Giuseppe De Cesare, BA 13, procured wine for the Collège Culinaire de France during his recent internship. | Photo courtesy of Giuseppe De Cesare
The Italian-born De Cesare came to Canada to study for a year abroad at Champlain College in Saint-Lambert, Que., on Montreal’s south shore. He decided to stay on to finish his CEGEP diploma at Champlain. He then enrolled at Concordia as an international student to study anthropology and history.
“I became really interested in the study of food from a cultural and historical perspective,” De Cesare says. He took food-focused courses outside of his home departments, a move made easy by the Concordia Food Studies group. One sociology/anthropology course, taught by Satoshi Ikeda, led to a practicum with Le Frigo Vert, a food co-op run by Concordia students.
He’s also still in touch with some of his friends from the Concordia International Student Association.
After Concordia, De Cesare earned a master’s degree at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, and now is studying for an MBA at the Institut des hautes études économiques et commerciales in Bordeaux, France.
His first internship for his MBA program was at the Collège Culinaire. He started a new internship at the end of August doing events and communications for Consorzio Tutela Vini Soave, a consortium of wineries in the Soave region near Verona, Italy.
De Cesare’s MBA dissertation is on wine marketing and export, yet he’s still drawn to investigating the history of volcanic wines. “I always keep with me the curiosity that I needed to study history and anthropology at Concordia,” he says.
Concordia and Canada left a strong impression on De Cesare. “I’d love to go back to Canada to work in the import and export of wines — ideally Italian wines,” he says. “My goal is to work in the wine trade and be a link between Italy and Canada.”
He also plans to continue his blog. “It’s a nice way to keep track of memories, especially for travelling, and also communicating with the public about high-quality food and wine.”
What advice does De Cesare have for novice wine drinkers? "First ask yourself, 'What do I like?'" he says. "Think about what you are having for dinner and what you fancy that day."
De Cesare acknowledges that budget is a consideration, although he suggests to “drink better, and less, if necessary” rather than picking up a cheap, low-quality wine.
Most of all, though, explore. “Try to be curious, try new regions. Don’t just stick to classics like Bordeaux,” he says. “It’s all about trying.”
De Cesare also stresses the personal aspect of wine-making and drinking. If he knows something about a certain winery, he takes that into consideration when it comes to purchase.
“Wine is made by people, and it is a great experience getting to know them”, he says.