SPRIGIONIAMO SAPORI

Sprigioniamo Sapori stands as one of ASSOIDEA’s flagship initiatives in the fields of social inclusion and occupational reintegration. The project operates within the Pagliarelli District House (detention centre) in Palermo, where an authentic artisanal pastry and bakery laboratory has been established.

At the heart of the intervention lies “on-the-job” training: inmates do not merely attend theoretical lessons but are daily involved in the production of high-quality traditional Sicilian desserts and baked goods. This allows them to acquire concrete professional expertise that can be utilised upon their release. Over time, the quality of these products has become a hallmark of excellence, ensuring both the commercial viability of the goods and the long-term sustainability of the workshop itself.

OBJECTIVES:

• Certified Professional Skills: To provide recognised qualifications in the food and wine sector.
• Recidivism Reduction: To offer real job prospects as an alternative to crime.
• Culture of Legality: To promote honest and creative work as a path to personal growth.
• Public Awareness: To sensitise the public on the importance of penal rehabilitation.

PROJECT PHASES:

1. Selection and Orientation: Identifying motivated candidates within the correctional institution.
2. Theoretical-Practical Training: Learning basic techniques, food hygiene (HACCP), and workplace safety.
3. Assisted Production: Daily work in the laboratory alongside master pastry chefs.
4. Re-entry Support: Guidance and assistance in active job searches once outside the penal circuit.

“Prison” and “High-end Pastry,” “Inmates” and “Excellence”—terms that may seem paradoxical, yet are becoming part of daily life inside the Pagliarelli Prison. This is thanks to the “SPRIGIONIAMO SAPORI” project, promoted by the I.D.E.A. Association in partnership with the Orizzonti Onlus Association and the renowned Pasticceria Cappello, with funding from the Sicily Region and the European Social Fund (ESF). The project aims, through various activities (orientation, training, workshops, and internships), to foster a profound change within inmates to facilitate a genuine reintegration into civil society. It is a complex initiative that does not solely teach a trade; much like the ingredients of a pastry recipe, it involves “mixing” various activities to achieve the successful social inclusion of the individual once their debt to society has been paid.
Under the expert guidance of master pastry chefs, coordinated by Salvatore Cappello, 60 men and women—selected from 120 applicants—are learning the millennial art of Sicilian pastry. The project is challenging from the initial selection phases due to the high turnover rate of inmates in a district house. Through individual interviews aimed at assessing motivation and estimated length of stay, a team of experts identifies the suitable candidates.

The training phase has already begun with a 600-hour course for women and a 150-hour specialisation course on the “Sicilian Cannolo” for men. Specialized courses for experts in “Nougat,” “Almond Paste,” and “Pupe di Zucchero” (a traditional Sicilian sweet for the Feast of the Dead) are also part of the curriculum.
At the end of the training phase, merit-based work grants are awarded to those who demonstrate not only technical proficiency but also strong interpersonal and professional skills: reliability, punctuality, commitment, and precision. These grants serve as an opportunity to adopt essential rules of conduct, such as respecting schedules, recognising authority, and collaborating with others. The 12-month internship involves daily work both in the prison laboratories and in private pastry shops for those granted alternative measures. Mastered in depth during this phase, the craft serves as a preliminary step toward full employment outside the correctional facility. The integration between the prison and its surrounding community is an essential element, ensuring that those who complete their sentence are welcomed back by society. Reintegration must pass through the human dimension of both the prison and the city that hosts it—Palermo—which is showing great sensitivity and attention to the initiative.

“Sprigioniamo Sapori” is made possible through the synergy between the IDEA Association, Orizzonti Onlus, Pasticceria Cappello, and institutional stakeholders such as the Prison Director, the Commander of the Penitentiary Police, and the educational staff. Cannoli, nougat, and almond pastes thus become tools for an effective rehabilitative system—one that does not limit the prison to a place of isolation, but rather strives to be a space for personal growth connected to the community and focused on social reconciliation.