Walking along Via Romana near the Palazzo Pitti, we stumbled into Tuscan Taste, a specialty foods store with a gourmet selection of wines, beers, cheeses, and cured meats. As soon as we walked in, the owner Eduardo welcomed us and started to explain all the particularities about the selection of foods in his store! He also introduced us to his wife Chef Vary, and the couple showed so much passion for their trade. They even mentioned that they spent quite a lot of time in the United States, taking their business with them and sharing Italian food culture with people they met. We decided to try one of their beers, and they even gave us a free tasting of olive oil, cured meat, and cheese to go along!
We noticed that Tuscan Taste offered cooking classes in their clean, spacious kitchen, and we were so impressed by the couple's enthusiasm that we decided to return to take a class with Chef Vary! We made two different kinds of pastas, each with its own sauce: a ravioli stuffed with pecorino/ricotta tossed with a pesto made of basil, arugula, celery, almonds, and olive oil; and spaghetti alla chitarra with a sauce made of caramelized tomatoes. Chef Vary walked us through all the steps, teaching us professional techniques and showing us how to use her kitchen gadgets, including the pasta machine and the chitarra for forming long noodle strands. She was so funny and engaging the whole way through, and at the end, we enjoyed a delicious meal with our fellow participants, along with plenty of drinks from the wine selection! I was a particular fan of the ravioli with the fresh, herbaceous pesto sauce, which had a slight crunch from the celery and almonds. After lunch, we chatted even more with the two owners, and they made sure we were completely satisfied with our experience! What an incredible small business run by a lovely, dynamic couple! read more