The TuttoToscana program at Florence University of the Arts offers students an opportunity to participate in 3 weeks of study in Florence culminating in a final week of events in NYC. During their time in Florence students learn about typical Tuscan Cuisine, event planning and art history. Once they arrive in NYC they apply what they have learned by hosting events at the James Beard Foundation.
During their time at FUA, under the expert guidance of faculty, menu production and restaurant services are performed by the culinary, pastry, restaurant management, event management and wine service students enrolled at the Apicius International School of Hospitality. Three trial dinners were held at the FUA restaurant Ganzo in order to test all event menus and receive feedback from guests before the final JBF events. Menu preparation, pre-departure, also included, for the first time, collaboration from different FUA disciplines such as creative writing for menu texts and visual communication for layout design.
The TuttoToscana program recently increased the field learning portion of the program. This year the students visited greenmarkets to see the impact of fresh farm-to-table products in diverse Manhattan neighborhoods. The students also visited the midtown location of the NY wine distributer Vias Imports Ltd. Here they were able to learn about the company’s philosophy and operations in selecting and importing wines from Italy.