Casa Optima and Foundation Nuovo Villaggio del Fanciullo in Ravenna:

A training course to teach the ABC of gelato making.

Over the past few days, the Foundation Nuovo Villaggio del Fanciullo, hosted a basic training course for making artisanal gelato at its headquarters of Ponte Nuovo, in which eleven guests of the village participated for three days. The Foundation’s aim is to help disadvantaged people in need of care and temporary accommodation with the exclusive pursuit of non-profit social solidarity purposes, in the social-health care, training, charity and scientific research sectors typical of recovery communities. 

The course was held by our expert gelato chef Cristina Ricci, a teacher at the school Casa Optima – Making Life Sweeter Together, the world’s number one multi-brand group for Italian artisanal gelato, excellent patisserie, and mixed beverages. 

The recent collaboration between the Foundation and Casa Optima aims to provide the young guests of the Village with an extra training tool to help them prepare for a future career: in fact, the profession of ice cream maker is increasingly in demand (not only in ice-crem parlours, but also in restaurants and hotels), it is becoming an excellent opportunity for those who have learnt how to make  good ice-cream.  

During the three days of lessons, Cristina Ricci taught the participants the ABC of ice cream making, alternating a theoretical part with a series of trials with the Village ice cream machine, Among other things, products from the Village fruit garden were used to prepare the fruit flavours. 

“I found the students stimulated and attentive, it was a great experience which I believe could have a future,” said the teacher at the end of the course.

“Casa Optima welcomed with great pleasure the proposal of collaboration from the Foundation Nuovo Villaggio del Fanciullo in Ravenna – echoes Matteo Sala, CMO of Casa Optima Group – both  for the importance of supporting such a fundamental reality for the area, and because it is perfectly in line with our mission: to introduce the culture of artisanal gelato to the world  and to make people’s lives sweeter. With our school we organise dozens of courses each year, from the ABC of gelato making to master courses for expert gelato makers. Bringing our experience into the Foundation has been a moment of both human and professional growth for us; the enthusiasm of the students and the professionalism of our teacher have created an alchemy that has immediately yielded excellent results, so I hope that this is only the beginning of a long-lasting and fruitful collaboration.”