Nine students from the Monroe College School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts arrived in Italy last week to study in the college's Study Abroad Program.  Along with four students from Paul Smith's College, the students are studying study at three prestigious culinary institutes in Parma, Europe's culinary capital. There they're focusing on advanced study in the culinary arts, food service, hospitality services, hotel and restaurant management, Italian language, culture and literature, and Italian product production and execution.  Coordinated in Italy by the Marco Polo Institute, the Study Abroad Program is held at the Barilla Institute, the University of Ferrara, and the University of Lecce.   

During their fifteen-week stay, the students are taking a full 15-credit load of courses including Cuisines of Europe and the Mediterranean and Food Writing Essentials.  They are also receiving advanced hands-on training at the various local restaurants in Parma, experiencing all aspects of back-of-the-house operations.

In a ceremony on Thursday, August 23, Monroe President Stephen Jerome presented each of the Monroe Study Abroad students with scholarships from the college's Craig Rutman Memorial Scholarship Fund, named for the beloved first director of the Monroe Culinary Program and the visionary behind the Study Abroad Program.

On September 2 the students arrived at the Southern Italian Town of Otranto and they are already learning typical regional South Italian dishes under the watchful eyes of Italian Chef Carrado.