They are aged between 15 and 18. They live in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Cullera, in the Valencia region of Spain; Ajaccio, in southern Corsica; and Karamürsel, in the Marmara region of Turkey. They have either chosen to train in the catering industry or have been guided in this direction. Whatever the case, as long as you know how to motivate and guide them, they are full of goodwill, keen to give their best, curious and open-minded, eager to learn and discover other products, other skills and other cultures. Some, however, have a tendency to skip some subjects on the general curriculum, such as modern languages and English in particular, not really convinced at the time of its usefulness when working in the kitchen. At least, that was before they joined the Healthy Gastronomy project.

On 25 and 26 March 2024, young people from Turkey, Bulgaria and Spain, accompanied by their teachers, were welcomed to the Finosello vocational school in Ajaccio, where a dozen or so local students and chef Bruno Bonavita were waiting for them. They come from different backgrounds,” explains Anthony Servetto, local project manager. Some are in vocational training (CAP), others in a vocational baccalaureate. They may know each other by sight, but they usually just bump into each other at school. This time, they will have to work together on the same project, and with young people from other countries. All are volunteers, but the aim is to target young people who do not necessarily have the means to travel and who are keen to discover other countries and cultures. The headmistress of Finosello, Marie-Caroline Vitte, and Bruno Bonavita, who teaches at the school, were quick to sign up to the project, and got down to work to ensure that the kitchen of the training restaurant could accommodate all these young people in the best possible conditions, so that they could discover fresh local produce and work with it to prepare a meal.