Cuisinez comme un habitant à Florence : Pâtes et Tiramisu par Cesarine

It was truly an amazing experience! Barbara was so warm and inviting! It was part of a birthday trip for my mom, sister and I. We loved learning how to make gnocchi and tiramisu (my favorite 😍) Barbara also made some other dishes for us to try at the table. Her set up in the backyard was absolutely breathtaking. What a wonderful experience to have! Check it out for yourself, and you won't be disappointed!!

This is an "in-home" experience, which sounds like a great idea until you get put with a host that is not prepared. We got assigned to a host that is a 50-minute walk from the city center, so we took a cab. The address we received had no directions on how to access to her condo - which left is wandering until we figured out how to get in. We had booked a 3pm experience and arrived promptly at 3pm. We were told our host spoke English, but we spent the entire class trying to communicate through a translating device. During the times we were actually "cooking", we were in silence and learned by watching. Our host had already prepared everything in advance - 2 pasta sauces, a meat, and the tiramisu. We only "learned" how to make one shape of pasta and assembled the pre-prepared tiramisu. Our experience was supposed to last 3 hours, but after being there for 3 hours, our host told us (through the translating device) that she had also separately booked a couple for her "in-home restaurant" at 7:30pm (4.5 hours after our arrival) so we would wait to eat until they arrived. Because of this, we sat in her kitchen and waited for the couple for 2 hours. When I messaged the tour company after our experience, they denied my request for a refund and told me that I simply "did not appreciate Italian hospitality". Our host was a lovely host, however, my concern with this experience is that it was completely different than advertised. It was without a doubt the worst experience during my trip to Italy and I would highly advise against taking a chance with this company and stick with an actual cooking class at a cooking school.

The cooking class was great! Duchene was a perfect cook and host. She was great at telling stories to my kids and helping my in-laws understand Tuscany culture.

I would highly recommend this experience for anyone curious about the process and culture behind Tuscan pasta! Plus we were well fed which is a huge bonus.

The depth of knowledge sharing was amazing and a wonderful experience to understand more about Italian cooking. We also got the chance to taste the pasta we made which is unique experience not seen in any restaurants. The host was amazing, would go again for another class :)

Donatella was fantastic! So kind and very knowledgeable. She treated us like family and made our 4 year old son feel at home.

Cecilia was absolutely amazing! She truly was the best part of the whole Italy trip! The food was delicious and the best tiramisu I’ve had in my life! She was truly the sweetest and I will be booking again for every Italy trip!

Tamara is a fantastic host, and Alfredo is an engaging cook and teacher. We had a wonderful; afternoon in their home with three other couples. We were welcomed with a glass of prosecco, and the we drank delicious wines, as Alfredo showed us how to prepare fresh pasta. He then demonstrated how to prepare a ricotta and spinach stuffing, which he used to stuff tortellis in front of us, explaining where to get the material, and how to proceed. Then, with the remaining fresh pasta, he showed us how to make tagliatelle, which we continued to do ourselves. It was really a fun time. But the best, was that we got to eat all sort of good food: bruschetta, other typical Tuscan appetizers, and then the tortellis Alfredo preapred earlier were served in a marjoram butter sauce, followed by the tagliatelle we prepared, served with a typical Tuscan ragu (meat sauce) or with a Sugo finto (typical Florentine vegetarian sauce) according to your preference. Then we ate a tiramisu, prepared earlier by Alfredo. Following this event, we received the recipes of everything I mentioned by email, so we can attempt to do it at home. I just completed my first attempt at an homemade tiramisu! Really, this was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy. I wholeheartedly recommend this experience: you will have a blast, you will learn a lot and you'll eat like a king. Tamara, Alfredo, thank you for this really pleasant afternoon in your home. What a treat! Chantal and Stéphane

My husband was in disbelief that we would be in Italy and especially Florence without having booked a Cooking Lesson! I hesitated to since he doesn't cook and thought he'd be bored on our planned Italy trip for our anniversary celebration. Nonsense, he said. You really like cooking, and it will be fun to do together. So, off I went to find a cooking school - but, I didn't think he would be interested in a large group instruction in a formal school. Then I came across Cesarine! And, boy, did I read review after review about this wonderful program bringing students into the real homes and learning time-tested traditions from gracious home chefs passionate about sharing their love of their culture and food. What we didn't know and were overwhelmed by was the abundant personality and patient instruction by Cecilia. We loved every minute in her presence in her amazingly comfortable home and kitchen. She made us feel so welcome and was so patient in her instructions, never rushing or talking over us. It was such a lovely way to see Florence and share the traditions and love of creating delicious food, which we will share and continue in our home and family. The views were amazing from her home and we enjoyed our walk from the center of the city where our hotel was (about 35 minutes). It was perfect and truly memorable, and most assuredly a special highlight of our Italy trip! Thank you for this amazing program, and special thanks to Cecilia to share her love and recipes with us!

Tamara and Alfredo are fantastic hosts and cooks! They made us feel like we were preparing dinner with family. My husband and I love taking cooking classes abroad, and this was one of the best experiences so far. Food was amazing and the recipes are easy to follow/recreate at home.