The Wake Tech Culinary Arts and Global Education programs are hosting "Ciao Down," a meal to raise money for the Study Abroad trip to Italy in May 2026. A top Italian chef will prepare the meal, assisted by students in Wake Tech's Culinary Arts program and members of the Global Connections Club. The fundraiser is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 24 in Flavors restaurant on Southern Wake Campus, and tickets are $75 per person.
Explore the cuisine and culture of three regions of Italy while earning course credit for CUL-287: Cultural Experience.
The nine-day trip, plus two travel days, is set for Summer 2026 and covers these regions:
Lazio, which surrounds Rome
Emilia-Romagna in north-central Italy, which includes the cities of Bologna and Parma
Piedmont, which borders France and Switzerland in northwest Italy and includes the city of Turin
Study and work with many key ingredients that make Italian cuisine known worldwide, including olive oil, wine, pasta, cheese, charcuterie, bread and coffee. Local chefs lead cooking classes, and staff at Lavazza's headquarters show how their coffee goes from bean to cup.
Students also will tour a winery, see how balsamic vinegar is aged, watch firsthand as prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese are made and maybe even hunt for truffles.
Cultural tours include visits to Rome, Turin and the seaside villages that comprise Cinque Terre.
Upon completing the course, students should be able to differentiate regional cooking techniques and products for several regions of Italy, prepare representative regional recipes and taste and identify various wines, charcuterie, bread, cheeses, pasta and other regional specialties.
