Saint Paul College Culinary Arts

Wishing our Pastry and Baking state Champion Teresa all the luck in the world at the Skills USA competition this week! We are so proud of you!

We are so excited that four Saint Paul College students are competing in the SkillsUSANational Championship in Atlanta, Georgia this week!

Learn all about SkillsUSA 2026: https://www.saintpaul.edu/skillsusa-championship-2026/

Two weeks ago, one group of culinary students flew home from Italy. Yesterday, two more groups landed.

This is what an active program looks like.

On May 12, Saint Paul College Culinary Arts concluded ten days of structured academic immersion across five Italian regions — from a buffalo mozzarella sustainable farm in Nettuno to a truffle day in the Langhe hills of Piedmont.
This week, we welcomed two new groups to Italy.

Wake Technical Community College and Pennsylvania College of Technology have arrived — and their program begins now.

Different institutions. Different curricula. Different students.

The same commitment to placing them inside the real systems behind Italian culinary tradition rather than teaching about those systems from a distance.

This is what we have been building for twenty years.

To the students and faculty of Wake Technical Community College and Pennsylvania College of Technology — welcome to Italy. We are honored to have you.

And to Saint Paul College Culinary Arts — thank you for a moment that reminded us why we do this work.

Institutions exploring structured academic immersion in Italy are welcome to reach out. 🔗 marcopoloinstitute.org — link in bio.

Congrats to 2026 Culinary Arts and Pastry and Baking Graduates!

Your accomplishments are many, and we cannot wait to see how far you will go! You are in the club now - a club of passionate culinary professionals forged here at Saint Paul College since 1942! We are so proud of you all!

Saint Paul College culinary arts students finished their time in Italy on a high note, at Tartuflanghe, a purveyor of all things related to this prized king of fungi. It was a truly educational afternoon, as we learned about the different types of truffles, the trees that they prefer, and the different products that this wonderful producer makes.

Students were treated to a walk in the hazlenut forests with a true Piedmontese truffle hunter and his dogs in search of summer black truffles. These super sniffers were literally weaned on truffles as pups, and trained for years to sniff out the buried treasure, sometimes over a foot deep in the earth! Within minutes, the pooches were producing results - several small truffles and two large summer tartufi d’Alba! This was a bucket list experience, watching these dogs work the hillside, scavenging this precious summer treat.

Back at the producer’s showroom, we were treated to an impressive spread of their products, accompanied by wonderful Piedmontese wines, of course!

This was a perfect finish to our time here. Students will leave with with
memories in their souls, Italy in their hearts, and suitcases stuffed with treasures. We are sad to be leaving, but glad to be heading back to Minnesota to share these experiences with others.

Thank you so much to Giacomo Berselli from the Marco Polo Program Abroad in Italy. You have made our first trip abroad smooth and effortless. We can’t wait to return again next year!

This morning, we reunited with Chef Gino and his students. Chef Gino came to visit us at Saint Paul College for the Night in Piedmont Fundraising Dinner in February. It was wonderful to be in the kitchen with him again.

We were able to enjoy their brand new, beautiful teaching kitchen, and make a three course lunch of upscale traditional Piedmontese cuisine: Sformato di asparagi, ravioli col “Plin,” and semifreddo al torrone.

Students from Chef Gino’s class helped us as we worked to create this beautiful meal. It was wonderful to share a kitchen with Chef again. We hope to see him again in Minnesota next year!

In Turin today, and that means COFFEE.

Saint Paul College Culinary Arts students toured the Lavazza Museum, and learned all about this precious bean.

Lavazza is more than just a brand of coffee. They revolutionized the way Italy consumed their national drink - fast, consistent, and high quality. They were the first to move coffee from the slow brewing process that it started as to the “on the go” energy source enjoyed everywhere nationwide.

Art and design are also woven into every decade of Lavazza’s history, and students enjoyed immersing themselves in the pop culture that surrounds the legendary brand.

We ended with the official drink of Turin - the Bicerin, a combination of hot chocolate, Lavazza coffee and whipped cream. 🥰☕️The perfect pick-me-up for a gloomy Sunday in Torino.

It is WINE DAY!

Saint Paul College Culinary Arts students spent the day in Asti, home of some of the most famous wines in Italy. Here, we learned about Barolo, Barbera, Moscato, Asti Spumante, and so many other incredible wines. Students toured Bersano Winery, learning about the aging process, and the time, effort, and knowledge that it takes to for these grapes to become the divine DOCG Barolo.

We then traveled to a small farm in the area where four generations have been quietly tending the land, growing fruits, vegetables, hazelnuts, poplar trees for lumber, and soft wheat. Their herds provide beef, lamb, and milk. The farm is a complete system of sustainability, and the variety of foods that come from this modestly sized farm is impressive - a testament to the decades of hard work, knowledge, and passion provided by the family.

Students were then treated to a six course meal at the farm’s restaurant - the ingredients for every dish sourced from the farm, including the wine!
This was another unforgettable experience, provided by our educational partner Marco Polo Institute.

Last, but certainly not least - true DOP Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. True balsamico only comes in two forms - 12 year and 25 year. Most Americans have never tasted either, as they are hard to find, and rather expensive. This isn’t anywhere close to your favorite “good” balsamic from the grocery store. Producers make vinegar from Lambrusco and trebbianno grapes from the Modena region. The vinegar spends at least 12 years of its life slowly reducing and going through fermentation cycles in wood in a series (batteria) of different wood barrels - oak, cherry, mulberry, juniper… The oldest barrel here has been making balsamico since the year 1900!

Leave the mixture even longer, and it thickens to a luscious syrup. Perfectly balanced, gently acidic, and complex - notes of smoke, wood, chocolate, walnut. Students paired the “Extra Vecchio” with gelato - an incredible combination that felt so luxurious.

There are about 150 producers of true DOP balsamic in the area. The consortium protects the product, and ensures quality of production remains high. Balsamico di Modena “Extra Vecchio” reduces Lambrusco and trebbianno must from 30 litres to just 3 litres over 25 years. Talk about “slow food!” 100% worth the wait.

Saint Paul College