“SMART HANDS & OPEN MINDS”

Time and place Country, town: Italy, Spoleto Dates: Field of training: cooking and baking

Participants Tatyana Vergulyanets (PPA-31) Pavel Alyoshkin (PKO-31) Maria Vassilevich (PPA-31) Maria Bodnya (PKO-31)

Programme and main activities Improve the professional knowledge and skills in our professions Improve knowledge of foreign language and culture.

Work placement company Fattoria Biologica Patrice (Bio Fram House Patrice) Fattoria Biologica Patrice - is a small family business - a tourist farm, which has existed since Patrice’s company is known not only in Italy but also in other European countries. The food cooked here is ecological and healthy. Also, Patrice and Alexandra are engaged in manufacturing wines, olive oil, meal, fruits and vegetables.

Our tasks Pavel Alyoshkin and Maria Bodnya were working in Italian restaurant “La Mangiatoia”. They were making different starters, pizza, making two types of pasta (dough with eggs and with potato dough) with different types of sauces. Maria Vassilevich and Tatyana Vergulyanets were working in bakery. They were baking the variety of cakes, biscuits, croissants, bread rolls etc. The bread they make there is predicted by hand completely. They are using their own ecological flour of two types. The bread is made on natural yeast and a little bit of synthetic yeast is used to start the fermentation and dough growing. The oven is traditional and it is heated with wood. As a first thing they all learnt to work the dough and to make loafs.

The best memories In the farm was “open door day ”. Maria B. and Pavel were making pasta with different types of sauces: vegetable ragù, fresh tomatoes and basil, wild mushrooms and melanzane. Maria V. and Tanya were baking the variety of cakes, biscuits, croissants, bread rolls etc. We used different types of flours: kamut – it is an old antique Egyptian grain very much used in organic products you can also use it for making pasta; ray flour – very dark flour but very tasty; mais and the durum wheat. The guests were coming in to see how we were making the products and they were tasting them. The guests were invited to have lunch on the farm. We also had lunch with them. When we came to the terrace there was an applause for all of us. It was really nice. The food was really good. It was a greatest day of our practice.

The worst memories For us there was many of extra job (picking olives and grapes). It was not easy and then was cold we did it. Some times we were very angry on this situation and on our employers.

Our recommendations to other students But, by the way, you must know that work or practice abroad is not easy and there you need to work very hard. It was a great chance to be in an another country with different traditions and another life style.

Thank you very much! Questions?