COOKERY SPELLS

“A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness” (Elsa Schiaparelli). Join a Venetian enchantress on an enticing cooking class. Under her guidance you will pick up culinary spells and take a peek at the secrets behind one of the world’s most entrancing cuisines.

Born and bred in Venice, after graduating from a renowned hotel school in Lausanne, your host moved to Cape Town where she ran two Italian restaurants for 11 years. In 2002 she relocated to London where she opened a cooking school which was ranked among the 10 best cookery schools in the world by an esteemed magazine. In the wake of this success she decided to return to her roots and open a Venetian branch of the culinary school. Today, in the setting of her private family residence and kitchen, she teaches guests how to prepare exquisite dishes and shares with them her knowledge of local specialities, her creative approach to tradition and an ardent passion for food. Indeed “there is no sincerer love than the love of food” (George Bernard Shaw) and that is particularly true for Italians. By teaching you how to prepare traditional dishes, this cooking class will allow you to dip further into local culture and give you a key to understanding the country’s food-centred way of life.

You begin your day with a leisurely stroll through the bustling fish and vegetable market of Rialto, for almost 1,000 years the financial and commercial heart of the Serenissima. Here you will have the opportunity to meet local traders and learn how to select the fresh seasonal ingredients needed for your cooking lesson. You will then head for the kitchen and listen as your chef reveals her tricks. She will guide you through the preparation of four or five appetizers, a pasta dish or risotto and a second course of meat or fish. You will get to know how to combine different flavours, discover regional recipes, put some infallible cooking techniques to the test and pick up tips you can use to impress your friends back home at the dinner table.

After the cooking experience, enjoy the meal you just prepared, washed down with a glass of wine… Hats off to the newly trained kitchen conjurer!