The event was promoted by the Italian partner Istituto Formazione operatori Aziendali /IFOA/ and was organized online due to the COVID-19 retrictions.

Experts in the field presented the current and future developments in qualifications and training for staff in the culinary and hospitality industry in the European Union: Francesco Bombardi, architect and lecturer at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, focused on Digital Food Technology; Ciro Gardi, Scientific Officer Animal and Plant Health at European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Senior Scientist at Environmental Sciences, University of Parma, talked about the sustainable catering and biodistricts; Andrea Simoncini, contact person at the National Agency for Active Employment Policies (ANPAL) presented the Monitoring and Evaluation of Vocational Training and European Social Fund structure.

"The Covid has not stopped the interest in our territory and our products - explain the organisers of the conference, all the excellence of Made in Italy, from territories to food, can become a driving force for the entire sector of wine and food tourism that is still growing strongly. Cooking and catering are fundamental for the recovery of the economy and employment. As emerged in a survey carried out as part of the "CulinArt" programme, passion for food and initiative are not enough to be successful in the sector: a chef designs menus and creates dishes know the cooking times and methods, but also knows how to serve it to the customer sitting at a table in a restaurant or onboard a ship or in a train carriage. This is why we need people who are prepared and able to meet the needs of tourists who are increasingly aware, active, demanding, innovative and attentive to safety and sustainability issues.”