June in the AIW Kitchen: Find out what we accomplished this month

We are halfway through our Culinary Training Program!

In the month of June, our four trainees learned about dough, theory of flours, and how to make different types of breads; they practiced technique of cleaning and preparing fish at a local fish market; they grew their waitressing skills by serving lunch to this month’s guests, and they became progressively responsible working in and maintaining a professional kitchen.

Read on for more details and photos from our June program.

Flours, Doughs, and Breads

In June we were joined by volunteer chef Gabriella Costi, President of the local Modena Chefs Association, for a lesson on leavening, doughs, and breads. An exciting day in our kitchen, because on this day we also took over the official Instagram account of UN Migration (IOM), in partnership with the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, bringing their followers into our kitchen to meet our trainees and discover our impact.

On the job training at the Fish Market

We spent three days working both in the kitchen and behind the raw counter at "Bellucci Fish Products" where our trainees experienced a day in a busy modenese fish market. Trainees worked alongside experienced employees who taught them how to select, identify, clean, and prepare different types of fish. To thank the team, Mercy prepared seabass, Nigeria style as staff meal.

Lunch Service at Centro Papa Francesco

In June, trainees were able to put their kitchen skills to the test on three different occasions, interacting and serving their creations to guests and improving their front of house service skills. Our chef trainer, Alessia led the trainees in lunch service for our partners: social workers from social services, guests and staff of our community partner, Caritas Modenese, and a group of volunteers from our partner, International Womens’ Association Modena.

Mid-course Evaluation

To mark mid-way through the program, we assessed our trainees’ skill acquisition to celebrate their successes and to more effectively prepare them for the workforce. AIW's Culinary Director, Jessica created a series of recipe challenges, each trainee having to follow a surprise recipe autonomously in a professional manner. The results: 4 beautiful summer salads prepared with love and hard work by our trainees.