Associazione Italiana Cuochi
Founded by Simone Falcini, AIC brings together culinary professionals around the development of their craft and the promotion of Italian food culture.
Discover AIC ↗From a craft
to a community.
AIC UK brings an Italian culinary outlook to the United Kingdom: sharing knowledge, creating professional connections and giving regional food culture a wider audience.
01 / THE STARTING POINTWhy come
Why come
together?
A recipe can be written down. A craft is passed on. The feel of a dough, the judgement behind a cooking time, the care of welcoming a guest: these skills become stronger when people work and learn together.
This is the idea behind our approach to association life. Make room for experienced professionals and people at the beginning of their journey. Bring chefs into conversation with producers, sommeliers and hospitality teams. Turn an introduction into something practical.
Our British chapter carries that spirit forward, with roots in Italian regional cooking and an openness to the people and cultures of the United Kingdom.
THE ROOTS OF OUR TRAININGFirst learn.
First learn.
Then pass it on.
The training story behind AIC UK begins in Empoli, in the early 2010s, with Enrico Fogli’s professional development at Accademia Italiana Chef under Simone Falcini. His professional chef diploma dates to 2013: a foundation in technique, discipline and learning through practice.
That relationship with a teacher and mentor grew into professional exchange within Associazione Italiana Cuochi and the World IAC network. Training and association life became connected parts of the same journey: learning, meeting colleagues, testing ideas and sharing experience.
Today that approach informs our UK learning proposals: fresh pasta, regional Italian cooking and practical kitchen organisation. Demonstration is a starting point; the real work is understanding a gesture, repeating it and making it your own.
Explore our learning pathways02 / THE ASSOCIATIVE CONTEXTAn Italian identity.
An Italian identity.
An international outlook.
The professional references that help explain our journey, from the Italian association to the international network and the UK project.
World IAC
World IAC connects chefs through international delegations, professional exchange and learning. Its official directory lists Simone Falcini as World President and Enrico Fogli as President of UK.
Meet the delegations ↗AIC UK · Italian Chefs Club
Our UK project brings together practical learning, fresh pasta, chef encounters and collaboration with food and wine professionals. A place to turn shared interests into shared work.
Connect with AIC UK ↗03 / OUR MILESTONESA story
A story
taking shape.
The UK company, culinary exchange and the next steps of the project.
2013 · EMPOLI
Training with Simone Falcini
Enrico Fogli earns his professional chef diploma. A formative relationship that connects kitchen practice, teaching and his later associative journey.
5–6 DECEMBER 2023 · FLORENCE
The AIC national championships
Participation in the Italian culinary championships at Spazio Reale, within the Cittadella del Gusto. A milestone in Enrico’s associative journey before the UK company was established.
AIC event report ↗17 JULY 2024
The UK company is established
ITALIAN CHEFS CLUB WORLD AIC LONDON LTD is incorporated in England and Wales, company number 15842908. A concrete organisational foundation for the UK project.
NOVEMBER 2025 · AREZZO
World IAC Culinary Olympics
Participation in the 2025 World IAC event at Arezzo Fiere e Congressi, meeting professionals from the international culinary network.
Official competition programme ↗APRIL 2026
The value of professional exchange
The Campionati Italiani di Cucina poster for Montelupo Fiorentino, 27–29 April 2026, presents Enrico Fogli as jury president. Competitions and judging form part of the professional world documented in our gallery.
Explore the photo journal ↗SEPTEMBER 2026
A shared home for the project
The AIC UK website brings the academy, fresh-pasta project, community and photographic collection into one bilingual space. A way to make the project easier to discover and join.
OCTOBER 2026 · IN DEVELOPMENT
From encounters to a working network
A new collaboration proposal seeks to connect chefs, sommeliers, producers and hospitality venues around tastings and professional meetings. The first ambition is a London pilot, with scope to explore other UK locations, including Scotland.
From training
to the competition floor.
Discover the championships, Olympics and judging experiences that shape our professional journey.
Explore the event archive ↗More than contacts.
Something to build together.
Pass on the craft
Practical sessions, demonstrations and conversations where technique has a purpose: helping people become more confident in their work.
Give products a voice
Bring ingredients and wines into a real culinary context, connecting the people who make them with the professionals who use and present them.
Create useful connections
Develop collaborations with associations, chefs and local partners around clear activities, responsibilities and shared objectives.
The network is growing. Programmes, partners, dates and venues are agreed for each project. Speak with us about the part you would like to play.
Build the next chapter with us ↗