Competitions • 23.02.2021
The NIC-Italian National Cooks/Chefs Team practicing for championship at CAST Alimenti
A significant choice that puts our School in the limelight, being it considered as a point of reference in the entire culinary sector, for its excellence in terms of facility and organization.
The Italian National Cooks/Chefs Team performs under the wing of the FIC – Italian Federation of Cooks/Chefs reckoning about 20.000 memberships – and its team includes 16 chefs of topmost professional prominence. The “team” selected to attend the next “Global Chefs Challenge” features Marco Tomasi (Global Chefs Challenge), Antonio Dell’Oro (Global Pastry Chefs Challenge), Luca Bna (Global Pastry Chefs Challenge), Andrea Del Villano (Global Young Chefs Challenge), Tommaso Bonseri Capitani (Global Young Chefs Challenge).
The “Global Chefs Challenge” is considered the most prestigious and challenging team-based competition worldwide, a remarkable event where the best chefs confront each other in three categories: Global Chefs Challenge, Global Pastry Chefs Challenge and Global Young Chefs Challenge. After the regional semi-finals, which this year are scheduled for this February, the qualified teams will face off in the final: Wales in UK is the venue that will welcome the best chefs in the world, from 23 to 26 October 2021, in Newport. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 competition was cancelled therefore the 2021 edition is expected to see an escalation of expectation and relevance.
We are all cheering up for our team, which has recently gathered “in retreat” at CAST to fine-tune its winning strategy. On 12 January, there was the first official convocation of the National Team (strictly behind closed doors) and its board of directors was appointed. Just as it happens for pastry chefs, CAST Alimenti establishes itself as an ideal “gym” for culinary cooks too: here they find the perfect environment and equipment to prep in view of the most prestigious championship. The partnership between CAST and NIC is sealed by the appointment of two of its best trainers to the new management board of NIC: Angelo Biscotti (Junior Manager) and Francesco Gotti (Technical Manager). As a landmark of this effective collaboration, the NIC signature jacket was officially handed to Angelo Biscotti, who will be wearing it during the competition.
Competitions are considered as a valuable opportunity to experiment new techniques but also to facilitate the sharing of know-how between professionals and young chefs. NIC focuses on young people to improve their skills through new challenges. This is the “attitude” that emerges from the statements by the protagonists.
“We are proud of this collaboration with NIC – states the Director of CAST Alimenti, Vittorio Santoro – a dream that finally comes true. As of today, CAST boasts 19 world titles, achieved for the training of professionals in all the gastronomic activities. However, we still miss a world title for the cuisine. CAST core mission is the training: we have the proper environment to foster future champions, because we have the right trainers, i.e. former champions coaching the new ones, in other words professional attitude enhancing professionalism. I believe that this is only the beginning of an even more extensive collaboration with FIC, because we share the aim to increase the competence of professionals, through teaching, to ignite new energy to the training of professionals, and the aspiration to grant their role full recognition”.
The importance of the collaboration between CAST Alimenti and FIC-the Italian Federation of Chefs was also acknowledged by Carlo Bresciani, President of FIC Promotion: “Our two institutions, which have been operating for over twenty years with great mutual respect, are now ready to sign a partnership with the common goal of combining their professionalism and expertise. The time is ripe to create a virtuous circularity between us, who strongly believe in the profession of Chef. Both CAST and our National Team are indeed examples of professionalism. Together we can give a tangible and even better example of how training and professional updating are essential tools for evolution. We aim at training not only professionals, but young people too, to ensure continuity in their future”.
These are aspects that were also mentioned by Gianluca Tomasi, NIC General Manager: “CAST provided NIC a great opportunity: training at the most important cooking school in Italy. CAST has, indeed, provided our team with facilities and equipments that are in compliance with the same professional standards as those used to train the teams of the Nordic European countries, the most successful in competitions.”
The same opinion was also credited by Angelo Biscotti, CAST’s Executive Chef and new Junior NIC Manager, who adds: “I am aware of the responsibility that my new role entails. However, it harmonizes with the evolution of the cuisine concept that I have been promoting in CAST for a long time: training professionals by conveying know-how, professional ethics of our job and respect for the people.”
Francesco Gotti, Trainer at CAST Alimenti for Professional Avanced Level course, as well as other specialization courses, and new NIC Technical Operations Manager adds on with a metaphor: “Our National Team is now empowered with an impressive vehicle and a remarkable driver, moved by experience and the right competitive ambition. I would say that the success is getting closer…”
The photo-gallery shows some moments of the NIC-Italian National Chefs Team at CAST Alimenti: Gianluca Tomasi-NIC General Manager, Angelo Biscotti-NIC Junior Manager, Francesco Gotti-NIC Technical Operations Manager, Carlo Bresciani-FIC Promotion President, Pierluca Ardito-NIC Competitions Team Manager, Antonio Danise-NIC Responsible for Training, Walter Dalla Pozza-NIC Logistic Manager, Giordano Ricevuti-NIC Administration Manager, Luca Venturelli-President at Associazione Cuochi Bresciani, Cuisine Chef Ambra Marca-Pastry Chef Luca Bienne.
