It was a dream I had had for a long time that of attending a training course that could provide me with knowledge in health and performance cuisine: this is the Health and Performance Chef Master’s Degree course which I attended at the prestigious ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine founded by Gualtiero Marchesi.

Being the chef of a new world

This first edition of ALMA’s Master’s course is designed to build a professional figure who combines the chef’s gastronomic and taste skills with the scientific and functional skills of expert nutritionists and dieticians, to meet the needs of areas such as wellness, sport, and above all the nutritional needs in the case of diseases linked to incorrect lifestyles.

Una delle attività di training con lo Chef Bruno Ruffini

One of our training activities with Chef Bruno Ruffini

Sponsored by UEFA, the course is designed to broaden the professional horizons of chefs towards the needs of those who find in food their true medicine in terms of energy for performance or for their psychophysical well-being.

That’s why I decided to take 6 weeks to go back to school and to enter the professional kitchens of ALMA in a full immersion of study, practice, insights and workshops together with 13 other fantastic schoolmates.

The Master’s Degree’s teachers: a perfect cocktail of knowledge and expertise

Alcuni dei docenti del Master Health and Performance Chef

Some of the teachers of the Health and Performance Chef Master’s Degree

Cerimonia di apertura del Master con presentazione a compagni e docenti

Master’s Degree opening ceremony with self-introduction to schoolmates and teachers

The teachers? Extraordinary specialists who decided to share their knowledge and expertise for a decidedly unexpected educational cocktail:

Paola Rossi, Professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Pavia, where she carries out intensive research and teaching activities and is the author of more than 70 articles in international journals with a high Impact Factor. She is the author of numerous works in the field of Physiology and Nutrition.

Natale Gentile, a consultant in the performance area of the FIGC since 2016, is in charge of nutrition and supplementation for the National Women’s Football team. Since 2019, he has also been a nutrition consultant for the Inter youth sector and women’s first team.

Biochimica degli alimenti con il Prof. Natale Gentile

Food biochemistry with nutritionist Natale Gentile

Andrea Valigi, sports and performance nutritionist, is the team nutritionist for AC Monza and F.I.G.C. for the Under-17 Men’s National Team.

Chef Simone Salvini, a symbol of plant-based cuisine who grew up in the kitchen of Pietro Leemann’s Joia restaurant in Milan, where he became Executive Chef, winning a Michelin star. Today an ambassador for the Alce Nero brand and an absolute reference point for vegan cuisine.

Lo Chef Simone Salvini ci insegna i segreti della cucina vegetale

Chef Simone Salvini teaches the secrets of plant-based cuisine

Learning about tofu

Our tofu

Chef Filippo Tawil, Wellness Chef Consultant & Designer, benchmark of wellness food in the most renowned clinics around the world.

Chef Bruno Ruffini, Chef Fulvio Vailati Canta and Chef Matteo Papa, three pillars of ALMA education in charge of in-depth studies and practical workshops on fermentation, pastry-making and low-calorie menus.

A lezione di fermentazioni con lo Chef Fulvio Vailati

Learning fermentations with Chef Fulvio Vailati

Verdure fermentate preparate da noi studenti

Fermented vegetables prepared by us students

Time for tasting

A chef for all

Loaded with theoretical and practical knowledge, after the closing ceremony and the awarding of the Master’s diplomas, I returned to my ‘normality’ as a mother, entrepreneur and this time really Chef, not only for Gaia, but for anyone eager to discover the secrets of food tailored to their needs because each one of us is a masterpiece of complexity that deserves a little masterpiece on the plate.