Testimonials
One of our favourite things we did in Italy! Six kids ages 5-12 and 5 adults and we all had a blast! All of the kids are tiramisu converts, and the kids made us a whole dinner from other recipes in the cookbook. Would highly recommend for families. Alberto was fantastic with the kids.
Only suggestions would be that there wasn't enough for everyone to do since all 11 of us wanted to participate - maybe needed the extra course with a group our size.
Kathleen
I lost your original questions so I'll, tell you about our experience. Our day with Franco and Edna was a very special day. They were good teachers and we learned a lot about cooking stock, veal shank, tiramisu, ravioli, and brochette. Both Franco and Edna were good teachers and friendly. Our day with them was one of the most memorable days of our trip to Italy. Thanks for a great day and experience with Italian cooking. I now need to find some utensils so I can make my own ravioli.
Marion Applegate
Greetings
We really enjoyed our cooking class in Florence with chef Alberto! It was entertaining, interesting, and informative. The menu selection was wonderful and the aromas of the pasta sauce and chicken simmering on the stove are still fresh. We had so much fun and quite a few laughs making pasta "from scatch". I was amazed at how simple it was to prepare panna cotta, a favorite dessert. Alberto made it all seem so easy! Of course, the wine and olive oil tasting added to our feeling of being true Italian cooks.
The huge authentic kitchen was a wonderful place to cook and everything met or exceeded our expectations. We learn best by being involved, so we sincerely enjoyed the "hands on" experience and would recommend Good Tastes of Tuscany to everyone- young, old, experienced cooks, and beginners. Our small class of six had them all and we had a most enjoyable time together. Later in our travels, we met people who had also been at a cooking school in Florence but only as observers and not participants. They wished they'd been in our class!
We have been away on an extended holiday so we haven't tried our recipes yet. Our friends are all asking for invitations to an Italian dinner so we'll begin soon. We did not get the recipe for the "fake meat" sauce (vegetables) and it's not in the book so we would appreciate it if you could send that via email. Thank you for the great memories of cooking in Tuscany!
Sincerely,
Darlene & Devin Pfahl
I would be happy to leave these comments...
It was about a 20 minute walk from Ponte Vecchio to the pick up site so leave yourself time to get there. We were picked up in a van and transported to the winery - about a 15 minute drive. The cooking lesson is given inside a large kitchen on the bottom floor of a building where there are several ovens, two large tables set up for us to make our dishes, several burners, and a long table for everyone to eat around. When we first got there and got started I thought we were just going to be watching, but after we were introduced to our menu, and got our own recipe book and apron, we all took part in the preparation - I definitely got messy - which is exactly what I wanted!! Our chef, Simone, was wonderful!! His English was really good. The recipes were great - they tasted SO GOOD - and Simone would tell us alterations that he used that made them even better!! I learned so many new things and I am so excited about using them now that I'm back home. Several of us wanted to purchase wine/olive oil and the winery was nice enough to bring over bottles in boxes for us so it made it easier to transport. I would DEFINATELY recommend this company and I will definitely take another lesson when I return to Florence!! Hopefully, Simone will still be working for them...he made the evening SO enjoyable and educational. Thank you so much for the awesome experience and I can't wait to come back! You definitely have my business and will tell everyone else to use you!!
Jennifer S.
Marquez, TX
"This cooking class was wonderful. I learned to make the best, fresh ravioli that I have ever eaten!"
Thanks again for the class.
Toby
We enjoyed the cooking class immensely. We have tried several of the recipes at home and they are wonderful. Mastering the art of making pasta is one goal that we have! There wouldn't be anything we would change and thought that the Chef Simone was wonderful, patient and gave very helpful hints.
The cooking class was one of the highlights of our stay in Florence!
Bonnie Wilson and Fred Bell
It seems like a lifetime ago I was cooking in Italy. You can use my name, initial for anything. I do not think there is any room for improvement. It was an experience of a lifetime. It really made our trip complete.
Ciao,
Ivy Feuerstadt
I thoroughly enjoyed my day with Good Tastes of Tuscany. The setting was exceptional; the kitchen splendid and the chef, Riberto, was enthusiastic, well-prepared and completely professional while at the same time affirming of his apprentices. We ate our own cooking and enjoyed it! That is the test of a good meal!
Cassie
We had a FANTASTIC time at the Tuscany Cooking Class. The class catered to beginner and experienced chefs alike and featured recipes for food that someone would cook on a regular basis. The chefs/teachers were very friendly, patient and informative throughout the entire day. We would definitely recommend this course for the new or experienced chef!
Chris and Stefani Forsythe
Our experience at your cooking school was very wonderful - in fact, it was exactly what I had pictured it to be in my mind!! We loved that it was completely hands on, with many opportunities to ask questions along the way. The recipes were delicious, the chef and his wife could not have been nicer and in all, we had a perfect day at the school. We have told many friends about it and will be talking about it and recalling it for a very long time. And, yes, we are enjoying trying out the recipes in our own kitchen.
Ciao,
Margie and Herb Gross
We did have a great time at the cooking class. It was a really fun way to learn about Tuscan cookery with the chef Alberto and the other people in class making it a very friendly and sociable experience too! We have recreated some of the dishes since we got back home and they've gone down really well with our friends and family! In fact some of our friends are visiting Florence later this year (September/October) and we're trying to encourage them to go to the cooking class!
Take care,
Paul & Phil Ash
I really loved the class; I really don't have any feedback on improvements that could be made. The Chef was wonderful and it was one of the best meals I ate in Italy!
Have a wonderful day!
Angie
My son and I enjoyed very much our stay with you. It was perfect.
1. We tried a few restaurants in Signa, they were good. There was one, however, where we found the food mediocre and the service lacking. That was, if I remember correctly, Officina del gusto.
2. As to the stay, we stayed in villa agnoli 2 which was ample room for two persons. It was well equipped, tasteful, great view. Appreciated acces to computer since I had to check my mail for confirmations for our further trip. Great also to have groceries waiting for us.
3. The drivers were OK. The organization was very good. I appreciated a lot the helpfulness of Elizabeth who also took me to the pharmacy, called her doctor, etc. Great relaxed atmosphere, nothing was too difficult.
4. We enjoyed the cooking classes a lot. Good to have different styles of chefs, some relaxed. I appreciated Simone who gave information about what happened with different techniques, for example when you add water to the dough it is absorbed by the protein,etc. etc. We had pulp on the menu one day we is OK, but I would have liked to have fish one day as well (we stayed four days).
What could be improved? It is really hard to find something to improve.... It was just perfect and we plan on coming back later in the year when the seasons (and hence the products) change.
Best regards,
Birgitte Jansson
We had an absolute blast...I am soooo happy that we stayed put for a week, and got to know the locals and the town! Kenya and I had sooo much fun taking the cooking classes too! Kenya has already made homemade pasta (by herself, I must add!!!) and I had an opportunity to make the Panna Cotta for my co-workers...they were very impressed! Maurizio and Alberto had very different teaching styles, and that was perfect!!! I would definitely, and actually have, recommended Good Tastes of Tuscany to my family and friends...you are listed on my Facebook page, and tagged in several of my photos! : ) I will also post a review on Trip Advisor as well! : )
C Bell - USA
Dear Meaghan & Elizabeth,
Now that we are home from our vacation (sadly) we just wanted to say how much we truly enjoyed the cooking class. Maurizo was awesome and we feel the experience was one of the high points of our entire trip! Thank you for such a wonderful experience.
Mike & Anna