Rigorous training
The chef's training pit at the Accademia Bocuse d'Or Italia is decked out with high-tech equipment.
Silvia Marchetti
Winning the competition is a matter of precision and rigor, and chef Enrico Crippa, president of the new academy, is adept at both.
Each day he looks after his private "vegetable garden" to make sure his special "Salad 21...31...41...", served at Alba's three Michelin-starred Piazza Duomo restaurant, is worth its 45 euro price tag.
"Our champion will be given a cooking gym, a training box where he can replicate his top dish each day here in Alba," says Crippa.
"He'll be paid with a contract as a real professional cook and hosted by our city. We will put at his disposal also a restaurant to test his creations."
The trouble is Italy has so far invested little in promoting its cuisine at the Bocuse d'Or contest.
It previously lacked sponsors to fund its chefs, who must exclusively focus on preparing for the big event for months, putting aside their work at leading world restaurants.
However the academy has now gotten private and public sponsors to step in to help redeem Italian cuisine.
The training pit in Alba will be identical to the one used at the Bocuse d'Or contest, with high-tech sleek equipment and a support team.
There will be a psychologist to help Ruggieri handle stress and food designers to suggest how to turn the dish into a work of art by selecting the best tableware.
Molecular chemists will help with food substances and graphic experts will design the most appealing menu.