History
1999, the Presidency of the Province of Parma, the Councillor for Agriculture and Production, and the Chamber of Commerce of Parma came up with the idea “The International School of Italian Cuisine”; it was officially opened in 2002, with the Ducale Palace of Colorno as its venue and Gualtiero Marchesi ( the father of modern Italian cuisine, RIP) as its Rector till his passing.
Education
ALMA’s courses are a hands-on immersive Italian Culinary experience, across DEMO&TRAINING ROOMS, PASTRY&BAKERY LABS, SOMMELLERIE ROOM, TEACHING CELLAR, DIDACTIC RESTAURANTS, lecture hall.
ALMA teaching consists of:
DEMOs: instructor chefs, guest chefs, and academics provide demonstrations of their renowned recipes, menus, and more.
TRAINING & Catering: in ALMA facilities equipped with the highest technologies in the field, or in the school restaurants, students practice ( buffet , open kitchen, signature menus, circular menus..) guided by our tutors.
MASTERCLASS: ALMA’s training programme includes the chance to meet and have masterclasses with famous chefs and hospitality professionals from Italy and abroad.Career
ALMA LINK - ALMA career services platform
- offers exclusive career support service to our graduates.
- assists ALMA Alumni in their careers, whether they are new graduates venturing into the world of work, professionals seeking new opportunities, young entrepreneurs or managers looking for qualified staff.
- more than 1100 partners across the world with job opportunities just for our students.
- 94% of our students get hired within 6 months of graduation
Short Courses
Applied Sciences & Professions (5)
- Certificate French and Italian Pastry Arts
- Certificate Italian Culinary Program
- Certificate Italian Pasta Program
- Certificate Italian Pastry Program
- Certificate Master Health and Performance Chef
Hospitality, Leisure & Sports (5)
- Certificate French and Italian Pastry Arts
- Certificate Italian Culinary Program
- Certificate Italian Pasta Program
- Certificate Italian Pastry Program
- Certificate Master Health and Performance Chef
Medicine & Health (1)
- Certificate Master Health and Performance Chef
Student services
The Admission office are your educational advisors, they will answer all of your inquiries about the available courses and how to apply.
The Enrollment office, will assist you after you submit your application and up until enrollment is finalized. They will support you with Visa and permit of stay processing.
The Student Office will be your point of reference all throughout your life in ALMA, for any queries you may have during all of your educational path and supporting or guiding you in case of needs.
This office deals with all aspects of a student’s life at ALMA:
- Information about the lessons and materials
- Support in case of medical emergencies
- Individual support to students
- Housing
- International Student Card
Housing services
Within walking distance to the School and to all main facilities, the ALMA Housing are available.
These residences offer a shared solution: comfortable apartments, including living room, kitchen, bedrooms and restrooms, welcoming exclusively our students. They are at max a 10mins walk to the school.
The residences offers:
- fully furnished apartments, including dishwashers, kitchen utensils and equipment, TV
- launderette (equipped with washing machines and dryers)
- heating/air-conditioning
- Wi-Fi internet access
- video surveillance 24h and night watchmen service
- maintenance service
Library services
The ALMA library is 2nd biggest gastronomic library in the world, with over 14.000 volumes and complete collections divided into 100 subjects (literature, art, history, culture, ancient cuisines, wines and sensory analysis, dietetics and food education, and recipe books from around the world) to aid our students in their in depth study topics.
Campus life
ALMA’s headquarters are situated in Colorno, just outside Parma, on the banks of the River Po, in the heart of what is known as Italy’s Food Valley.
- The Food Valley is the area with the highest concentration of Italy’s major food producers, products such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma ham, gastronomic excellences which make Italian-made products famous all over the world.
- The city of Parma received the UNESCO title of “Creative City of Gastronomy” in 2015, and was later appointed as the “Capital of Culture 2020” in 2018.
The school is located in the prestigious Reggia Ducale, a historic Palace within an elegant 18th century garden, with all the latest equipment and technology.
- Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione Università e Ricerca (MIUR – Ministry of Education): The ALMA School is an international point of reference as a Higher Education Centre for training Italian Cookery professionals.
- ALMA is certified by the Emilia Romagna under code 5290 for training programmes
- Istituto italiano per Il commercio Estero (ICE) (Italian Chamber of Commerce for Overseas Trade)