My husband and I are going to Italy with our 3 adult children. Our son is studying to be a chef (American) and would love to take an authentic cooking class while we are there. We will be in Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice. A lot of them seem to be more about a luxurious experience rather than a true cooking class. Any recommendations?
Posted by
Vignola, Modena, Italy
502 posts
Please define what do you mean for "Authentic cooking classes". For me is a class with an authentic chef with a good experience in restaurants, better if well rated. For the most of tourists instead is a lesson with an amateur cooker in a private house.
If you'll do a stop in Emilia-Romagna I may suggest "Modena Food Lab" in Modena and "Portici Academy" in Bologna, for a very good cooking class. Not a luxurious experience, but for sure a very professional one.
I suggest even that you could include a visit to one (or both) of the great Italian professional schools: Pollenzo - UNISG (province of Cuneo, southern Piedmont) and ALMA (Colorno, province of Parma, central Emilia). Are two places where chefs are trained at high level.
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
Do you speak Italian?
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7579 posts
I think the problem you might be running into is that "cooking classes" tend to be geared for tourists. The typical drill is you might go to a market, get some items with the instructor, return to a kitchen, make some pasta and a sauce, maybe an antipasti or a side dish, drink a little wine as you go, then eat. I would not really call it serious instruction, more a meal with you doing some of the work, some entertainment, and many find it enjoyable.
You might look at this website, https://cookingclassesinrome.com/the-chef/ My wife took a class with him, she enjoyed it, it has been some time, but I see lots of good reviews. It is something that maybe the family can do together for an afternoon.
To get into serious instruction, you probably would need to find a two week class, more than what you would want to do on a family trip
Posted by
2491 posts
You could look into sending the aspiring chef to some place like here, while the rest of the family goes off on their own explorations
Posted by
OP
Dublin, Ohio
11 posts
I thought I could reply to each comment, but it seems I need to reply to all. We do not speak Italian, so that may be a hiccup. Thanks for the heads up about the Italian schools to visit. If he visits the schools, he may not return to the US with us! haha. I think he is fine with a good experience with a local chef. I want to avoid the focus being solely on the experience as opposed to the culinary education. I assume we will find a mixture of both, which will be ok. If anyone has taken a class they enjoyed, please send your recommendations. Thanks so much!
Posted by
Southeast of Seattle
701 posts
https://www.casartusi.it/en/cookery-school/
Located in Forlimpopoli-ESE of Bologna.
We had a fabulous lunch there. Honors Pelligrino Artusi, the ‘father’ of Italian cooking, as he gathered many recipes into a cookbook. Much more to the history and a very lovely town to visit.
Posted by
martinez, ca, usa
2304 posts
hey hey jill
here's a few sites for you to check out, how "authentic" you want means different ideas to everyone.
eatwith.com
in search square type in the city you will be in and then check event type. click what you want or click all of them. many are "classes" in their own homes, make sure they are in venice and not the outskirts that you will need to find transportation
cookly.me
type your city and see what they have available and interested in.
italybest.com/ 10 best cooking classes in rome
oldfrascati.com
take a short train ride, 30 minutes, from rome to frascati, out of the hustle and bustle of rome to the countryside. read the headers and tours (pizza making and wine tasting) the whole family can go to enjoy, a tour around the small village, stop in ceralli.it, family owned bakery/pizza oven. nonna is 93 years old and is known for baking the famous buxom cookie along with other bakery goods.
lacucinaitaliana.com/ buxom cookie from frascati
learn how to make pizza from one of the oldest pizza ovens. enjoy the day away with fun involved.
cucina-italiana.com
cooking classes in lucca with chef paolo monti, daily 4 hour cooking classes, 3 day cooking program, accomodations on site.
rimessarosciolo.com/ cooking classes
acasa5terre.it/ cooking classes
nessundormacinqueterre.com/ pesto experience
treecycle.eu
take the train to genoa and do a 1 or 2 hour rickshaw tour thru the historic/medieval center. something different to see in the pedestrian alleys, have drivers make a stop when you see something or have coffee/drink.
enjoy your adventures with your family, hope this gives you guys some ideas.
aloha
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Posted by
143 posts
We took a class from Chef Ryan Hanley in Cortona. He teaches the class in his own kitchen! He is American, but he studied in Italy, married his Italian wife, and has lived there since. It might be a little far from Florence, but would highly recommend him!
Posted by
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
322 posts
We had a great experience at CIBO in Bologna. They do a half-day (closer to 3/4 day) class that is good for the less committed but might be chef-y enough for your son. They also do longer programs. I'm a moderate-to-serious home cook and felt I gained real skills in the half-day, not just a luxurious experience.