Florence Culinary Arts School (FCAS)

スタッフさんのサポートのおかげで素晴らしい経験をイタリアで体験できました。カウンセリングの方は留学を決めてから出発までの手配や準備、不安や疑問のあることはなんでも相談させてもらい、その都度親身になって答えてくれました。現地のスタッフさんは宿のこと、学校でのカリキュラムの日程などしっかりと連絡をいただき大変過ごしやすかったです。通訳さんもとても親切でなんでもわからないことはイタリア人講師に聞いてくれてとても勉強になりました。スタッフみなさんのサポートのおかげでとても身のある留学ができました。ほんとに感謝してます。ありがとございました！

すごく素晴らしい体験をさせて頂きました！イタリアに行った事によって人生感が変わり今に役立っています(^^)迷っている方は、ぜひ一歩踏み出してみると世界が広がりますよ〜♪

イタリア家庭料理コースを受講しました。サポートがしっかりしていて、授業内容も充実しており、最高の留学体験ができました！また違うコースも行ってみたいと思います。

今年フィレンツェ料理学園に留学した者ですが、ここはあまりオススメは出来ないです。現場の通訳の方やシェフの人は親身になってくださりとても楽しい時間を過ごす事が出来たのですが、運営側の残念さが凄かったです。スケジュールでは休みになっている週末に向けて授業終了後に旅先に向かっていると、突然明日授業を入れると言い出し、それは困ると僕らが言うと何故かキレられる始末でした。他にもパンフレットに書いてある授業がスケジュールに無かったりします。（僕達は確認した時無いことに気づいたので学校側に抗議をしてなんとか入れてもらえましたが）イタリア料理の歴史の授業もスケジュールでは一日を使ってやると書いてありましたが、その授業が無く、どう言う事なのかを聞くと調理実習の時に講師の先生が言う小話がそれに当たると言われて意味がわかりませんでした。またコロナ禍もあって最近は行われていない授業もやってあるように書いてあったのに、実際は無かったりと、授業内容について色々な不満があり、僕らが払った料金の明細を伺うと、教えられないの一点張りでした。他にも細かい事を含めると沢山ありますが、少なくとも立地は良いと思います。決して安くは無い金額を払うので、もしこれを見られた方がいるので有れば他も検討した方がいいと思います。

留学のパンフレットをいただいたのが昨年の9月で、今年の8月末に出発を予定しています。これまでおよそ10ヶ月間、欠かさず定期的なご連絡をいただき、たいへん親身にサポートをしていただいております。留学のスケジュールは、私の希望を踏まえてより良いものになるように複数のカリキュラムを組み直していただきました。また、日本にいるうちに少しでもイタリア語を習得できるようにと学校の相談をしました。その他、私に合った海外留学保険の加入や、必要書類に記載漏れがないかチェックしていただいたり、ビザ申請の直前にも書類を順番通りに並べ直したり、航空券の手配も手伝っていただきました。現地スタッフとも連絡が取れており安心できます。留学は申込をしたらお任せというわけではなく、環境を活かしながらアドバイザーや現地スタッフ、先生方と一緒に作り上げていくものだと思います。滞在中に思いがけない事があったとしても、思い出の一つとして自分の成長を楽しみたいと思います。

I did a two week home cooking class, and I loved it. Since the course, I've been cooking more at home during the week. I already knew the school through their art courses that I did a few years ago and all staff are lovely and helpful.

Amazing experience, especially for someone that loves cooking, the food industry, and anything related to food. Furthermore, I can't describe how beautiful is Florence and how friendly are the Italian people.Being a chef has been my dream school since the ninth grade in 2016 through 2017. I started the culinary program in my school, and all I can think of is baking. Everyone looked so professional and helpful, and the excursions were absolutely magical.I loved the wide range of places students can do their internships.I would like to thank our Chef instructor, Prof. Francesco, for his patience and dedication. He really cares about his students.Just like any other place, there are things that need improvement, but there are always people working to solve any issue.

仕事の関係で留学する1年前から親身に相談に乗って頂き、そのおかげで充実した留学生活を送り事が出来ました。大切な経験になり、本当に留学して良かったと実感しています。

The Chef Training was a great course especially thanks to chef Francesco. Also, the staff at the international office helped me with the entirety of the application process and had guidance for my pre-departure process, making everything a smooth and less stressful process. As for the actual experience, I was always welcomed by the staff and even though my Italian was basically zero, after some weeks I could connect with the locals in Florence. The cultural immersion was brought to the program and they also took the students on a wide range of activities in order to gain more cultural insight. The classes were challenging but not overwhelming, and the instructors were always willing to help (I would have loved more cooking classes though). Now I can work confidently in our Italian restaurant here in Japan. 10/10 would recommend and I would do it all over again with the same program.

Please reconsider attending FCAS! (note: I write with respect for every individual associated with FCAS. Despite this review, I wish to honor the personal instructors) This program 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. In class the students execute the mise en place while the chef does the actual cooking. We do not have the opportunity to cook, but rather just watch. The overall structure is hysterical. Ie, our class starts at 14:30 and half the students show at 14:00. Instead of waiting for the time stated on our schedule, our chef will begin the lessons when the first student shows. There is never an explanation of the menu, declaration of our goal objectives, or communication of expectations. This program is in no way preparing one for the industry. More so, there is a 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 the food, 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. While I have many other concerns, I have to keep it short due to the word count limit. 1) the kitchen is under stocked — broken utensils, rusting knives, bent boards & pans, etc. Often we have to improvise with the tools we are using. It is a great way to learn to adapt, but it does looks cheap, desperate and lazy. 2) my apartment provided by FCAS was filthy. There was food on the counters & stove, grease covering the entire kitchen, gnats in the refrigerator, pubic hair on the bathroom floor, grime in the shower and rotting towels in the kitchen. They’ve refused to reimburse me for housing. A simple solution on their part would have been to merely hire someone to clean the apartment. 3) we have 2 professors for our language class. Miss Marianna has been wonderful, exactly what you need for an intensive language course. Hard, but good. Fast paced, but respectful of each student’s level. Mr. Marco on the other hand is incapable of teaching a good class. It has taken him over three hours to explain singular vs plural articles. We do homework as a part of class, which is a total waste of time. Every english speaker has directly written Carlo, the admissions advisor, expressing our concerns and needs. And he has failed to provide a new instructor, The immediate problem is that the school it is run from Japan (the long distance management causes little comprehension from administration of what the classes actually look like and I am unclear as to who is in charge - Carlo refuses to forward me to the program director’s info), the instructors are privately contracted (few, if any, objectives and requirements are communicated between the instructors and management), and they do not actually care for their students. Their “customer” service replicates an abusive relationship — promising something and yet unaccompanied by any action. I truly wish them the best! Readers, please don’t hesitate to comment below.