In 1999, the mainstream restaurant chain, Olive Garden (Darden Restaurants Corp.) partnered with Sergio and Daniela Zingarelli to form the Riserva di Fizzano cooking school, also called The Olive Garden's Culinary Institute of Tuscany. It is located in the Chianti Classico wine region of Tuscany. Hundreds of Olive Garden's restaurant chefs attend Riserva di Fizzano where they learn the secrets of Tuscany style cooking, using fresh ingredients to create authentic Italian dishes which eventually end up on the restaurant chain's menu. Wine pairing is also taught at the school.
The Tuscan T-Bone entrée was one of the dishes the Olive Garden chefs learned to make and now is found on the chain's menu across America. This entrée is an 18oz choice steak brushed with Italian herbs, grilled and served with sautéed potatoes and bell peppers.