Personalized Italian Cooking Class in Cortona

The food in Italy is so delicious that you'd think it has to be too complicated to be available to us mere mortals. Chef Ric (a transplanted American) and his beautiful wife Deborah (true Italian) let you know right away that this isn't the case. My wife is a wonderful cook but I have two thumbs on both hands and grew up thinking charcoal on toast is good for your teeth. With that background Chef Ric patiently taught my wife and I how to make Bistecca di Ghiani, home made pasta that was really quite tasty and easy, a bread salad that resembled cous cous, a polenta dish made with blue cheese (and I normally despise blue cheese but not this time) and a panna cotta dessert that restaurants would charge $20 a piece and no one would feel cheated. He provides everyone with email recipes so you are free to focus on "how" and not "what" during the class. And as you sit down to eat he retells you how to make it so it really sticks. Chef Ric is funny, intelligent and a wonderful teacher but the real beauty of the night was Deborah who provided a historical context to the evening with a sharp wit and a laugh you couldn't help but be entertained by. And speaking of history, their home is a piece of history by itself. While remodeled in places to fit his his cooking style, there are other parts that were as old as the hills. The basement smoking (meats not cigars or cigarettes) and dining room felt like what it must have felt like around during the Middle Ages. I know we were spoiled a bit since it was just the two sod us (instead of a group of 8-10 strangers and us), but you can see how even a larger group could be tailored to the cooking. This isn't a demonstration class either. Prepare to do the actual cooking, scraping dicing and rolling of the fresh pasta. Frankly, Ric and Deborah made us feel like family and was worth 2 to 3 times what is charged. Do not miss the opportunity to bring back something you can impress your family and friends with besides just pictures.

Deborah is an amazing tour guide. Her love for Tuscany is evident in her knowledge and passion for the food, history, agriculture, and the people that make it such a magical place. We really wanted to have more than just the typical tourist experience, we wanted to get to meet and explore Tuscany from the perspective of a local, and she helped us to do just that. She is warm and friendly as well as a wealth of knowledge about the history and geography of the land and her connections with the small producers and farmers she knows personally afforded us the opportunity to have a hands-on experience. By the end of our time together we felt more like old friends. We look forward to our next time exploring Tuscany with Deborah!