[attach id=216896 size="large"]Photo: Chris Sant Fournier[/attach]
We don’t really associate youth with commitment. True, they do feel a sense of duty to their hair and loud music, but not to work – that’s for adults. However, meeting 23-year-old Etienne Farrugia will make you stop, think and change your mind.
Etienne graduated in hotel management from the Institute of Tourism Studies in 2010. He is full of life and it’s a joy to listen to him talk passionately about his studies, wine, work and hospitality in general. He even speaks highly of his lecturers, a rare thing for a young man.
When I ask Etienne where he gets this passion from his answer is immediate: “ITS gave me knowledge and nurtured in me a love of food, management and especially wine. They gave me the opportunity to find out what suits me best and what I’m best at doing.”
When he was still in his final year at ITS, Etienne started working at Zeri’s Restaurant in Portomaso where he is supervisor reporting only to the manager. He now handles anything connected to wine at the restaurant, from orders for the restaurant to wine promotions and of course recommending to patrons what goes best with the food they order.
During his time at ITS, Etienne enrolled in some basic wine courses and there he learnt all he knows about wine. According to him the world of wine today has changed and is changing all the time.
While preparing the wine list for the restaurant – which changes every four to six months – he actually discusses with diners about what wines interest them and what flavours are in at the moment.
“Everyone is now more knowledgeable about wine,” he tells me. “This is great news for us as we can order accordingly. Feedback from our diners also means that we don’t just hear it from the experts – we get advice from people who are out for a meal and who enjoy their wine and food.”
Etienne keeps himself updated and reads all he can get his hands on about wine. His aim is to pursue his studies to become a sommelier.
I ask Etienne what wines are his own favourites. He waxes lyrical about anything Italian. He is a great lover of anything Italian especially wines from the south.
In his final year at ITS, Etienne placed first in a wine course he had attended and was awarded a week’s stay at some leading wineries, sponsored by Cleland & Souchet. There Etienne saw first-hand how a French winery operates and loved every minute of it, prompting his French hosts to exude praise for his dedication and passion.
A love of work and being not just diligent but also full of enthusiasm are attributes which most Maltese hospitality students are renowned for abroad. During their ITS courses, students go abroad for six months to work in a foreign hotel. And the hotels love having Maltese students – they always speak very highly of how well they adjust, move up the ladder and how they are some of the most dependable students.
We definitely do well when we export – even if for a short duration – our human assets abroad. According to Etienne this is partly due to our national character. It also comes about because, as he says, “ITS prepares us well and gives us a great mix of what is out there in the industry. We don’t just hear about practices – we learn by doing it all. ITS is tough but a great experience.”
This idea that ITS doesn’t just teach or show but also involves the hotel and restaurant industry to find out what is needed is one of the main secrets of its success story. ITS goes out to those running successful establishments, speaks to them and discovers the current trends and what is expected to be the way forward tomorrow. This gives ITS a value which it can then impart in the students. And students like Etienne quickly come to appreciate all that they learn.