Debunking Beer Can Chicken: A Waste Of Good Beer, And Dangerous
Famous Death Row Last Meals
Photo: YouTube
Sorry to burst your bubble, Olive Garden fans, but that "cooking school" in Tuscany, the one where the chain's chefs supposedly go to learn the secrets of Italian cuisine from the source? It's pretty much a sham.
This according to a former Olive Garden manager, who's causing a flurry of discussion at Reddit (much of it oddly trading on obscene jokes about breadsticks-you've been warned). The manager, posting as FIDELIA079, claims that he scored a lucky, all-expense-paid (except souvenirs) trip to the chain's Tuscan "culinary institute" in 2007.
It seems the Olive Garden doesn't even own the place. They just book all the rooms at some hotel in the off-season, close the place to the public, and take over the restaurant. Sporadic "classes" lasted "maybe an hour here or there" where they would "talk about spices or fresh produce for a minute" before taking the group site-seeing for the day. Lots of drinking ensued.
If it sounds like just a ploy to allow the ubiquitous strip-mall-Italian chain to claim that its staff is trained in the Old Country-apparently, it is.
"The only time we saw the 'chef' was when she made a bolognese sauce while taking pictures with each of us to send to our local newspapers," the anonymous ex-manager says. "They sent pre-written articles to our local newspaper with fake quotes from me and a group photo. Also, every year when they would run the promotion I was supposed to wear a special 'chef' coat and make conversation with guests who ordered the promotional meals."
Does this come as much of a surprise? Seriously, if there's anyone out there who thinks then Olive Garden really serves authentic Italian cooking, then boy have we got a trash bag full of authentic Louis Vuitton purses to sell you.
Still, the insights of disgruntled ex-manager FIDELIA079, whoever he is, are pretty entertaining, especially when it comes to what happened to that coveted "special 'chef' coat":
"I sold it at a garage sale to someone who was going to be a Server-Zombie for Halloween. It had my name on it."
Killed Soldier In London Attack Identified
Live from Microsoft's New Generation Xbox event!
Brave Woman Stood Down Armed London Attackers
Xbox Reveal liveblog on Joystiq
The List #0147: Escape a Car Underwater
Surgeons Remove Giant Hairball From Tiger
Xbox One architecture panel liveblog!
H&M's Plus-Size Model Jennie Runk Says She Chose To Gain Weight
Helen Flanagan Launches PETA Campaign As Only She Knows How
Okla. Sheriff's Deputy Finds Dog Guarding Body Buried Under Destroyed Home
Jodi Arias Jury DEADLOCKED
Reptiles Make Home in UK Man's Cable Box
Okla. School Survivor: Teacher 'Saved Our Lives'
New Trayvon Martin Evidence Features Incriminating Photos, Texts From Teen
Visit the Maldive Islands Before It's Too Late
Demi Looks FANTASTIC In A Bikini
LOOK: Bank Vault Saves 22 Lives During Tornado
LOOK: Photoshop Mistake Is Seriously Cringeworthy
PHOTO: Dog Guards Dead Victim's Body After Oklahoma Tornado Disaster
What It's Like To Talk To A 2-Year-Old
Teenager's 'Awww'-Inspiring Drawing Wins Big At Google
Singer Sues McDonald's, Claims Chicken Sandwich Incident Ruined Her Voice
'DWTS' Shakeup Ahead?
Pope Francis Says All Who Do Good Are Redeemed - Atheists Included
REVEALED: Disturbing Trend In Human Intelligence
Has Katie Holmes Moved On?
Wolf Blitzer's Embarrassing Moment With Tornado Survivor
Man Reportedly Beheaded In Brutal Assault In London Neighborhood
White Father Allegedly Suspected Of Kidnapping Biracial Daughters
PHOTOS: Christie Brinkley Gets Back Into A Swimsuit At 59 Years Old
The World's Most Powerful Women
4-14-2011 @11:51AM Bren said... Well, duh, one taste of their "food" and you know there's no Italian in it.......
Reply
4-15-2011 @2:52PM Eugene Guerra said... I can say, that Olive Garden is indicative of Italian food as McDonalds is indicative of high end dinning.
In other words, Olive Garden sucks.
4-14-2011 @12:18PM tunaman said... "Does this come as much of a surprise?"
No, not when news of this first came out five years ago.
Reply
4-14-2011 @1:51PM Karl Wilder said... Does the Olive Garden even have chefs? It thought it all came pre fab canned and frozen to be reheated in microwaves by teenagers. I was taken once and remember it as one of the worst meals of my life
Reply
4-15-2011 @6:09PM escapeartist said... I heard from a former employee that the meals are frozen. Not a surprise, after eating in Italy ( or any neighborhood Italian place in the U.S. ) I found Olive Garden inedible, even had to return the tiramisu because it had no resemblance in flavor or ingredients to real tiramisu and I've never before or since returned food at any restaurant. Also a little annoying that they have no lunch menu (dinner prices all day!!) and the prices are as high as going to a gourmet restaurant! Such a rip-off!
Reply
4-15-2011 @4:03PM tomgula said... "...the meals are frozen." Just as I suspected.
9-20-2011 @9:40AM TruthTeller said... Hate to burst your bubble, but the meals aren't frozen, the only thing frozen are the sauces and filled pastas. Both of which need to be frozen for transportation purposes. Everything else is fresh, the meats, the cheese and all the vegetables as well.
Also, they do have a lunch menu, and it is less expensive than the dinner menu.
Also, I don't know what you would consider a "gourmet" restaurant, but there prices aren't anywhere even remotely close to the same, that $15 meal at Olive Garden will run you 30-35 at a real gourmet restaurant.
4-15-2011 @5:09PM Isabel Kelley said... I work for the Olove Garden for 10 years in the late 80's n early 90's back then 95% of the food was prep n cooked freah.....don't know what is happening these days,,,,,,,,I .was a Culinary Asst
4-15-2011 @6:26PM escapeartist said... Well, my bubble isn't burst. I could easily be mis-informed on what's microwaved or not but I don't care how it's prepared as long as it tastes good and it's not overpriced. Olive Garden fails on both counts.
I was there on a Saturday at noon, they gave us the dinner menu, with dinner prices. Some of those prices (not all) were comparable with 4 star restaurants I have eaten at in the city. The bill was way too big for 3 seniors and one adult.
And I must admit before I ever ate at family owned Italian restaurants or in Italy itself I loved the Olive Garden, I understand how and why people like it. But my palate adjusted to different tastes and textures and Olive Garden has never been the same to me.
I will however eat the salad there. :)
5-01-2011 @1:20PM Andi said... No kidding. When hubby and I realized that we could easily get a better meal with better ingredients for about the same price at one of the locally owned restaurants we stopped going. My mom can tell me about how real their food used to be (the pasta was apparently actually made in front of the customers at some point) and says that its sad how it's changed.
4-14-2011 @3:46PM Coco Pazzo said... This helps explain why their current ads are touting their "Herb cheese soffatelli," inspired by Italy. As near as I can tell, "soffatelli" is an Olive Garden invention (or bastardization) of the Italian word "sfogiatelle" a flaky pastry shell often filled with sweet mascarpone cheese. Looks a bit like a clamshell and is very popular in Naples.
Sfogiatelle means "many leaves/layers" the pastry's texture resembling leaves stacked on each other.
So leave it to Olive Garden no change not only the food but also its name, dumbing down both in hopes of making them more acceptable to American palates.
Reply
4-23-2011 @7:50AM JDV said... LOL! You made me spit my coffee, glad I'm not the only one who scratched my head over this!
4-28-2011 @4:36PM jjulianus said... Yes! That's exactly why I call them the "Taco Bell of Italian Food"
4-14-2011 @4:41PM Mitchell said... My sister worked for Olive Garden. She pretty much said nothing was fresh made. So these chefs going to learn about spices and fresh produce is worthless. They don't have any creative freedom in the restaurants to use what they learn. So, what's the point of sending them, other than for a smoke and mirrors effect?
Reply
4-15-2011 @1:16AM afoodlover said... Creative freedom? Are you kidding me? A recipe from a major company is created for a reason because it was tested over and over again and that's how it was finalized and sent to the restaurant level nationwide. Do you REALLY want someone to have creative freedom, that means if you order your favorite dish at one location it will NOT taste the same at the next location. If you want creative freedom that's what small non chain restaurants are for. Even if major hotels you don't get that option, you follow the damm recipe that the company or hotel GIVES you. It's upto the executive chefs of hotels or the corporate culinary department to have creative freedom in dishes, not the cook at the restaurant level of a 700+ restaurant chain.
The culinary institute teaches you why it's important to follow the recipes, how to layer flavors of our recipes and to teach you about ingredients, how to check quality, how to match wines with foods and guess what if you DO follow all this, then you DO get the quality of food served correctly to you at the table instead of it being so random and missing key flavors that would've developed in the dish.
4-15-2011 @6:59PM Mitchell said... I was not stating that they SHOULD spice up every recipe or change the flavors of dishes with their new found knowledge. Clearly this is a chain, like others, that need to maintain flavor across the board.
I'm simply stating that if they will never be able to use what they learn, what's the point. But as you clearly stated below, they don't send actual chefs, they send upper management.
4-14-2011 @5:53PM afoodlover said... Wow you guys are full of sh*t. I have been with the company for almost 8 yrs (started as a server) and been the kitchen manager for almost 4 yrs now. Of course some stuff is frozen, that's normal for any restaurant. but not everything is. All sauces and soups are indeed made everyday and everything was frozen and just microwaved then why do my 3 prep people each have a 9 hr list everyday and they work an 8 hr shift PLUS they help cook on the line, and clean and check in orders and do inventory. They work their asses off, and so do I. I have not yet gone to italy but my G.M. and several other managers in my city have gone and they have absolutely loved it and had a great experience.
and if you pay attention to the current promotion just like other menu items, it says INSPIRED by italy. Which means yes it's americanized because most americans TRULY do not like authentic food from any country, they can't handle the REAL thing. So yes it is changed up and olive garden has admitted that on good morning america a few months ago..
Reply
4-15-2011 @1:01AM GM said... Wow, afoodlover
The commenter following you implies you are a liar. Bummer.
4-15-2011 @2:44AM Nancy said... Well thank you for your hard work and thanks to the entire kitchen and wait staff as well. I love Olive Garden, splurge on it occasionally and always love what I order. The minestrone is wonderful.
For the record, Grandpa Cheech was from Sicily, grew his own garden, made his own wine and cheese and Grandma Raphaella was from Naples... the food I learned to eat at their table was as authentic as it gets. I'll never never never find that at a restaurant and rarely, if ever, go out for "Italian" food. Olive Garden is the exception, precisely because it is so much more complex than what my Italian grandparents prepared.
Have fun in Italy! Lucky you!
4-15-2011 @2:07AM OnToYou said... You are pretty obviously an Olive Garden P.R. person getting paid to reduce the impact of this story. In reality, it doesn't matter, Americans are so used to bland, over-processed non foods that any chain near a shopping center is going to do just fine.