#Florence: Trip to the Market and Private Cooking Class; 3 ladies from Australia and a special guest at lunch

 One of the best experiences you can enjoy in Tuscany is a trip to the Market followed by a Cooking Class. 

Every tuscan town has its own, farmer’s market, where you can find seasonal ingredients, local produce and, above all, where you can smell the parfums coming from that special, genuine food. 

More so if you’re in Florence, I absolutely suggest you to do 2 things:

1. Trip to the Central Market and “food” Shopping
2. Private Cooking Class at your home, to enjoy the most of what you bought

In this regard I’d like to tell and show you how’s gone one of these “half-day cooking class” with us: CuocheinVacanza. 

I lived this extraordinary experience in May, with a group of fantastic girls which sent us some mails to book a customized (anyway how could it be otherwise?) and private cooking class  in Florence.

I was so happy to know they found us not by an agency, but just writing “cooking classes in Tuscany” on Google. In fact, if people come directly to us, we’re able to practice even better prices about our full (cooking at home or cookery lessons) service.

After a few moments of thoughtful, I decided to go there by train, carrying all my job-tools with me, in a suitcase with wheels.

I went to pick up the ladies and to put my job-tools at their apartment and, all together, we started this particular and interesting coolinary adventure. 
You can imagine my surprise to see there wasn’t the kitchen! 

While I was looking around the apartment, a lady opened the closet and…tadaaaaaa: here is a very small sink, a very small stove and a pantry, everything inside the closet.

Just to tell you we’re ready going everywhere in Tuscany and with every kind of kitchen!

The Central Market in Florence is always open and shows many kind of veggies, meats, breads and fish. Food is fresh and you usually can trust the sellers…
anyway 3 suggestions:

1. you can also find some “sly-one”, just interested on tourist wallet, who sell you not local products for local ones. If you’ll go with an italian person who can make the shopping for you, you’ll haven’t this problem.
2. don’t go to the Market with a tourist guide who often goes there with many tourists. These people have often some interests to buy in a particular shop rather than in another. Maybe the food could be better elsewhere…
3. If you’re going to pay the shopping, don’t believe those who tell you it’ll be expensive; don’t forget that you’re at the Market: you can have very good quality at a good price! The ingredients for hands-on cooking classes must be simple and seasonal (this means first quality). It’s you, with your work that make “special” a dish and give it a value.
4. Our shopping for a 4 people cooking class, didn’t exceed €30 (Extra Virgin Oil not included) and we bought very good ingredients!

 Solution? 

1. Go there with a simple local person who can make you this favor
2. Go there with a serious Professional (chef, teacher or guide) who thinks above all to your interests and to teach you what’s the best food at that moment.

My students from Australia choosed the cooking class Menu: Tortelli Maremmani and they choosed Chocolate Salami as dessert. 

• Eggs
• Flour
• Tuscan Bread
• Ricotta Cheese
• Spinach
• Parmesan
• Basil
• Fresh Tomatoes
• Beef minced meat
• Tuscan Sausage
• Peeled Tomatoes
• Carot, Celery, Onion, Garlic
• Cookies
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Sugar
• Butter

Once came-back home we start our hands-on work making Fresh Homemade Pasta, Pasta sauces and Dessert, to be ready to eat with the special guest they hosted for lunch.