Artisans in the Classroom: Teach Me a Trade

Photo cover: Interior of the A. Mattei bakery, 1925/30, photo by Massai In the centre: Ernesto Pandolfini Second from the right: Alfonso Piccioli holding a bundle of tagliolini (or spaghetti) with a coworker.
Bread and pasta were produced daily at the Mattei bakery until the 1940s.

The aim of the project is to promote and disseminate the local historical tradition linked to the food sector while also creating synergies between local artisan businesses such as bakers, pasta makers, biscuit makers, pastry chefs, and the Francesco Datini Technical Hospitality Institute, which is related to the gastronomic world.

It's a way of sharing and letting the students know the history that surrounds them and what they are part of. Did you know that the Antonio Mattei factory started as a simple BAKERY? In the 1800s, bread, pasta, anise cantucci (slightly sweetened bread dough), biscuits, and other items were made, and that production of Prato biscuits and sweets was limited to public holidays back then.

Another historical and gastronomic curiosity is that in the city of PRATO, just outside the city walls, there were more than 24 mills in 1584, and many more if we consider the historic centre! At that time, the city had numerous bakers, and the Prato loaf was already well known far beyond the city walls. From the crafts of the baker, the pasta maker, and the Prato biscuit maker, modern fresh pastry developed, which has made our city known beyond the country's borders. As a matter of fact, our city is home to some of the best pastry shops in the nation, several pastry chefs from the city of Prato have even been world champions in pastry-making.

To enhance this "heritage" and make it known to the new generations, The Mattei Biscuit Factory has become the spokesperson for two projects. One short-term project, which will start in October this year: Artisans in the Classroom: Teach Me a Trade. The other is a long-term project: the Academy of Bread, Pasta, Prato Biscuits, and Fresh Pastry. For this, we'll see...

The F. Datini Hospitality Institute will dedicate some hours of the workshops (already planned in the curriculum) to artisans operating in the Prato area who are willing to bring their trade, their history, and their professionalism into the classroom, alongside a subject teacher. In short, it's about letting the students get their hands dirty making dough!

Of course, a trade cannot be taught in a few hours, but insights and maybe inspirations can be provided. Students who show interest can later be involved and directed to internships with artisans willing to host them. We are looking for those who can teach a trade. Not a theorist, not a historian, no! Or at least not just that. We are looking for those who are in the field, highly experienced, with flour on their hands and the smell of dough on their jackets and aprons. Those who, day after day, still have the desire to do it and... to teach it, but above all, who can transmit the love for what they do!

All artisans in the Prato area who work with flour that want to offer their availability are welcome to do so! Here are some of the artisans and professionals currently part of the project along with Biscottificio Antonio Mattei.

For bread and more: Forno Bartolini, Forno Fogacci, Forno Guasti, Forno Santini, Forno il Ponte, Nuovo Forno Panci.
For Pasta: Ferraboschi, Mariotti, Olmi.
Per Pastry and more: Ciolini, F&G, Luca Mannori, Nuovo Mondo, Peruzzi, Sergio Signorini, Zarini.

To all of you, I make this appeal:

If you want to contribute... tell us what you think is the best bread you've ever tasted in Prato, or your favourite fresh pasta, almond biscuits, focaccia. Do you have breakfast at home or outside? Where? What's your favourite pastry shop or cafeteria?
...there are only two restrictions, they must be exclusively ARTISAN activities operating in the city of Prato. 

Letizia Pandolfini