ERCOLANO – Young people must be encouraged to assert themselves: “Only one thing makes a dream impossible: the fear of failure” stated Paulo Coelho, because it is known that success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day after day. Precisely to support the young students of the Hotel Institutes of Naples, the AMIRA section (Association of Italian Restaurant and Hotel Maîtres) Naples Campania, skilfully led by Dario Duro and supported by its Board of Directors, organized the first edition of the AMIRA SCHOOL PRIZE, the competition aimed at the Hotel Institutes of Naples which saw the triumph of the IIS “Adriano Tilgher” of Ercolano. The students challenged each other in the tests of: FLAMBÉ ART, which involved the creation of new desserts prepared under the lamp and RESTAURANT SERVICE SKILLS, i.e. the preparation of a complete Mise en place with Welcome, Room Service and Glance.
The flambé cooking process involves pouring a liqueur into a hot pan to create a flame. Flambage appears to date back to around the 17th century with the need to heat ready-made dishes: it is said that the technique was born in 1895. , thanks to the chef of the Caffè de Paris in Monte Carlo, where one evening late and with the kitchen already closed, the future king of England Edward VII arrived, in the company of a beautiful woman named Suzette, the lamp crepes still bring today his name. The rediscovery of culinary traditions certainly cannot ignore those creations born from the creativity of great chefs and then established themselves in luxury establishments. In the splendid setting of Villa Lucrezio on the Posillipo hill, managed by Giuseppe Fraia, with a stupendous view of the Gulf of Naples, the guests of the important competition were welcomed by the Director Raffaele Cuccurullo. The objectives of the competition are to combine the innovation of young talent with the tradition of professionals in the hospitality sector. The Italian Restaurant and Hotel Maîtres Association aims to increasingly qualify the figure and profession of the Hotel Maître, enhancing and protecting their professionalism, promoting the service, Italian gastronomy and our products. The main sponsor of the event was Betty Bassolino’s Pastificio Bassolino from Frattamaggiore. For each of the two categories, two different juries were foreseen, composed as follows: FLAMBÉ ART – jury president Valerio Beltrami, national president Amira; Piero Ferretti, hotel entrepreneur; Arturo Fusco, president of APCI Campania (Professional Association of Italian Chefs); Emanuela Papaccio, AIS Campania (Italian Sommelier Association); Giuseppe De Girolamo, food and wine journalist. For the RESTAURANT SERVICE SKILLS jury – jury president Enzo D’Adamo, trustee of the Amira Formia section; Pasquale Brillante, master of the wines of the Neapolitan Amira section; Mario Volpe, F&B Manager of the Hotel Excelsior in Naples and regional delegate of the AIFBM (Italian Association of Food & Beverage Managers); Renato De Simone, teacher. The competition coordinated by the Grand Master of catering Flavio Amirante, was conducted by Nello Ciabatti, press officer of the Campania section. Supervision was carried out by the Grand Master of catering Mario Golia and by the secretary Massimo Marchini. The students performed during the competitions with the technical support of the Amira representatives from Campi Flegrei: Vincenzo Aulitto and Giuseppe Gaudino and the partner Pietro Cacciapuoti. Furthermore, the Amira partners collaborated: Mariangela Borrelli, Vincenza Amato, Michele Costanzo, Michele Autiero and Valerio del Giudice referent Amira Benevento. Felice Casucci, Councilor for Administrative Simplification and Tourism of the Campania Region sent a note, read by the host of the evening, in which he complimented the initiative which: “It celebrates not only our excellent cuisine but also the commitment to preparation of the new generations who will lead gastronomic hospitality”. Casucci then added: “The Tourism Department fully recognizes itself in the spirit of this initiative which is in perfect coherence with the principles that inspired the actions of our regional strategic plan”. Representatives of other trade associations in the tourism, hotel and restaurant sector, sector operators, restaurateurs, journalists, local TV channels and photographers Mario Zifarelli, Pino Attanasio and Vito Cerbone attended. Among the guests present were also the honorary member Rosario Lopa, spokesperson for the National Council for Agriculture and Tourism and the actress Susanna Mendoza.
This is the final ranking:
for the FLAMBÉ ART category:
1st GIUSEPPE RICCIO (IPSEOA DUKE OF BUONVICINO)
2nd MIMMO VENERUSO (IISADRIANO TILGHER)
3rd ex aequo DEBORAH MOZZILLO (IPSEOALUCIO PETRONIO)
3rd ex aequo EMANUIL ZEQIRI (IPSEOA IPPOLITO CAVALCANTI)
3rd ex aequo RAFFAELE BRANDI (ISIS ELENA DI SAVOIA)
for the RESTAURANT SERVICE SKILLS category:
1st ARIANNA CUCINIELLO (IISADRIANO TILGHER)
2nd ROBERTA MONACO (IPSEOA LUCIO PETRONIO)
3rd ex aequo MARIANO ZERLENGA (ISIS ELENA DI SAVOIA)
3rd ex aequo NOEMI GIAQUINTO (IPSEOADUCA DI BUONVICINO)
3rd ex aequo ALEJANDRA MAJANO DELGADO (I. CAVALCANTI)
WINNER OF THE 1st PRIZE “AMIRA SCHOOL PRIZE” IIS ADRIANO TILGHER of Ercolano who scored the highest score, adding the Team’s votes in the two categories.
The first place winners were awarded by the national president Amira Valerio Beltrami who spent time with the kids and gave them a demo on Flambé techniques. The event concluded with a cocktail preparation performance by member Amira Lino Marchese, head barman of the Metropole Hotel in Venice. Dario Duro delivered the certificates of participation to the institutes and teachers who participated in the competition: “Elena di Savoia” with Giuseppe Cimmino, Michele Autiero and Andrea Ferraiuolo; “Lucio Petronio” with Salvatore Nugnes, Sara Papaccio and Roberto Pulcrano; “Duca di Buonvicino” with Costantino Prisco and Antonio Di Pietro; “Ippolito Cavalcanti” with Gianni Amato and Aniello Nunziata; “Adriano Tilgher” with Luigi Di Rosa and Alfonso Buonaiuto.
