Private Lesson with Chef of Traditional Bolognese Cuisine

Our cooking lesson started from pick up in the city's center and continued along the winding country roads leading to their cozy traditional Italian home. Their family stories immersed us in the history, culture, and tradition that was awaiting us in their welcoming kitchen. It was unfortunate that the weather was rainy and foggy the day we went - just peeking through the clouds, we could tell it was a beautiful landscape! We were greeted by 5 rescue dogs, each with their own backstory that added a warm interaction in the fully stocked kitchen. The ingredients were local and fresh, and we made our own pasta. We weren't all great at it of course, but our Chef was patient and gave us opportunities to perfect our cooking techniques. We made ragu, tortellini, tagliatelle, and cookies. The meal was well worth the wait, left us full, and we were even sent home with enough holiday cookies to eat on for the next three days.

We had an amazing experience with Flaminia Andrew her mother Elizabeth. They are warm, welcoming, and run a fun and informative class. Their home is beautiful Nd the hospitality we experienced was world class. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Really wonderful setting for the class and a great class in general. Great hosts. The instructions were clear and the food was excellent.

We really wanted to experience an authentic cooking course in the region around Bologna. At the desired time there were not many offers and "Live an afternoon as a cook" did not have so many reviews. We thought to ourselves "let it be a surprise" and we were surprised in a very positive way indeed. We had a wonderful and interesting afternoon with Flaminia and Elizabetta. The cooking course took place at the family's estate, just outside of Bologna. It is a large and beautiful property. We were warmly welcomed and immediately invited to a welcome-apéro in the garden, with homemade apricot juice, figs from the garden, etc. Soon after, we were ready to start cooking under the guidance of Elizabetta (our professional chef and mother of Flaminia). We were able to make our own tortelloni with ricotta and spinach (dough, filling, shapes) and for dessert we prepared a cake with short pastry and jam. Elizabetta explained in Italian and showed us everything step by step. Flaminia helped us with communication difficulties in English and answered all questions that came to our minds. Cooking was a lot of fun, the instructions were good, the two of them were super friendly and it was a relaxed atmosphere. After the preparations we were invited to enjoy an apéritif in the garden before Elizabetta cooked our self made tortelloni and briefly sweated them in butter and sage. With a fine wine we were invited to enjoy the tortelloni in the garden afterwards, also Elizabetta and Flaminia joined us. Besides there was a special bread (similar to a focaccia), which Elizabetta had also freshly prepared and the dinner was rounded off with homemade cake and coffee. So the official part was over, our conclusion: Absolutely recommendable, this cooking course was one of our highlights on our trip to Italy. The family is super friendly, we had a wonderful time and got an authentic insight into the Italian cuisine. And of course the food was delicious. In addition to the cooking course: we didn't have any accommodation for the night yet, so Flaminia showed their B&B, which is located in the house next door and has been completely rebuilt. Really a nice B&B, so we decided to spend the night there. In the evening Flaminia took the time to make us a personal tour plan for Bologna (we did it almost 1:1, that was great, thanks Flaminia) and in the morning we were served a great breakfast before we left. Thanks a lot for this great and unforgettable experience, we enjoyed every second. Keep up the good work, your passion and joy of life is contagious and does good. Best regards from Switzerland. Sarah & Tim