Italian Country ^Cooking

Italian Country Cooking School

Externship Program --

 

My name is Bill Disselhorst. I have been in the restaurant business for over 20 years and 4 years ago I went to Italy for the first time. Since that April trip, I have returned 9 times.

I can’t seem to stay away.
 
I fell in love with the country, the culture and the food. The food amazed me because it tasted different than what I was used to. Everything  tasted  sharper, sweeter more flavorful. The colors were more vibrant. My senses woke up. I ate more fruits and vegetables and almost no junk food. Actually the truth is I ate no junk food. My kids somehow managed to find a McDonalds and consumed some fries and quarter pounders.
 
I was fortunate to end up in the country about 30 miles north of Rome where no one spoke English and people followed the rituals that have been part of their families for centuries. I watched my friend Anna make pasta almost every day. She rolled it out by hand and then let the sheets dry for a while before cutting the dough into an assortment of shapes. I watched her make the famous Porchetta. She de-boned the torso of a pig right on the counter and then spread a mixture of fresh herbs, garlic and bread crumbs on top and then rolled and tied it up.  She drenched it in white wine, olive oil and lemon and let it marinate over night and the next morning she roasted it until the skin was crackling,  golden brown.
 
The reason I fell in love with all this is because the food and the way of producing the food touched me deeply. It was real. There were no imitation ingredients. People ate whatever was in season and they cooked it very simply with little alteration.
 
After experiencing this I decided that I wanted to expose people to this way of life and I slowly started the Italian Country Cooking School. The purpose of the school is to give people an opportunity to learn how to make very fresh, simple food. My teachers focus on recipes and techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. The school is mainly geared towards tourist and offers day and week long classes.
 
I also wanted to provide an opportunity for culinary students to see and experience what I have during the last 4 years. This has led me to Chef Boyd and The California School of Culinary Arts.
 
I worked out arrangements with 5-6 local businesses in my community for chefs to come and work for up to 6 weeks. There is a cheese farm, a local bakery, and four restaurants that are interested in allowing students to work for free to earn the necessary credits for them to graduate. I will set up a schedule for the students during the 6 weeks and then it will be the student’s responsibility to follow through and show up and do the work.

My plan is to organize students to work 2 weeks in a business and then move on to another business. If a student were to fall in love with the business they are working at and want to stay there the whole 6 weeks that is possible. We would just need to communicate about that.  I will be available through email the duration of the 6 weeks.

A few of the businesses are "My Friends Place" This is a restaurant in my village of Casperia. It is literally about 100 yards from my front door. It is a very small restaurant, that caters to the local village people and the tourists.

Many of the English tourist enjoy this restaurant. Stefano Paticceria Dolce Forno Giusti. This Forno  is also in Casperia. It is a commercial bakery, but on a very small scale. They make goods for the local markets and the local bakery in Casperia. Sara Giusti is the owner.

Azienda Agricola F.LLI Marcellini Formaggio Fior Di Campo. This cheese farm is about 20 minutes from Casperia and is a family run farm. They make pecorino cheese from there own sheep. Students will learn the craft of cheese making from the wonderful family.

Villa Vallerosa This is a little resort is owned by my good friend Luciana Pancera. She rents apartments for vacationing tourist and is currently building a small restaurant for her guest. Luciana will be a contact for students. She is a wonderful person who knows this region better than most and she also speaks English