In a cooking school, there are lessons that stick around.
The day with Raffaele Lenzi , executive chef of the Michelin-starred Il Sereno al Lago restaurant, is one of those. It's more than just a meeting. It's a glimpse into the real work of a signature cuisine and a moment where students on the Professional Cooking Course experience what it means to bring an idea to the plate.
Vision before technique
Lenzi starts from a clear point: every dish is born from a thought.
He talks about how he builds a menu, how he works on contrasts and balance, how he chooses an ingredient and what he wants to achieve from a gesture.
For students, it's a different way of looking at work: no longer just execution, but intention.
The method: precision, rhythm, control
During the lesson, the chef leads the team of students in preparations taken from Sereno's gastronomic menu.
We are working on:
- short but precise cooking times
- plant extracts and reductions
- consistencies that must communicate
- clean plating, without superfluous elements
The class follows every step. They must respect timing, temperatures, and movements.
The message is simple: detail is not a whim, it is the basis of the profession.
Learning by doing
The value of visiting chefs lies precisely here.
The students cook alongside the chef. They don't watch. They participate.
They dirty their jacket, make a mistake, redo it, find the right gesture.
It's a direct comparison that changes the way you work in the kitchen.
Those who study immediately understand how different it is to see the method up close compared to reading it in a recipe.
Course Teaching: Why This Experience Matters
In Congusto's professional path, lessons with guest chefs are designed for:
- refine technique and autonomy
- develop observation skills
- learn to manage pressure and pace
- understand how the professionals of a structured restaurant think
- broaden references and gastronomic culture
Every encounter adds a layer.
Each chef brings a piece of his vision and makes it available to the students.
A path that prepares you for real work
The course doesn't just aim to teach recipes.
It builds a solid foundation for joining the team: posture, order, cleanliness, method, ability to read the work of others.
The presence of visiting chefs like Lenzi gives substance to all this.
Students see standards, expectations, and languages that they will find in the kitchens where they will intern.
Admissions for the March 2026 session are open. The class has limited places available.
Joining now means entering a program where teaching meets signature cuisine in a direct and seamless way. To schedule an online consultation, click here.
