Meet the Organizers: Francesco & Katrin

Today we’d like to introduce you to two of our fab Gidsy organizers, Francesco & Katrin. Francesco is the creator of the world-famous Pomodoro Technique, and organizes foodie activities on Gidsy, such as the Italian Cooking Crash Course and the upcoming Healthy Cooking & Diet Tips Course. Katrin organizes the Cheesecaking course, and helps run the FC Garage together with Francesco. The two of them were so gracious as to sit down with me (over a delicious Italian meal + amazing cheesecake!) and talk about their Gidsy experience. 

Tell us a bit about yourselves, and how you ended up here in Berlin. 
Katrin: We moved to Berlin last September from Rome, where I lived for 10 years. We have a company called FC Garage where we provide productivity tools for teams and software developers. I’m the Community Manager of the Pomodoro Technique, which is a personal improvement and time management technique. 

Francesco: We made the decision to come to Berlin from Rome because I’m currently working on a book, so the idea was to have a better location to write and promote it. We really wanted to meet people here to help test the ideas that I write about. I’m also a mentor and a coach, and I’m interested in process improvement and development. 

Gidsy…has totally changed our experience here in Berlin.

How did you find out about Gidsy?
K: A friend told us about it! 
F: We really liked the idea, so we started by attending some events and then creating our own activities. When first I created my Italian cooking course on Gidsy, it sold out really fast. I was looking for a bigger space to hold more cooking events, and asked Cafe Bondi if they knew any spaces where I could host a cooking class. Unfortunately their kitchen was too small for me to host the events, but then they asked if I wanted to cook Italian food there! What’s really amazing is that this opportunity came from nothing - I hadn’t hosted my first class and no one had even tasted my food! I really have to thank Gidsy for this - it has totally changed our experience here in Berlin.

You’re both into cooking (and baking) - when did you start and what are your favourite things to make? 
F: I started cooking when I was 17, and I really liked it. On many teams that I’ve worked for I’ve been the “Chief Cooking Officer”. I like regional recipes, even if they’re a bit heavy sometimes. It’s important to know the roots of our cooking. I enjoy making Roman dishes, which have a strong character and some great stories attached to them. Italian cooking is all about adapting to ingredients which is why we don’t have many exact recipes. You have to get feedback from your ingredients and work with them. 
K: 3 years ago we went to New York and ate cheesecake that was so great that I’ve tried ever since then to find the best recipe. It took a little while, but I think I’ve finally found it after many attempts. I also like making pasta, very simple recipes.

It’s important to know the roots of our cooking.

What can people expect from your Gidsy activities? 
K: People often want to do something, but they don’t because they think that it is too complicated and that they are not able to. I love the idea of showing people simple steps to make a delicious cheesecake - while having fun doing it. I also like the idea that they can repeat it at home.
F: To learn to cook based on the ingredients, not the recipes.

What’s your favourite Gidsy activity that you’ve attended so far?
K: We’ve been to every Friday @6 Startup tour, and we really like it! 

What’s something you’d love to see on Gidsy?
K: I think it would be really nice if there were more events for kids!  

What’s the most memorable place you’ve ever been?
K: In Greece on Cephalonia, it was very beautiful.
F: I was in China in 1999, and the sky was a really dense yellow. From a photographic point of view, it was really unbelievable. 

What are you reading right now?
F: I’m reading a really strange Italian spy story. 
K: A book about writing for Social Media.