts of carbon and water footprint and to give examples of ingredients with high/low carbon and water footprints.
Nordic perspective to food sustainability
In this module you are going to identify and outline the key principles of the Nordic diet; to review the key documents on sustainability in the Nordic diet (New Nordic Food Manifesto); to review best practices related to Nordic diet applications; to review best practices in business concepts of the Nordic diet.
Technology for food: Climate Smart Chefs Tool + Lab
In this module you are going to be familiar with the Nutritics software and its core functions; to complete the task of creating a food, recipe and digital menu using Nutritics, independently; to understand and become familiar with the workings of the Food print tool.
Food waste prevention & food waste Lab
In this module you are going to identify and perform precise actions to prevent and reduce waste in catering operations; to communicate to internal staff and customers on objectives and goals reached on food waste prevention; to measure the effective reduction of the impact on those activities on the environment by using different digital tools; to gain an active awareness on the challenges of food waste at worldwide level to foster positive changes in the food system and policies.
Sustainability and the Mediterranean Diets
In this module you are going to envision an innovative menu, comprised of ingredients that are healthy and sustainable in the Mediterranean Diet; to choose the different culinary components of the menu while keeping in mind the choice of producers according to the farm to fork strategy; to create combinations of food products based on different characteristics of sensory and morphological analysis.
Still have questions?
Read the Course FAQs.
1- What does the course include?
The course includes:
- 24 hours of online training
- A 2-day on-site experience (12 h in-presence workshop) in the hearth of the Food Valley, Colorno (Parma), Italy, at the fantastic training facilities of ALMA – the School of Italian Culinary Arts
- All teaching materials, including recommended readings and teaching tools
- Branded Climate Smart Chefs kitchen wears and equipment
- Free access to the Climate Smart Chefs online tool
- Final Certificate of Attendance
- Contribution to travel/accommodation expense for learners coming to Colorno
- The opportunity to participate to the first edition of Climate Smart Chefs Award.
1- What does the course include?
The course includes:
- 24 hours of online training
- A 2-day on-site experience (12 h in-presence workshop) in the hearth of the Food Valley, Colorno (Parma), Italy, at the fantastic training facilities of ALMA – the School of Italian Culinary Arts
- All teaching materials, including recommended readings and teaching tools
- Branded Climate Smart Chefs kitchen wears and equipment
- Free access to the Climate Smart Chefs online tool
- Final Certificate of Attendance
- Contribution to travel/accommodation expense for learners coming to Colorno
- The opportunity to participate to the first edition of Climate Smart Chefs Award.
2 - Is the attendance to the course free?
The attendance is free upon registration (limited number of seats available – max. 20 trainees per each edition of the course). Apply here.
3 - When will the course start?
The course will be delivered in 8 editions in January, March, May, June, September, November 2023 and January, February 2024.
First edition – January 2023: from 09/01 to 05/02/2023 (online) + 08-09/02/2023 (in-presence at ALMA, Colorno).
Second edition – March 2023: from 27/02 to 24/03/2023 (online) + 29-30/03/2023 (in-presence at ALMA, Colorno).
Third edition – May 2023: from 28/04 to 26/05/2023 (online) + 30-31/05/2023 (in-presence at ALMA, Colorno).
Fourth edition – June 2023: from 22/05 to 07/07/2023 (online) + 10-11/07/2023 (in-presence at ALMA, Colorno).
Additional starting dates will be communicated soon.
4 - How will the course be organized?
Each edition of the course will include a total of 36 hours of lessons distributed over a period of one month.
You will attend 24 hours of online training. Each lesson will include:
- A theoretical overview of the topic
- An interactive part with a practical assignment, live discussion and Q&A.
The 2-day on-site experience at ALMA will consist of 12 hours of in-presence training in Colorno (Parma), Italy.
5 - Which opportunities should I expect?
Our purpose is to facilitate relationships and create a network of knowledge where it will be possible to have continuous discussion and exchange over time, integrating past and future participants, our experts and the trainers who will accompany you along the way.
During the course, you will have the opportunity to put the knowledge acquired into practice and live a unique experience in the Italian Food Valley at ALMA. It will be also the occasion to meet other participants and trainers in person and expand your network.
After the course, you will have the chance to become the first winner of the Climate Smart Chefs Award.
6 - How can I get to Colorno, Italy?
By car: exit the freeway tollbooth at Parma, take provincial road 343 Asolana in the direction of Mantua for about 15 km and enter Colorno. The School is based in the Piazza di Colorno, inside the Reggia.
By train: from Parma Station, regional train Parma to Brescia (Colorno is the second stop).
By bus: from Parma Station, line 7 towards Colorno (“linea extraurbana”), stop at Via Farnese Scuole.
By taxi: You may find taxis outside the Parma train station. The average cost of a taxi from Parma to Colorno is 25 euros.
Accommodation, reachable by foot from ALMA institution:
- Hotel VERSAILLES ***
Via Giuseppe Saragat, 3 Colorno, PR
0521 312099 – info@hotelversailles.it
Other hotels in Parma area (not reachable by foot):
- NOVOTEL PARMA CENTRO ****
Via Trento, 9, 43122 Parma PR
0521 272717
https://www.accorhotels.com/it/hotel-A0X5-novotel-parma-centronew-opening/index.shtml
- Best Western Hotel Farnese ****
Via Reggio, 51/A Parma PR
0521 994247 – info@farnesehotel.it
- Antica Grancia Benedettina
Corte di Sanguigna, 136 Colorno PR
0521 1855904
7- Are travel/accommodation costs covered in Colorno, Italy?
A contribution of 155.00 EUR per each participant will be provided to cover travel/accommodation costs in Colorno (Parma).
8- Will I get a final certificate?
A final Certificate of Attendance will only be issued to participants who have attended at least 80% of the lessons, including the 2-day in-presence practical training at ALMA. The goal is to stimulate participants’ motivation in attending each module of the course and to ensure constant interaction between them and Climate Smart Chefs experts.
9- What will the Climate Smart Chefs Award consist of?
We believe that change happens every day and with the participation of everyone. This is why the course is designed to be challenging, flexible and short enough to allow you to immediately put in practice everything you have learned. Each module will provide useful insights, data and tools you can use to be more sustainable in your job. At the end of the course, you can decide to take part to the first edition of the Climate Smart Chefs Award by presenting a project describing how you applied what you have learned and how this improved the sustainability of your restaurant over time. An international jury of experts will evaluate your work. Winners will be awarded with a specialistic course at ALMA and will become Climate Smart Chefs ambassadors.
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The LIFE CLIMATE SMART CHEFS project has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union under grant agreement n. LIFE20 GIC/IT/001708.
The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.