Six weeks ago I began the second half of my culinary externship here in the lovely Sorrento, Italy.  I transitioned from my Italian cooking classes at Mami Camilla cooking school into the fast-paced kitchen of a mainstay restaurant in Sorrento, Ristorante Tasso (www.ristorantetasso.it).  This charming establishment situated on Via Correale, right off of the main square in Sorrento proper, serves traditional Sorrentine cuisine at its best.  Everything from grilled local seafood, traditional antipasti, risotto and pasta dishes galore, to wood-fired pizzas, calzones, and artfully plated regional desserts.  (I even went undercover to check out the place before I began working here with my sister Mary Lauren, when we had dinner here in April…I knew then that it was going to be a great place to work!)

I’m going to be honest here: coming into an established Italian kitchen, (filled with only men mind you, who speak minimal English) was a bit daunting.  I mean, this kitchen is a well-oiled machine: just the right amount of cooks in the kitchen to get the job done and each one of them skilled, quick on their feet, and very knowledgeable about their duties at hand. And here I arrive, an American culinary student fresh out of school, in a new country, and ready to get started.  From the get-go, they were friendly, ready to teach me, and as welcoming as they could be.  I will always remember my first task being to chop a bunch of flat-leafed, Italian parsley, and my last task on Friday was to make a skewered appetizer dish of fresh octopus and grilled potatoes.

My time in the kitchen at Ristorante Tasso was quite an experience.  Just being surrounded by these remarkable, dedicated cooks on a daily basis, seeing how a true Italian restaurant kitchen operates, and having the opportunity to learn some of their skills is a time in my life that I will certainly cherish.  One of my favorite memories was Chef Carmine coming up to me one afternoon and asking if I had a recipe for chicken wings.  They had about 50 chicken wings in the kitchen that they didn’t have any plans for, and he wanted to know what sort of tips I might have in cooking them.  So here I am, a true Southern girl born in the great state of Louisiana, showing an Italian chef how to make fried chicken wings.  They ate my chicken wings, breaded in a mixture of flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley and of course, Tabasco sauce, for dinner at the family meal that night and they were a hit! I loved having the opportunity to share one of my cooking secrets with the kitchen that was sharing so much of their talent with me.

And so, as my time at Ristorante Tasso closes, I want to send a big thank you to all the staff.  I truly enjoyed my time learning with all of you.  Most of all, thank you to Chef Carmine who made me feel appreciated each and every day, and was willing to take time out of his busy days to demonstrate and teach me just a fraction of his culinary skills.  Grazie mille, Ristorante Tasso!

Tagged: culinary school, externship, Italy, Ristorante Tasso, Sorrento