Florence Food Studio - Florence, Italy
Giorgio Pinto was the host for our very first cooking course in Florence.
Sharing the wealth of food secrets and history is the most generous thing to come out of a culinary cooking school. The Florence Food Studio is a boutique cooking school offering skills in traditional Tuscan Culinary arts with a contemporary twist. The newly established venue is directed by the world renown Florentine D.O.C. Chef Benedetta Vitali and two devotees, Paolo Dellafiore and Giorgio Pinto. Benedetta has been offering true immersions to her Tuscan delights with her classes in both Florence and the United States. She co-founded the popular restaurant Cibréo and opened the Trattoria Zibibbo, as well as published various successful cooking books including the James Beard awarded Sofritto that we got to take a peek at after our cooking class.
Boiling water (and lack of pin feathers) changed duck plucking from utterly impossible to merely tedious.
In this day and age where health and nutrition plays a key role in everyone's life, the courses strictly cover any questions you may have on the food being cooked. Food allergies or dietary restrictions are to be sent before attending any of the lessons. The cooking procedures are best described as fun, challenging and very hands on. Our hands very much followed the chef's instructions as we merged the ingredients together. Chefs Paolo and Giorgio were on the spot that day, for our 'A Day in the Kitchen' lesson beginning at 9:30am and ending 4:30pm (lessons start at 9:30am and finish with lunch, or start at 4:30pm and finish with dinner). We prepared a delicious four course menu, using the best seasonal products and learned to make fresh handmade pasta. We indulged our wine at the ending of the 3 hour cooking session with our appetiser being the tasty chicken liver pate. The other delights that we learned to cook were pappardelle with rabbit ragu and taggiasche olives, duck breast with mini vegetables and mustard and orange sauce, and chestnut mousse. We were happily sent an email with all of the recipes of the food that we made on the day. After the lesson, we were able to relax and dine with the recipes prepared. Both chefs Paolo and Giorgio are very down to earth individuals, with a genuine charisma about them that will instantly make you feel as you are dining with friends.
The Florence Food Studio has some additions to their program. A 'Food Lover's Tour' can be booked for a 7 hour long tour consisting of eating and drinking your way through the city. On great demand is their 4 hour version of the 'Food Lover's Tour', in which guests get to indulge in the best bites across the city with a tour guide, and yet have enough time to tick off boxes from their bucket list for the rest of the day, as there is just so much to do in Florence! This tasty tour is incredibly foodie as you will learn about the different proseccos and olive oils, truffle tastings, visit an artisanal sweet shop, eat through the numerous food stalls, chocolate and espresso lessons and learn about good valued organic products in the markets that you can learn to cook when you get home. No shopping bag is ever too big, if you can't take everything with you on the flight back, you can ask the tour guide to ship it to you! At the end of the tour, you will be hosted at a traditional trattoria while the tour guide can enrich your knowledge about enogastronomic delights.
Farm to table keeping the essence of true Tuscan cooking alive. (Mind the dirty knife and fork, we couldn't wait to indulge in the dish before taking the pic!)
Delve into Florence's foodie phenomenon, as The Florence Food Studio can host you on a number of creative ways. The space is amazing to host an event in! If you had like to have a dinner party with or without a chef, you can simply drop them an email about your plans. The space can host a large number of people as the dining area is vast enough with two long tables and standing opposite the kitchen that can be closed off in the manner that you prefer.
At The Florence Food Studio you can get an insight into some of the stages of the production of food: harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sales, and consumption.
Clients can also contact them for catering (weddings etc) and dinners at home (they send their chef to cook at your house), as well as booking the school for events. If you happen to be staying in the country side, the studio will be happy to host a dinner party as well. Also, if you are renting a villa and will like a chef to host for you, there are endless possibilities with The Florence Food Studio.
At the moment, the Florence Food Studio are also offering a “botteghe walk” to combine with a cooking lesson. Botteghe translates in a small local business. They take clients for a stroll around the neighbourhood of Santo Spirito for some shopping to prepare for the lesson, in this way they meet the studio's suppliers, learn how they shop and visit the neighbourhood which is off the beaten track. Expect to meet their butcher, the vegetable stands in the markets and a fantastic cheese shop, before heading back to the school for the cooking lesson.
The Florence Food Studio is an excellent way to learn about the art of cooking in depths, with knowledgable hosts from the region themselves. We couldn't have asked for better presenters than Paolo and Giorgio, as they are so full of life and vibrance. Learn new inspirational skills that will stick with you forever.
DETAILS
Website: www.florencefoodstudio.com
Office Address: Via dell'Ardiglione 39r, 50125 Florence, Italy
Email: info@florencefoodstudio.com
Tlf: +39 333 814 3000