Olive Garden Accused Lying About Tuscan-trained Chefs

[The Straight Story]

Olive Garden Accused Lying About Tuscan-trained Chefs

It should come as a shock to very few that Italian restaurant chain Olive Garden does not employ chefs trained in the hills of Tuscany, but that is exactly why the American franchise is facing criticism.

A new marketing ploy advertised that the restaurant sent cooks to Italy to learn how to prepare authentic dishes. Now, a former employee is cooking up trouble by claiming that Olive Garden’s Tuscan cooking school in Chianti is merely a ploy to sell more breadsticks.

Olive Garden claims on their website that: "More than 1,100 Olive Garden chefs and managers have traveled to Italy and learned the essential skills for creating traditional Italian cuisine and popular Italian great dishes."

The ex-employee, who attended the Olive Garden’s Tuscan cooking school in 2007, explained that there wasn’t much learning involved. The annual trip turns out to be more of an off-season Italian holiday than a training experience.

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/olive-garden/olive-garden-accused-lying-about-tuscan-trained-chefs

[slackmaster]

1. They were actually trained in Tucson

:hide:

[wtmusic]

7. LOL I always get those confused

[valerief]

13. The ones who didn't look too "immy-granty". nt

[KittyWampus]

2. Maybe they mean the Italian village at Disney?

[Codeine]

3. Tuscan chefs use olive oil and garlic.

Neither is much in evidence at Olive Garden.

[Dreamer Tatum]

9. Actually, garlic is all you can taste at Olive Garden. nt

[Umbral]

Not true, you can often taste the can the sauce came out of. nt

[supernova]

4. Schocked. .. SHOCKED!! I tell you..

[HughBeaumont]

5. I always laugh at the Italian Mickey D's "Tuscan Chefs" Commercials.

Whutta buncha bullshit.

[Danger Mouse]

6. Anybody who believed that nonsense deserves the stomach cramps...

you get from eating at Olive Garden.

[madokie]

8. Our oldest son is a cook at Olive Garden

He was never invited to go to Italy though, the turkeys anyway, but he does get paid pretty good.

[Poll_Blind]

10. I dunno, if they're sending their staff to Italy at all they are ahead of at least 75% of...

...all the Italian restaurants out there! Honestly, it's hard to believe they would go through that expense and then, I dunno, tell them to cook crappy food. Now, does that mean (IMO) that a cook sent to Italy will magically get the ability to make excellent Italian food?

No, of course not.

PB

[Blue Owl]

11. That would be Fred Tuscan, an instructor at the Culinary Institute

(just kidding)

[riderinthestorm]

12. I can't get past the part that Olive Garden actually pays for 1100 employees to go vacation in Italy

Annually. Sa-weet! What kind of perk is that!

[Lint Head]

What did the Italian dentist tell the elephant from Alabama?

Tuscaloosa.

[Lint Head]

14. dup deleted

[Erose999]

15. "1,100 chefs and managers" is a drop in the bucket compared to the size of the company, I'm sure.

And what can you learn in Tuscany that you can't learn stateside. Seems like if they were serious they'd work with stateside schools and send ALL their chefs, too.

[Morning Dew]

16. I understand they also sponsor a culinary appreciation school

for their very youngest customers. It's in Brest, France.

[Cirque du So-What]

17. I'm SHOCKED!

You mean that bland, ketchup & noodles fare isn't authentic Tuscan cuisine? I am utterly surprised that a franchise would misrepresent their food in that manner! Next thing you know, you'll be telling me Taco Bell isn't authentic Mexican cuisine.

[customerserviceguy]

22. Y'know what I'm surprised by?

The simple fact that there are ANY Olive Gardens around here. I live within half an hour of NYC, and there are so very many high quality Italian restaurants around here, and they don't all charge a fortune, either. Of course, the pizza here is top notch, and I'm just as amazed that Pizza Hut and Domino's do any business, either.

[Cirque du So-What]

23. I remember an episode of 'The Office'

where clueless Michael was in Manhattan, and he talked into the camera about going to his favorite pizzeria - one that offered 'real New York-style' pizza. He gestured behind him as the camera panned out to reveal a Sbarro's. I guess the tourists are either too lazy or too chickenshit to step outside their comfort zone and enjoy specialties that are offered outside their little burg.

[immoderate]

18. I find them OK except on pasta.

They can't get past firm. At least that's what they tell me.

I kinda like their sauces and salads. Too bad.

--imm

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. The vast majority of their dishes wouldn't be cooked by anybody north of Rome

Hell, the vast majority of Italian food in America should just be called Napolitano and Siciliano food, and be done with it.

[emulatorloo]

20. Thanks for the link, I laugh out loud when I see that commercial n/t

[fasttense]

21. The last time we ate there, one of the chefs told us the meal came out of a bag.

We had ordered a dish with crawdads. But when it arrived, there were NO, none, nada crawdads. We complained and a chef came out to our table. He looked at the meal, shrugged and said we don't add the crawdads the sauce comes in a bag that we just heat up.

At least they heat it up.

[progressoid]

24. Do they allow breast feeding in restaurants in Tuscany?

:shrug:

[WatsonT]

25. Well . . . duh

did anyone actually believe those commercials?