COOKING CLASSES

These are the Cooking courses that we can book or organize for you. I have selected these for two reasons: They are in different locations and offer different styles. Secondly, all of them are held by chefs or cooks that are friends of mine and whose cuisine I like a lot. All of the courses include lunch or dinner. Filippo Saporito (La leggenda dei Frati restaurant) This is my favorite restaurant ever. I know Filippo Saporito and his brother Nicola from childhood. They studied at the cooking & serving school of Siena, then worked in some of the most prestigious Italian restaurants around Europe. After having an Italian restaurant in the USA, they came back to Tuscany to open their own. Filippo played rugby with me before starting to wander around the world with his fiancé, whom he finally married, Ombretta (known at the cooking high school). They now they have two children. I do not particularly like desserts, but I can not deny one made by her. Nicola has a wonderful daughter with Rossella, another friend from our childhood, that works with him in the “Sala”. The restaurant is in Abbadia Isola, 10 km out of Siena, in the “basement” of a 1000-year old church. Why do I tell you all of these things? I’m trying to give you an idea of the atmosphere of this wonderful place, underlined by having a cooking course held by the most promising young chef of central Italy, (it is one of the awards that Filippo has won recently) and enjoying a meal there. It is an opportunity not to be missed. Anyway even if you are not interested you should try to have lunch or dinner there, it will be memorable for the quality of the experience. Dante Alighieri Cooking School This school is located in the historical center of Siena. The courses are either in the afternoon or in the morning. A professional chef is there to help you discover the secrets of the Tuscany cuisine and make you enjoy a wonderful half day of cooking experience. You will be part of a group of 8-12 people, helping you to save some money. Carla & Gina (La bottega di Volpaia) This is my favorite Osteria in Chianti. For three reasons, the imbalance between quality and price (much higher the first), the landscape, and the people. In this tiny, high up village out of the tourist route (aside from the many people who go there to have lunch at La bottega) Carla runs this restaurant in the first floor of the family house. Gina, her mother, still wakes up very early in the morning to make the fresh pasta and cakes. They use vegetables grown from their own large vegetable garden. They like to teach people how the farmers use what they grow to cook delicious Tuscan meals, but only in the afternoon and for a minimum of four. Gioia Milani Gioia is a friend of mine. She used to be a tour leader throughout Europe, up to the day she met and married Raffaele and moved to his farm near Radda. Now she likes to call herself a farmer, but her language property and her charm are still the same. Cooking courses in her house, are an experience, if for no other reason than for her company and her knowledge.