Wow.  I am almost done here at Robert Morris and I have to say it feels pretty good.  One last quarter (in Italy) and that's it.  I will have survived two non-stop years!

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I have to write about this past trip I was just on.  It was amazing. I recently was able to attend the Culinary Explorations trip for the Hospitality Management Bachelor's Degree Program.  It was a week long experience in Wisconsin learning about organic and biodynamic farming.  There were thirteen of us chosen (some of us were from Orland Park, others were from the DuPage and Chicago campuses). 

The highlight of the trip for me was that I got to experience the life of a farmer.  We went to a dairy farm, a poultry farm, and a butcher shop.  It was interesting to talk to the farmers and business owners and see what kinds of problems they were facing.  You really begin to sympathize for these people and want to do all you can to help support their businesses. 

As a chef (or even as a consumer) you can sometimes get disconnected with food (meaning you forget where things actually come from and the effort that is involved in growing produce or raising livestock).  That was the real eye opening, aha, moment for me.

We also got to eat at some amazing restaurants in Milwaukee (Roots), Madison (Cafe Solei), and Lake Geneva (Geneva Inn).  The chefs at these restaurants support local farmers by buying and using locally grown produce (and oh can you taste the difference).  These chef create their menus from these ingredients usually the day they buy them.  The creativity that was involved in some of these dishes was mind boggling.  It makes me realize that there are some really talented (and socially conscious) chefs in the industry. 

This trip will be offered again next year and I really want to tell all of you thinking about doing it to go for it.  The cost of the trip is nothing compared to the benefits you will get out of it.  I highly recommend it.

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Well, I'm all packed and ready to leave for Italy.  I'll be in Florence by the end of this week. I'm really excited. This is something that I have been waiting for since the beginning of my associates degree almost two years ago.

I will be blogging at least once a week to let you all know the fun and exciting things that will be happening to me and the others on the trip.  Maybe I'll even post a recipe or two.

Ciao for now! 

Florence is an amazing city.  Did I mention that already?  The Italian way of life has a funny way of getting into your blood very quickly.  It must be something in the water…

How I Have Spent My First Week Here:

I spend my mornings exploring the city.  I wake up about 6 o’clock, throw on some comfy shoes, and head out the door.  It’s really the perfect time to see Florence.  All the tourists are still in their beds, all the locals are heading to work, and the onslaught of mopeds hasn’t yet begun.   It’s also a perfect time for taking pictures because absolutely no one is around.  Unfortunately no shops or tourist attractions are open at that time, but it did help me get orientated to where everything is.  I usually grab a cappuccino or espresso and head to school.

My afternoons are spent at Apicius.  I have an Italian language class (Monday through Friday) from 9 until 12:45.  For anyone planning to spend any sort of time here, I definitely recommend learning Italian way before you get here.   However, being immersed in it has definitely made me pick it up a lot faster than I thought I would.  After the first class, there is a two hour break.  Siesta time!  I love siesta time.  I wish the U.S. would do it.  Maybe it would make us a less uptight people.  Anyways,  I’ll either pick up a quick bite at one on the local café’s or  buy something from the grocery store.  I head back to the apartment to chill out and watch Italian MTV.  Italian MTV is great because most of their music is imported from the U.S. so it feels just like home.  The best is watching Hogan Knows Best with the Italian subtitles.  Not only is it entertaining, but educational.  Did you know “body slam” in Italian is “body slam”?   So I head back to school for a cooking class with Fabio from 3-5:30.  Yes his name is Fabio.  No, he is not that Fabio.  I have to give “props” (Do people still give props or am I officially an old fogie now using outdated 90s slang?)  to say that all of the staff and instructors at Apicius are so nice, helpful, and really care about the students.   So good job to Robert Morris for picking such an awesome sister school.

My evenings are spent wandering the city and hanging out with the other students from Robert Morris College.  We’ll grab a drink, get gelato, make dinner at someone’s apartment, or go out to eat.  We have a good time.  That’s all I’m going to say because I’m not going to get myself or anyone else in trouble.  Hee hee….

So What’s It Really Like?

The mosquitoes right now are terrible.  Some of the girls have dubbed them “Birds of Satan” They are big and vicious.  They sell this Glade Plug-In type thing called a VAPE which is awesome. You plug it in and it emits some sort of chemical that kills them.   In the process it also gets you a little buzzed.  We’re told its completely safe.  No one is complaining.

This city is really expensive.  (All of us students were caught off guard as to how expensive stuff is out here.)  So we’ve become bargain hunters.  The only problem with bargain shopping is that you can’t get everything at one place.  You go to one store for cleaning supplies, one for pasta, another for produce, etc.   And they charge you for plastic bags out here! (Which double nicely as garbage can liners)  Crazy.  I did find a store that sold Duncan Hines cake mix from the U.S.  It was 7 Euros for a box.  So I feel like I’m back in college from my younger days living off of Ramen noodles and Mac & Cheese.

My ass is getting a workout.  We live on the fourth floor of this apartment building and it does not have an elevator.  In Italy they like stairs, so we have to climb eight flights.  Approximately 90 stairs (I think someone counted) to get up to our apartment.  Makes for an interesting climb when you’ve had a couple drinks.  So lookout Chicago.  When I get back, I’m going to be able to bounce a quarter off my backside.

Of course we’re having roommate issues.  I won’t get into it, but needless to say there is no way you can get 17 people to get along all of the time.  It has made for some interesting drama.  I’m not a fan of reality TV, but this stuff beats it by a mile.

Well, I’m off to do some wine tasting.  There is a festival here where you pay 10 Euro, get a glass, and are able to taste 20 different wines from over 150 local vineyards.  Should be interesting. 

Ciao