Dolce Vita by Day
a taste of local Florentine culture & seasonal ingredients
It is impossible to think about Italy without thinking of delicious Italian food. Food is at the heart of Italian gatherings, and at these gatherings, we’re always talking about what we’ll eat at our next meal. I’ve always LOVED pasta so much that I decided to move to Italy and pursue a culinary career and learn from the experts on how to make fresh pasta. Now that I’m living the Dolce Vita, I want to share my love of fresh pasta with you so you can take your memorable vacation experience home and share it with your family and friends.
Dolce Vita Fresh Pasta by Day
Farmer’s Market Tour & Fresh Pasta Class Experience
We'll meet in Sant'Ambrogio, a district in the center of Florence, which will give you a taste for local lifestyle and culture. Not only is it a hub for Florentine life, but it is foodie central. I'll take you to the market and show you the most AMAZING, vibrant, seasonal produce, and introduce you to my friends at the market. They only let me get the freshest of zucchini, tomatoes, stone fruits, citrus, aromatic herbs, cheeses and salumis. Then I will show you the inside of the market with the local butchers, cheese and salumi guy. You'll get to try some local artisanal salumi & cheese before we move on to the bakery which makes biscotti you'll be dreaming about even after you return home, as well as the very best Tuscan bread you'll ever have.
After we will return to my tiny, typical Florentine apartment in Sant'Ambrogio to cook our lunch while hearing the local hustle and bustle of the neighborhood while we make pasta for the most authentic experience. I'll help you get a genuine taste that is off the beaten path and not the typical fresh pasta experience.
Once we are ready to cook we'll enjoy our fresh pasta with some of the best wine selected by me to showcase local Florentine wine I've experienced through my quotidian life here, and my wine studies.
Approximately 5 HRS
Highlights:
Small group of 4 max
Menu created together on the spot as we tour the market
2 Fresh Pastas
Chill vibes
Prosecco/Spritz & Wine
Time for tons of questions, and not rushed
If you LOVE dogs, you have to meet my Layla, a cute 16 yo shih tzu who is the Director of Hospitality
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The class is very vegetarian friendly since it’s all farmer’s market based, please advise in booking notes
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Not Gluten Free or Vegan since the pasta class uses flour and eggs throughout the menu.
A private vegan class can be requested by contacting me for details provided the entire menu is vegan for everyone
Reviews
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We had to rearrange our itinerary at the last minute due to weather, and we’re so glad we did because we were able to take Ileana’s cooking class. Booking tours online is nerve wracking because you don’t always know what you’ll get. But in this case, the description is 100% legit. You really do go to a local market and get a detailed explaination of what all of the vendors carry, how it changes over the seasons, what the types of cheeses, meat cuts, and Fruits and vegetables, etc. Frankly, this tour was worth it for the market tour alone! But the cooking! Yes, you really do head back to her apartment which is in the neighborhood, a short walk away. Ileana is a natural instructor, and helped us with things like knife technique, tips for maintaining our pasta roller, and methods for kneading the pasta dough to get the right consistency. From the music to the chill vibe, we had a great time, and kept thinking how great it was we could just walk over. If you’re looking for some actual cooking opportunity—even if you are already a decent chef, odds are you’ll learn something from the class. And you will definitely get an insiders guide to shopping at this Florence market, as we as your own after you return home!
-Christopher
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This was such a fun experience! Ileana took us around one of the local farmers market and gave us an authentic Italian experience. She was very welcoming bringing us into our home and very flexible with what we were making. Great experience and the group size made it feel like a bunch of friends getting together to make a meal.
-JBR
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Absolutely the best! If you want a great experience, a fun and an authentic Italian pasta cooking class, then book Ileana's class before it fills up.
Ileana is a top-notch chef who has a passion for teaching Italian cooking. Not only will you learn how to make two different dishes, and a killer tiramisu, but she takes you to the local market and shows you what is the best produce and you get to sample the meats and produce!
I would give Ileana and this pasta cooking class more than 5 stars, if it were possible.-Keir
