As part of the online training during the last weeks' participants from 6 countries went through different topics in order to test in practice the developed training modules within the curriculum. They participated in online sessions hosted by the project partners in Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, and Turkey, where trainers and instructors from the different organizations taught them about: the food chain management and technologies in the kitchen, gastronomic tourism, and local cooking and eating cultures, the heritage value of gastronomy and creativity in the kitchen, etc. The trainees met virtually actual chefs and restaurant managers who showed them around in their restaurants and “took” them to a virtual walk to the local food markets where they shop for ingredients.  In addition, the trainees participated in online demonstrations and were able to practice at home what they have learned while preparing their personal assignments and “delicious” homework. 

Although our participants in the piloting did not have the opportunity to actually travel and visit each of these countries, the trainees had the opportunity to get acquainted with the practical aspects of the studied topics presented by local professionals, to exchange experiences and knowledge with each other and to “feel” (although virtually) the atmosphere of international mobility.

All the efforts for the express reorganization of the piloting and moving from field-trips to online environment were worth it not only because of the shared positive impressions from the participants but also because of the high evaluation of the practical use of the course, the opportunities for establishing contact with different cultures and putting the trainees into a different context, the chance to meet established professionals and to receive a personal guiding by real chefs.

Thanks to all our lecturers and participants!

We hope next time the course will be in the “real life” with actual (but not virtual) visiting of all these countries and amazing places and meeting all the chefs ?