ICIF is a non-profit association founded in 1991 in order to protect and qualify the image of Italian cuisine and products among professionals working in catering abroad. Since then we have organized masters (two months of theoretical and practical learning at the venue and four months of internships in selected restaurants) and short courses (generic and thematic) for groups of young Italian and foreign professionals (chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs) who intend to acquire a “Italian” specialization.
In recent years we have graduated students from Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, Korea, Philippines, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, India, Turkey, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia , Iran, United States, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Venezuela, Honduras, El Salvador, Chile, Colombia, Santo Domingo, as well as obviously from Italy.
In 1997 ICIF opens a new page in its history with the transfer of the headquarters to the prestigious Castle of Costigliole d’Asti, restored according to the Institute and its training activities thanks to a contribution from the European Union for ICIF from the Piedmont Region. Next to the classrooms equipped with the most sophisticated systems for a modern educational activity, a wine shop and a wine cellar have been set up, where the best Italian producers exhibit their products. Next to it there is a very modern tasting room. The promotion of our activities and the consequent finding of students takes place thanks to the widespread network of representative offices abroad, currently present in over 27 countries, divided between Europe, Asia, North America and South America.
In 2004 ICIF took a further step by expanding its activities abroad, with the opening of two new offices in Brazil and China. The first in southern Brazil, in the Rio Grande do Sul region, in Flores da Cunha, born in collaboration with the University of Caxias do Sul. The second in Shanghai, at the Shanghai Lingang Science and Technology School university campus and the third, inaugurated in 2013, also in Brazil in Sao Paulo at the Paula Souza Center.
On 29 March 2014 the Orangerie was inaugurated, the new teaching structure entirely built in glass and metal, with modern classrooms and cutting-edge technology.
