Accademia Riaci

The Florence Culinary Art School (FCAS) is presented as a 2 month Italian Cuisine Chef Training Course that “prepares students to become professional chefs and to enter the culinary workforce in settings such as restaurants, country clubs, resorts, hotels, and many other food service opportunities.” Our lessons have been anything but professional. The classes are an insult to any student with any experience in the culinary arts. And they are a scam for anyone who doesn’t have experience and wants to gain skills before entering the industry. The overall structure of the classroom is hysterical. In the course of 2 months there were merely 64 hrs scheduled in the kitchen, which means only 8 hrs per week. Regardless of the lack of time spent in the kitchen, the lessons were at best surface level. There was not once an explanation of the menu, declaration of our goals, or communication of expectations prior to the start of the lesson. Instead, the classes started when the first student arrived and failed to teach us technical skills (I watched a student chop incorrectly for 8 weeks). We do not have individual prep stations, we collectively execute the mise en place and then watch the chef do the cooking! The recipes are filled with typos and inaccurate measurements. The kitchen is under stocked — broken utensils, rusting knives, bent boards, etc. There are never enough knives which is infuriating as the director told me I did not need to bring my own. We have to improvise with the tools we are using. It is a great way to learn to adapt, but it looks cheap and lazy. Most importantly, the majority of our English speaking translators speak broken English and are unable to properly translate. It is hard to explain how disappointing it is to receive the bare minimum of information the chef or instructor are sharing with the class. My sister, who has been studying in Rome for the past 4 months, attended the sommelier lesson and was able to translate between English and Italian better than our translator (and I’m not exaggerating).More so, there is an overall lack of respect for each student. Over the past 2 years, I have worked as a pastry chef, executive chef and personal chef. Of course we are not cooking for clients, so the structure and energy of the lesson implies that the end goal is to eat, and this feels like we are a bunch of tourists just trying to get our fix of Italian cuisine, rather than artists honing our culinary skills. Yet we don’t even take our dining seriously. We stand around the prep tables and eat, rather than cultivated the art of plating well, or setting tables. If the end goal is to eat the food, we do not even have the dignity of sitting down, savoring the food, comparing notes, learning about the wine, etc. I do not understand the lack of order, deliberation and respect for the art and the artist.I will keep the rest short due to the word limit. 1) Do not live in their housing apartments. Mine was filthy — you can read more on my review on the FCAS google page. After much back and forth they thankfully refunded me 2) The Italian classes are a joke and were online. There is no homework or testing. After a month of complaints, they finally provided in-person lessons 3) The overarching problem is that FCAS is run by Academia Riaci, a Japanese school. The admissions advisor and owner are both located in Japan. The long distance management causes little comprehension from administration of what the classes actually look like. The instructors are privately contracted and few, if any, objectives and requirements are communicated between the instructors and management.This is not a culinary school. You will not learn to cook. You are wasting your time and money. If you are still interested, take the home cooking class. The ratio of students to chef is 4:1 not 16:1. I truly wish the school the best but they must refine their program. I honor the chefs associated and write to protect all potential future students.

Accademia Riaci office do not have the students interest at all. Their main goal is to take your money and not help out at all.Let's start off with the lab. It was a great experience with the instructors and their studio. I did two weeks ceramic course with Accademia Riaci but it was a separate lab where I went to do ceramics. They instructors taught me new techniques I didn't learn in the past. As well as the translater was a nice lady and did a great job translating the material. So, after paying 1,200€ for a two week course to Accademia Riaci I realized it was very expensive doing it though the school. It was cheaper to do ceramics on my own than though the school. The lab/studio is much cheaper for two weeks on my own then though the institution, more than half cheaper. The institution also specified thought emails many times that time with the instructor and independent study will be included in the two weeks for the 1200€ I paid, but that was not the case. Apparently, the Accademia Riaci did not pay the lab for the studio time and I needed to pay more money. After explaining my delema the institution they did not want to help and said they will not reimburse me. Also, they specified that a certificate will be issued which was not given to me at all. After emailing the main office they just stopped replying to my email. This is not the institution you would like to go. A rip off!!!

I've just finished my leather bag making course for 3 months and it was a very enriching experience. I wanna thank the teacher Giuliana for her amazing support. Also the school staff was very friendly and helpful with everyone.

My experience at Accademia Riaci was unforgettable and absolutely life-changing. Not only did I meet great friends whom I'm sure will be friends for life, but I was able to immerse myself in the culture. The painting summer program also offered awesome cultural excursions for us. Florence is a ridiculously beautiful city, where you can breathe arts and history. The school is small but the teachers really cared about all the students. I would do it all again in a heartbeat!

I was a student at Accademia Riaci this winter and took an Art History Course. There isn't enough words to describe my experience fully! It won't be an exaggeration to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. The information given, the places visited with the group, the discussions held – everything was amazing and gave a new perspective on art I've always loved and admired. Moreover, studying helped to make new friends and find new interests, so I can only dream of going back to Firenze and learning more:)Thank you for everything!! I already miss the lessons and walks we had during the course

I (Jay) had a great experience in the Painting and Drawing course at Accademia Riaci. Professors Berti and Puccioni gave excellent, undivided attention and instruction to the students. I loved the small class size. The interpretors also did an excellent job.

Amazing experience. Headed to Florence in a small school studying interior design, I was initially nervous. However, within the first week, the school staff and the teacher helped me to feel like home. I also got to meet amazing classmates. Definitely, the best decision I've ever taken. I ABSOLUTELY suggest it.

I highly recommend the 1-year painting program. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and many of the topics I learned both inside and outside the lessons have contributed to my growth as a person and as an artist". My teachers

The Summer Course was the most perfect program for me. The professors don't give you hours of studying and homework to do because they understand that you are there to travel just as much as you are to take classes. My professors were so engaging, entertaining, and helpful, I still keep in contact with many of them today. They helped me to learn the rich and diverse history and context of the city I was living in. The Accademia Riaci staff on sight was incredibly helpful in getting students involved in the Florentine culture and making us feel comfortable. It can be frustrating trying to get a hold of them before you go abroad for questions but as soon as you step foot in Florence the staff is ready to help out any time of the day. The trips and activities (which are included in the cost of your tuition) were fun and everything is paid for. As far as housing, I stayed in a shared apartment with American students enrolled in differnt courses. This gave me the opportunity to get to know people outside of just the program I was studying at. Our apartment was very close to a bus stop however most days I walked about 30 minutes to class to get to know my way around the city better. The apartment I stayed in was a bit basic, but we had everything we needed (washing machine, dishes, bedding). Overall I think the Accademia Riaci Summer program in Florence is amazing for anyone who wants to travel a ton and get the most out of what you pay for.

I am a person that had always wanted to travel and study abroad, but I am also the person that was so homesick I couldn't eat for 3 days after going to college. So making the final decision to go to Italy was scary for me but one of the best ones I had ever made.I completely fell in love with everything about Accademia Riaci and the shoemaking program, and of course I fell in love with Florence. The assistants and the teacher, Mr. Angelo, were so helpful and very patient to teach me all the steps to create my first pair of handmade shoes. Looking forward to coming back next summer!!!