Cooking Classes in the U.S.
Savor the goodness of Umbria in a cooking class in your home. Such an event is the perfect celebration of an anniversary, a milestone birthday, or a special event. Cooking events can be fund-raisers, team-builders, business events, get-togethers for gourmet food/wine groups, or simply as a way to gather friends together. Learn how cooking IS communicating. See below for what past hosts have to say and click here to read about – and see! – the good times at past memorable cooking classes!
Where and When? I’ll be offering Umbrian rural cooking classes in the U.S. from early February to mid-March. Requests are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Early booking assures you preference when choosing the date. My itinerary will depend on the location of cooking requests and lecture requests.
Ready to book your cooking class or a lecture? Now is the time!
What’s necessary?
– Space in your kitchen for minimum of 12 people – groups are limited to 16 persons, including the host(s)
– although cooking lessons have worked out very successfully in surprisingly small quarters.
– Very basic cooking utensils (I will send ahead the list of equipment needed).
How long does the lesson last? Cooking classes may take place in the morning or in the late afternoon. Meal preparation takes about 2 hours. If a morning lesson, cooking should start about 10:30 a.m. so that we can eat about 12:30 – 1:00 pm. If evening lesson, cooking would start at about 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner (about 2 hrs. later). Cooking lessons are fully “hands-on” and throughout our lesson, I will share with you Umbrian culinary lore and folk traditions. This year, I will start all classes with a brief introduction to the Umbrian land and the farmpeople who taught me to cook (illustrated on DVD).
What will we cook?
Our menu includes various antipastos, a pasta dish, main course, side dish(es), dessert. I send ahead a sample invitation, the menu, recipes and shopping list prior to the cooking events – so that the host can print out the recipes for the participants prior to the lesson. Hosts are asked to do the shopping prior to the class. I arrive at the host’s home well ahead of the lesson to make sure that all is in order and to see if anything else is needed.
Cooking class fee?
Hosts buy the foods (shopping list sent ahead) and are asked to make a contribution of $190 towards my travel expenses. Each guest pays $85 and minimum number of 12 guests is required, other than the hosts (who do not pay for the lesson). Pls note: yes, I can certainly offer classes to fewer than 12 persons but minimum fee of $85 x 12 is required in any case.
Cooking Classes in U.S. Schools, K-12
Let’s invest in our children’s health! When children learn to cook healthy foods (eg, Italian!), they soon want to eat only healthy foods. Healthy eating = healthy living. My annual February/March cooking/lecture tours will again include cooking classes (and talks) in schools for children of all ages, from kindergarten to high school students. Please contact me for more information on how to offer a unique gift to our schoolchildren: Italian cooking classes and talks on Italy/Italians in schools. Children’s classes can also take place in private homes upon request.