working in Italy

[champignon]

I am champignon in Montreal. I wonder if anyone has worked in Italy and what that experience was like. I would like to go live and work in Italy next summer, somewhere where I will learn how to cook like an Italian momma.

By next summer I will have two years of professional cooking experience, so not a lot, but I've got an inquiring mind and a hunger (and thirst) for all things Italian.

thanks, champignon

[peterpumkino]

I assume from your name is that you are female. Hmmh....that in itself is a problem. It's not dangerous but I have known many girls working in Italy to, inadvertently, cause many problems. Particularly with aux pairs. The man of the house ALWAYS tries it on (it's the Italian way) which, naturally, pisses off the lady of the house and it all ends in tears.

That's my advice, but if you do it and bear this in mind, you will have one of the best experiences in your life. As a Brit I don't know too much about work permits but my experience of Italians is they don't care! They just revel in the fact that anyone would want to stay in their country and enjoy their food.

As I say, apart from the female problems, it should be the experience of your life. Believe me Montreal will never be the same again (especially "Italian" restaurants there)!.

Good luck!

[Craig Camp]

Are you looking for stages in Italian restaurants?

[champignon]

Firstly, this is a masculine mushroom (thing King Eringii, not portabello)! As far as doing stages, that would be acceptable, though I prefer working for money. I'm looking for a family restaurant, perhaps in a small city or town, and working for room and board would be acceptable. The main thing is being in Italy, and cooking!

Thanks, Champignon

[Craig Camp]

Frankly with immigration laws being what they are (and the restaurant industry being what it is) the odds of a paying job are slim. Room and board is a possibility. Do you speak Italian?

Family kitchens are often just that - family - with no room for outsiders. You should probably travel around a bit - eat and meet people and start asking if somebody knows somebody.

Also where do you want to go? What regional foods are you interested in and have a background in?

[champignon]

To be honest my experience is not vast, but I love all regional Italian food I've encountered. I suppose your comments are good ones for an idealist like myself. As far as visas are concerned, my plan would be to go for a fairly short period of time, perhaps 4-6 months. I am enrolled in an Italian language course beginning in September, and I'm just about to start working in an Italian kitchen, ie. with actual Italians, serving Italian influenced food. Your suggestion to just go to Italy and see what I can find is perhaps a bit too risky for me. I was hoping to find some people who had experienced working in Italy, who might actually know of some restaurants who have welcomed foreigners in the past.

[rgruby]

Hi,

This is my first post, hope it works.

George Brown College in Toronto has an "italian program". Basically, you do a semester in TO from Jan to Apr, and they set you up somewhere in Italy for 3-4 months where you work for free, but are provided room and board.

The upside of this is that the arrangements, (student) visa etc. are smoothed out by George Brown. the downside is you have to apply and be accepted into the program first, spend 4 months in Toronto, pay tuition etc. For someone with a couple of years of experience in the industry, although it (the school term in TO) would be a cakewalk, would not necessarily be the most productive way of getting to work in Italy.

However, it might be worth consideration as a last resort. George Brown's website is http://www.gbrownc.on.ca/globalnav/programs.html. There should be info on the Italian program there.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[ecr]

The restaurant at Cascina del Cornale, about 1/2way betw Asti and Alba, was hosting a young American chef (I think for room and board only) when we were there last Dec.

The restaurant is in the agroturismo that is attached to a coop that carries artisinal, single-producer foods from the area and the woman (who's name I've forgotten but she's been written up by Corby Kummer and others --- a search on The Atlantic website would probably do it) who founded it is sort of known as the Italian Alice Waters. The food is wonderful and although the location is perhaps not idyllic ---- right on the highway ---- you could certainly do worse than a stint working at a place like this, with ingredients like that. At any rate, it might be a good place to start your search.

Cascina del Cornale

www.cornale.it

cornale@cornale.it

Corso Marconi, 64 - 12050 Magliano Alfieri (Cn) Italia

tel 390173 266016

[Craig Camp]

La Contea in Neive (Barbaresco zone) in the Piemonte seems to be a stage heaven They always have people working there and provide small rooms upstairs from the restaurant. Tonino and Claudia Verro are very nice energetic people and have a lot of contacts so if they don't have anything they might know some one who does. Claudia is an excellent cook and Tonino is an excellent restaurateur and promoter.

This is hardly a mom and pop place and is well known in all the guides.

Click here for their website

0173 67126 Fax 0173 67367

Warning: This is a Piemontese kitchen which means the food bears little resemblance to what we call "Italian food" in the USA and Canada. Not a lot of tomato sauce here.

[Bill Klapp]

Elena Rovera is the owner's name at Cascina Cornale. She is friends with my wife. Great woman, and the cascina is a great concept. We buy things there that are quite literally not seen anywhere else. Craig, La Contea is getting really close to home! Maybe I should let people stage in MY kitchen! Better yet, if you're really good, you can be the executive chef for the Klapp household. No pay, for damn sure...

[champignon]

Thank you for the very useful information. Piedmont is very high on my list of Italian destinations. I will definately contact these two restaurants, and if I have some success, I'll be very grateful for your advice. Bill, I might even drop by and cook supper!! Alice Waters of Italy...that put a great big smile on my face!!!

[Bill Klapp]

Friends with Alice, too-they hooked up during the last Slow Food Salone del Gusto in Torino.

[champignon]

A cook friend of mine who did work in Italy at La Chiusa in Tuscany, brought my attention to a CBC radio show about slow food, which apparently has a conversation between Ms. Rovera and Alice Waters. I've ordered the transcripts of that documentary.

[siena_us]

Stages are possible, finding a paying job instead is close to impossible. You will be allowed to stay in Italy for 90 days out of 180 days so if you go to school you will use up part of that time. After 90 days you have to leave for 90 before you can return. If the school has you get a visa then you could possibly get around the situation but you would have to go back to the local questura and apply for a new permesso di soggiorno for tourism.

If you are willing to stage then start sending out letters of intent ASAP.

Let me know if I can be of more help. You can also check out my site about Moving to Italy