Tired of ogling ancient ruins, climbing towers, and queuing at museums? "Cooking Classes in Rome" will give you an out.
Having attended many cooking classes in San Francisco, I arrived with preconceived ideas of what I sought and this experience differed in one significant way: The kitchen here is intimate, and participants aren't responsible for cooking any single recipe. Rather, guests are given small tasks which help propel forward the meal preparation. There's learning along the way, but much of it comes from listening and observing, less of it from actually doing.
That said, depending on the menu and your knowledge level, you'll certainly learn something in addition to enjoying a good and filling multi-course meal.
The experience begins, upon arrival, with the table set and pastries, cookies, and coffee yours to enjoy. The day's menu is reviewed and then everyone (12 people max, 50% newlyweds when I visited + 3 return guests) is ushered into the slightly crowded kitchen for meal preparation.
The 4-course menu is varied and the chef (Andrea), if notified in advance, will work to include whatever dish you might wish to learn. I wish I'd given more thought to making a special request as I already know how to make gnocchi, one of that day's menu items.
Chef Andrea is a quirky mix of competence, confidence, and knowledge with a bit of an edge. He'll call you out if things aren't prepared to his specifications, sometimes with humor and other times without. It's okay; I have a thick skin.
My big learnings for the day were a) how to reduce an artichoke to the shape and size required for Jewish-style Fried Artichokes, b) learning how tiny to make the beef/pork pieces which comprise an authentic Bolognese sauce, and c) how to prepare spuds for Potato Gnocchi to ensure the least use of flour. People less savvy than myself likely learned a) how to properly clean mushrooms, b) how and why to peel celery and which celery parts to use, and c) how gnocchi is actually made.
The meal comes together about when guests are ready for it and everyone takes a seat at the dining table while the chef finishes plating then serving the creations. There's an optional (additional cost) 4-course wine pairing, but my son and I found that 2 glasses each of the red wine offered was less costly and perfectly satisfying.
Offered for sale at the end of the meal are many culinary gift items prepared by the chef (think jams/jellies and Limoncello).
Recipes are emailed to guests following the class and I feel that I could prepare all of them again, at home (though those Jewish Artichokes would require additional practice).
For 75euro per person, the 5-hour class/lunch is a fun variation from whatever one generally does in Rome. You'll leave having a tested Roman menu ready to impress your friends with, a belly full of good food and drink, and the desire for a nice, long nap. read more