Hello everyone!
In 1992, I graduated with a degree in Chemistry because I really love it. I've always been a nerd, and studying chemistry really let off steam, so much so that after graduation I began a PhD. PhDs aren't very well known in Italy, but they're essential if you want to pursue a university career. It involves doing scientific research and studying (a lot) at university for 3-4 years for a pittance (basically a godsend for a masochist).
Honestly, becoming a university professor was my dream, but the years of precarious employment that lay ahead put me off. So I looked for an alternative to washing windows at traffic lights (I confess that I once even started calculating how much window cleaners earn; I wasn't so much interested in the "earnings" as I was in the statistical calculations based on the length of red lights—did I mention I'm a nerd?). As I was saying, after discarding the window-washing career, I came across Carpigiani, which in 1997 was looking for a chemistry or biology graduate with a good command of English and a willingness to travel.
I had a degree in Chemistry, a PhD in Biology, I loved speaking English, and traveling had always been one of my dreams. Let's just say I was in the right place at the right time. This situation is usually summed up in a four-letter, rounded word: you're sitting on it.
The funny thing is that I didn't understand anything about ice cream, for two simple reasons:
- When I went to the ice cream shop I would get granita, because ice cream made me thirsty.
- I had never shown any particular interest in the world of sweets.
They told me not to worry, that I'd get to know them. In fact, after the first few months on the job, I began to feel comfortable. I've always been enthusiastic, and I was really starting to enjoy the job, so much so that I even did my homework (the usual snob). I'd also involved my girlfriend in my new passion, and on a Gilera RV 125, we toured most of Bologna's ice cream parlors. A few weeks of ice cream binges followed, aided by the mild June air. My waistline was clear evidence that I was doing my homework every day. After two weeks of ice cream parlors, my better half, understandably, was fed up with ice cream.
After seven years at Carpigiani and a couple of world tours, I was asked to move to Japan. Some decisions aren't made instantly; you have to think carefully and weigh the pros and cons before embarking on an adventure on the other side of the world. And in fact, I thought about it for a good 3-4 milliseconds before accepting. My mind was there, pondering and evaluating, while my heart had already packed my suitcase and booked my ticket to Tokyo.
From 2004 to 2008, I taught dozens of gelato courses and held just as many trade shows in the Land of the Rising Sun. Not to mention the bizarre gelatos I was asked to make, from potato to mushroom. I couldn't count the number of times I was asked if it was possible to make gelato with raw fish, a question I deflected by saying it was a gastronomic gelato, quite different from gelato in a cone.
Meanwhile, I began collaborating with Punto IT magazine. I wrote about Japanese culinary traditions, sake ice cream, and tofu making. We'd decide on the topic and then try to write something engaging and informative for Italian ice cream makers. It was truly exciting to imagine the photos, take them, and then see them printed in a magazine.
In 2009, I began working with IRINOX as an agent for the Romagna region. From teacher to salesman, some people told me I wasn't suited to the job, and I must admit, it was quite a struggle. For three years, I visited almost every pastry shop, ice cream parlor, and baker in Romagna, and I met some excellent professionals with whom I've remained in touch.
In 2012, I decided to dedicate myself full-time to consulting and teaching; after all, it's what I love doing. I returned to Japan to teach for two years, where I maintain strong contacts.
Since 2010, I've been a teacher at CAST Alimenti in Brescia, collaborating with Danilo Freguja. Danilo and I have created a unique series of courses: we experiment with new products firsthand and explain the chemistry behind them. The funny thing is, between the two of us, I'm the serious one—you can imagine the atmosphere!
In 2014 I wrote my first book “4 steps in the chemistry of ice cream” where I explain some of the chemical phenomena that occur when making ice cream.
And we've arrived at 2021, I finally managed to realize the publishing project I'd had in mind for a long time: GELATOLOGY .
Oh, I almost forgot: in 2016 I gave in to the temptation to open an ice cream shop in partnership with a person I didn't know well and after 1 year I closed it. While I was doing the inventory, I cheered myself up by thinking about Walt Disney (who went bankrupt 5 times) and Winston Churchill who used to say:
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm.”
That never left me.
Happy Ice Cream to everyone!
Paolo
PS: If you're interested in attending one of my classes, please leave your sadness and bad mood at home. Bring a suitcase of joy instead, and we'll have fun learning about ice cream from a new perspective: a chemical one.
