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ANDREA PIOPPI, CAN YOU BE BORN A LIBEROIMPASTATORE OR
DO YOU BECOME ONE? |
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Born and bred in Perugia, he was shaped from water and flour playing next to the
family oven, a magic place where - from his earliest years - he learnt what it means
to live the hard life of a baker. After 20 years at the family firm, Il Forno di Pioppi, and a diploma in applied bio-chemistry, he has decided to follow his vocation as a liberoimpastatore ("free-spirited dough kneader"), as a consultant to the baking sector for mills, bread shops, pastry shops, pizzerias, restaurants, catering firms and suppliers of raw materials, semi-finished products and professional equipment. His work includes: • Bakery product analysis and planning for sector operators; • Creation of bakery products; • Charting production methods for bakeries, pizzerias and cake shops; • Customer service and sales network creation in the baking sector; • Support for baking start-ups; • Research and development in the use of flour, yeast, sugar, fats and semi-finished products in the baking sector. As far as the business of creation, management and production of bakery products is concerned, Andrea Pioppi follows the philosophy of the liberoimpasto (basic dough in movement), and – together with clients – develops recipes in line with the client’s production facilities, taking into account the available ingredients, equipment and staff experience. As a coach, Andrea the liberoimpastatore takes a holistic approach to his work, always bearing in mind the “energy” of the people involved in the baking process, which he sees as the "soul" of the workplace. His methods, which he adapts according to clients' individual needs, include both theoretical-motivational and practical-productive sections. CHARITY work He has worked with Caritas Umbria, with Frontiera Lavoro to create the “Gulliver” social cooperative – SOLIDARITY OVEN at Terni prison, with the Humanitarian Aid Association "Un forno per Kinshasa” (‘An Oven for Kinshasa’) and with the Umbrian section of the Italian Coeliac Association. INTERESTS Andrea is a great lover of R&B, soul and funk music, and plays the drums in the SOUL SEVEN. |
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EMOTIONAL KNEADING THERAPY:
IT’S THE JOURNEY THAT MATTERS |
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Andrea Pioppi has drawn on extensive, lifelong experience both in Italy and abroad
to create and develop impastoterapia® emozionale – "emotional kneading therapy" –
an approach that seeks to be a metaphor for life and to heal the soul, and which
is accessible to everyone. It involves a technique that uses working with dough as a non-traditional training method since it is neither based on recipes nor strictly focused on results, but focuses on the flow of work itself, on the journey that we all have to make in our lives, on our state of mind, on our emotions and how we manage them. Seen this way, baking becomes a liberating art which stimulates our senses, our soul and our consciousness, starting us on a process of understanding which goes beyond bakery products to embrace a sharper, truer vision of ourselves and of the world. |
With his emotional kneading therapy, Andrea Pioppi wants to help people to get more
involved with what they are doing, without thinking too much about the strict
mathematics of the recipe, and instead supporting their desire to rediscover themselves
and to become liberoimpastatori, shaping their own existence along
with the flour. The emotional benefits of kneading are well-known by the medical profession. Emotional kneading therapy is the result of lengthy research, discussion and dialogue with psychologists, career coaches, physiotherapists, doctors and researchers. |
| "Every so often, my soul likes to stop and listen to my hands" | |
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| THE BAKER’S ART: TRAINING & COACHING |
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As well as consultancy, Andrea Pioppi also has experience in training. An expert
teacher in the art of baking and the use of modern technology in Italian
bread-making and pizza-baking, Andrea has worked for a number of important training
centres in Italy and abroad. Starting in 2007, these include Perugia’s Università
dei Sapori (University of Flavours), Assisi’s Hotel Institute, FORMA.T and the ZSGS
(Zespòl Skòl Gastronomiczino Spozywcych - Professional Hotel Training School) in
Olsztyn (Poland).
Andrea already has more than 3,000 students, who he inspires his students
with curiosity, passion and the desire to learn, as well as teaching the
art of baking. .
He has always preferred to take a scientific approach to his work as an educator
and consultant, using tools such as epistemology and maieutics (the Socratic
method) to emphasize the objective and deep meaning of ideas, the deepest sense
of his training, to make him more of a coach than a teacher, and a better motivator
for all his pupils. Since 2007 he has been working in education and consultancy for important Italian retail purchasing consortia (known as GDOs). In 2010 Andrea led training courses on Italian baking, pastry and pizza making for Italo-Brazilian chefs in the P.A.R.T.I. project in Porto Alegre.. In January 2013 he was honoured to be chosen as President of the Jury at the SIGEP Golden Bread Cup – an international bread-making competition – which was held at the SIGEP show in Rimini. |
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TEAM BUILDING "LIFE IS LIKE A DOUGH": DOUGH IS TRANSITORY,
EMOTIONS LINGER ON
What is it? A modern cutting-edge approach to training characterized by its ability to motivate and inspire emotions using the magic of rising yeast. Through the simple ingredients used in the dough used to make bread, Andrea Pioppi has found a unique, emotional and engaging way to express the complexity of life and to explore ways to approach it with participants. Andrea’s work does not limit itself to a masterful professional and technical performance: he pours all of himself into it, kneading together the art of bakery with literature, philosophy and music. Who is it aimed at? It is aimed at people who work in company organizations, public and private bodies, and professional firms of every size and in every market sector. This type of team experience produces its best results with small groups of not more than 10-12 people. What are the benefits? It helps participants develop their intuition and decision-making skills as part of a team. It is particularly useful for HR managers who want to strengthen company teams helping to enhance mutual understanding and collaboration between different members of an organization. The goal is to improve performance and to develop a sense of empowerment at both an individual and group level. How is it different from thematic team-building exercises? What Andrea Pioppi brings to the table goes beyond the experience of baking food in itself, and develops the participants’ awareness of how the change has taken place. The light-hearted aspect blends with the educational and training side so the experience generates both hard and soft knowledge. Where can it be done? The courses can be organized anywhere, but work best in locations which are particularly evocative and suitably equipped, such hotels, spas, and agriturismi (farmhouse B&Bs). How long does it last? One or two days, including preparing the dough and baking. |
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