Blue Hens visit land of the black rooster

2:39 p.m., Aug. 15, 2005--Twelve UD students majoring in hotel, restaurant and institutional management (HRIM) learned about international hospitality in the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy, whose symbol is the black rooster, as part of a June HRIM study- abroad program.

The group had an opportunity to visit Rocca delle Marcie, one of the Chianti region’s premiere wine producers, which supplies Olive Garden restaurants, and the Olive Garden Culinary Institute, where Olive Garden chefs from the United States are sent for training in authentic Italian cuisine.

Olive Garden, which is owned by Darden Restaurants, has a UD connection as its parent company funded the Darden Bistro in Vita Nova, HRIM’s student-run restaurant in the Trabant University Center. Edgar Vasconez of Darden Restaurants also serves on the HRIM advisory board.

The students toured the winery and saw how wine is produced. They reported that seeing and learning about the wine-making process in person helped supplement in-class and textbook learning and gave them a better understanding of the process. Wines that have been given the appellation of “classico” are allowed to display the black rooster.

Sophomore Matthew Ardakanian shared his impressions of his visit to the winery and institute. “After seeing how wine was produced, we were driven down the road to the famed Olive Garden Culinary Institute, where we were greeted with a fantastic meal with more food than anyone could ever imagine,” Ardakanian said.

During the meal, he said, the students also were given a wine-tasting lesson, sampling Rocca delle Macie’s wines, debating the aromas and tastes and then picking their favorites.

Fred DeMicco, ARAMARK Chair and HRIM chairperson, and George Comrade, assistant professor, led the group, which was studying beverage management and international hospitality operations abroad. The program included three weeks in Switzerland at HRIM’s partner school, the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality, visiting four- and five- star hotels, a chocolate manufacturer, a cheese producer and a winemaker, and a fourth week in Italy, which included visiting the Parmigiana Reggiano cheese factory and cooking classes in Cortona.

Article by Sue Moncure

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