Now in his 2nd year of an MBA in International Hotel Management, Luca Gattino shares his impressions of his Foundation Year at Vatel Bordeaux. The gourmet student also proclaims his love of Piedmontese and Turinese gastronomy.

Earning a degree in Applied Foreign Languages, Luca Gattino studied English, German and Portuguese in Turin (in northern Italy’s Piedmont region). He then decided to turn toward the hospitality sector and enrolled at Vatel Bordeaux for his  Foundation Year.before his MBA in International Hotel Managezment.

Foreign language studies often lead to a career as an interpreter. Why did you opt for hospitality, instead?

Thanks to my father, I had the good fortune to experience and live in gorgeous 4- and 5-star hotels and resorts. The field of hospitality will undoubtedly give me the chance to travel all over the world. While in the second year of my bachelor program, I heard about Vatel Bordeaux during summer vacation, which inspired me to enroll.

What did you like most about Vatel’s Foundation Year?

It was a very intense year, divided between theory and practice. I really appreciated marketing and the restaurant environment. I was surprised to find I enjoyed studying taxation. I came to understand the importance of establishing a margin between the purchase price and the sale price of a dish, and of good inventory management.

Which hospitality profession interests you the most?

Since I was 15 years old, I have always had a passion for every country’s culinary traditions. Thanks to my different work experiences as a captain at Les Tables Vatel, I have come to truly love food service, cooking and fine dining.

I am very interested in a position as a Food & Beverage Manager. I did my four-month Foundation Year internship working as the Assistant Food & Beverage Manager at the Kube Saint-Tropez hotel. During that time, I was able to improve my mastery of several of the functions of a manager in this branch, such as organizing the schedules of all of the restaurant teams and performing month-end stock-taking.

You are a lover of fine foods. Can you tell us about your favorite specialty from the Piedmont region?

Bagna cauda, a hot dipping sauce full of the flavors of anchovies, garlic and olive oil, which is typically accompanied by potatoes or vegetables.

And from Turin?

Bicerin, a before-dinner liqueur made of hot chocolate, milk and cream, served in a glass.

Initially attracted to hotel management when he first matriculated at Vatel Bordeaux, Luca Gattino now plans to focus on restaurant management.