Olive Garden's Italian Job? Ex- employee claims annual staff trip to Tuscan cookery school is 'little more than a paid vacation'

Italian restaurant chain Olive Garden has come under fire over a former employee's claims that the company's famous cookery school in Tuscany, Italy, is little more than a promotional gimmick.

The chain says that it sends key staff on annual visits to its cooking school in in Chianti, where they learn about the native fare that inspires its menu.

But the ex-restaurant worker, who posted allegations anonymously on social news website Reddit.com last week, claims that the trips are little more than all-expenses-paid vacations.

The allegations come days after a mother in Lakeland, Florida claimed her toddler was accidentally served sangria at the restaurant.

Gmmick? A former employee of Olive Garden says the company's annual staff trip for training in Italy was little more than a paid vacation

The Olive Garden website reads: '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.'

It describes how they learn skills 'like how to choose the freshest ingredients, layering flavors to create the perfect meal, and pairing flavorful wines with each entrée to enhance the dining experience.'

But the anonymous ex-employee, who claims to have attended a trip to the culinary institute in 2007, says that staff enjoy and learn little about Italian cuisine at the Culinary Institute of Tuscany.



Using the alias FIDELIA079, he wrote: 'Basically, yes, they send people to Italy every year.

Another post read: 'There wasn't much learning involved. Still though, it was a free trip to Italy.

'As a manager I still got paid my salary and didn't have to use vacation time, it counted as "work." They paid for everything from meals, sightseeing, flight, everything except souvenirs.'

Authentic fare? Olive Garden's executive chef, Sicilian Paolo Lafata, hosts an annual educational trip to Tuscany, Italy, for key staff He claimed Olive Garden bosses do not own a cooking school but rather book rooms at a local hotel in the off-season between November and March, when the venue is closed to the public. During that time, he alleged occasional classes are held that last 'maybe an hour here or there' and instructors 'talk about spices or fresh produce for a minute' before taking the group sightseeing for the day. He added: 'It was a fun trip, lots of sightseeing, lots of going out and eating and drinking on the OG [Olive Garden] dime,' he continued in another post. The overreaching purpose of the trips, he claimed, was to serve as an opportunity to market the chain's authentic take on Italian cuisine to the U.S. press.



Italian idyll: The Culinary Institute of Tuscany is located in the village of Riserva di Fizzano in Chianti, and has hosted 1,200 Olive Garden employees

'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.

'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,' he wrote.

Olive Garden, which is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, has strongly denied the allegations.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'For over a decade, the Culinary Institute of Tuscany has served as a training ground for more than 1,200 Olive Garden chefs and restaurant managers.



Allegations: The Olive Garden ex-manager claimed that 'there wasn't much learning involved' during his trip to the cooking school

'Only selected Olive Garden employees have the opportunity to accompany Olive Garden Executive Chef Paolo Lafata to the CIT.



'A sampling of activities includes learning Italian cooking techniques from our partners at Riserva di Fizzano and other local experts; shopping for fresh produce in local markets; and an immersion in Italian culture and its focus on hospitality.'



Earlier this week, the restaurant came under fire after diner Jill Van Heest claimed her two-year-old son was served sangria instead of orange juice during a trip to her local Olive Garden in Lakeland, Florida, on March 31.



The boy was rushed to the Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where his mother had to explain to doctors that her son was drunk. He was put on an IV drip and has made a full recovery.



Ms Van Heest is planning legal action against the chain.