Will join the off season tour in November and would like to add a cooking class emphasizing octopus and squid either at the beginning in Palermo or the end in Catania. The Anna Tasca Lanza School, close to Palermo, gets great reviews on Trip Advisor but was also curious about schools in Catania. How to cook octopus is a must for the class. Has anyone on a previous tour found such a school in Catania? Thanks.
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Chicago
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Closest I've come is about 30 km north of Catania, in Taormina. Angelo Longo owned a restaurant called Licchio's, and in October 2010 my wife & I took a private class with Angelo and his assistant Nino. We started out by shopping at the Mercato Comunale for fish & vegetables, then went back to the restaurant and cooked. And cooked. It being my first cooking class abroad, I didn't know what to expect but this was extremely hands-on, not only from a prep standpoint but actually dropping vegetables in hot oil to sear for the caponata, pan-frying tuna, etc. I've taken two classes since, in Chianti and Salerno, and both of those were more watching, drinking & eating than anything else--which is fine, but rolling up your sleeves and getting in there is scorched-earth but a very efficient way of learning to my way of thinking.
Licchio's closed a few years ago but I have heard that at Angelo's new restaurant on the south end of the main drag Corso Umberto in Taormina--Rosso Peperoncino--he does conduct cooking classes. If you're going to be up that way, might be worth checking it out.
Enjoy your planning!