The VPN school in so cal, I believe, is taught much like an apprenticeship with hands on instruction. I do not know if there is any formal "classroom" instruction. They certify pizzerias, but not pizzaioli, at least that is my understanding. Tony's in San Fran is a campus of the Italian School of Pizza. They offer certifications in multiple styles. They certify pizzaioli and not pizzerias. I attended this one a few months ago. My pizza making skills were immediately and substantially (no wait, not just substantially but astronomically) better. They have both didactic and hands on instruction. The certification includes both written and practical exams. It also includes a textbook reasonably translated from the italian school text. Yes, it was a fair amount of money but I suspect I got about the equivalent of 5-6 years of trial and error experience in 1 week, as well as a whole lot of knowledge I would have been hard pressed to get elsewhere. Most courses are geared at commercial production but they do offer weekend courses for home chefs on occasion. Best part is, I now have a pair of diplomas hanging by my WFO for all my guests to see.
David
