Florence Cooking Course and Local Market Visit

Florence, Italy

Cooking enthusiasts and novices alike, learn to prepare a four-course Tuscan banquet during this half day cooking workshop in the heart of Florence. Source produce from a local market and feast on your creations afterwards. Best of all, you get to keep all the recipes so you can wow friends and family with your Tuscan talents even after you've left Italy.

Under the guidance of your English speaking chef, you'll be engaged every step of the way, from sourcing seasonal produce in a local market to food preparation at a distinguished cooking school.

Step into the colorful and historic San Lorenzo central market and witness the lively exchanges between residing Florentines and robust stall owners as you select the freshest ingredients for class.

After trying your hand at a starter, two main courses and dessert, it's time to sample your Tuscan creations. Gather round the table with your fellow aspiring chefs, sip some Tuscan wine and taste away!

USD $87.81

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Jane L	October 2011
The market tour and cooking class was very enjoyable. The market tour was interesting and informative. Our guide and chef, Alessandro, did a good job of explaining the various market stalls and the local details as we progressed through the market. Unfortunately, it was raining when it was time for us to make the 15 minute walk to the school, so we arrived a little soggy, but happy to be inside. My biggest disappointment was that it was to be a class size of 12. Unfortunately, there were two classes of 12 with 2 chefs in an area not large enough for 1 class of 12! I would have enjoyed more detailed and hands-on activity. Overall, however, the food was good, the instruction was adequate, the setting was original, and the time was well spent. Probably the highlight of this activity was the trip down the ancient stairs to the wine cellar/eating area. What a delight - I believe the wine and the food tasted better just because of the setting. That was a delightful experience. Overall the pros - good instructor, good food, great eating area. Cons - Too many people in such a small area, not enough time to experience each recipe, not enough hands-on activity. I felt the activity was worth the money spent.

Review by: Mary J	October 2011
The market tour was very interesting and the cooking class was fun. The food and wine were very tasty.

Review by: Kerry Z	September 2011
Had a great time - Only complaint is they promised a maximum 12 people and we had 15, which meant less opportunity for getting involved. Would recommend for those with less cooking experience too, as it was quite basic. Market visit was a highlight!

Review by: Cheryl J	August 2011
This was a VERY basic course for people that knows nothing about food! I was board out of my brain and so disappointed as i thought i would learn about something authentic Italian, not about meatloaf!!!! If you can cook...don't do this course as you could teach the class!

Review by: fiona B	August 2011
Excellent course. Very informative and amusing. The cookery school was a short walk from the central market and was exceptionally clean and well equiped.We worked in teams of six to share the preparation of different elements of the menu and then we sat down in a cool vaulted restaurant and ate it!! ( with a selection of wines too) Highly recomend

Review by: Caroline K	August 2011
The market tour was a lot of fun and very informative (in fact I went back the next day to buy lunch from one of the stalls). Our Chef Silvio was a great teacher, very personable and very knowledgeable and the dishes are easy to replicate. On the down side - the dishes are easy to replicate. If you are an experienced cook and know your way around a knife and a stove - this may not be the class for you - this is basic cooking - great for novices or families with older children (all of whom we had in this class and they had a lot of fun)_br/_ My only complaint is about the size of the class I attended. The information stated it would be no more than 12 people in the class and we had 18 bodies in a fairly small commercial kitchen. Not conducive to asking questions or getting one on one help if you needed it.

Review by: Eugene F	July 2011
The market tour was enjoyable, interesting and the chef was excellent. Unfortunately, the tour indicated that activity was for a maximum of 12 people but there were 20 people. In the cooking class kitchen, the assistant chef that worked with our group was overwhelmed and forgot to instruct us on many steps and we had to keep asking for clarification. These two items make the experience not as enjoyable as it could have been.

Review by: gig	July 2011
This was fun but definitely for a beginning cook. The class was large and not too much actual cooking was done by each student. Please note the dificulty level on the tour so as not to disappoint someone who has cooked before.

Review by: Paul A	July 2011
The cooking class was a very good experience. The meeting place was easy to find and the chefs were very knowledgable. The tour of the market was good but there were two classes combined and at times it was hard to hear. The cooking portion of the class was great and we all had a great time. Of course eating our creations in the wine cellar was fantastic. The chefs are fun. We deffinately recommend this one.

Review by: Kathy H	July 2011
We really enjoyed the cooking class. Elena, our soux chef was very helpful and fun to work with.We prepared a 4 course meal and received the recipes at the end of the class. I would definitley recommend this activity to other travelers.

Review by: Joelle K	June 2011
Despite a shaky start (public holiday closed the market last minute resulting in change of plans), this was lots of fun. It was a very large group though so less 'hands on' than I'd hoped for, but I learnt excellent techniques, ideas and recipes. Had we gone to the market, I think we would have missed out on the best parts of the cooking experience. The chefs/teachers were great, although there was a bit of tension among them! The eating experience was excellent. The school's facilities were great and I'm glad I included this in my Florence experience.

Review by: Philip N	June 2011
My wife and I did this cooking class in early June 2011. Unfortunately, the day of the class was a national holiday, so the market was closed. We did the market on our own another day. In lieu of the market, the cooking school had us prepare a 4 course meal instead of a 3 course meal. Notwithstanding missing the guided tour of the market, we had a blast. The students were divided into groups of 5 and each group had a chef with thier group at all times -- the instructors rotated, so each group got face time with each of the chefs. We prepared bruschette, fettucine, ravioli, a beef dish, a checken dish, and tiramisu. It was actually "hands on" -- we prepared and cooked each dish. Then we retired to lunch in the wine cellar (in the basement) where we ate what we prepared and drank wine. At the end, we were provided the written recipes for hte dishes that we prepared. A fantastic experience! We highly recommend this.

Review by: K.C. S	May 2011
Probably the best meal we had on this vacation! Silvio was a hoot. The market was very interesting and we both learned some new cooking techniques. But a bit more walking than we thought.

Review by: Jack E	May 2011
Awesome...both the market portion and cooking portion. Small enough to get enough one-on-one time for questions, etc. Enjoyed the chef and his colleages and was so happy to enjoy eating a wonderful meal that I helped cook.

Review by: Virginia M	November 2010
What a wonderful day! So fun! One of the best parts of out Italian vacation!

Review by: Anton R	November 2010
Excellent. Chef Roberto made the market visit very interesting with his tales and information. Atmosphere is relaxed and fun.

Review by: Melanie G	September 2010
ok, the market tour was interesting, although not accommodating at all to the several people in the group who were having trouble standing for 2 hours on concrete floors. and speaking of the group, although it was supposed to be limited to 12, there were 26 and since one of the chefs didn't show up it was 1) hard to hear in the market and 2) hard to get the attention of the remaining chef who was running between 2 kitchens for the cooking portion. The chef, was personable; his english was perfect, and he was forthcoming about the restaurants in town and the menus we would encounter. however, the menu we cooked was totally boring and not very florence-specific. bruschetta (without garlic, so very bland) and a pasta with eggplant and tomato, which was ok, and a very bland meatball/meatloaf. the panna cotta was the highlight of the meal. when our table ran out of wine after 1 glass he didn't offer more, and it was all white wine, which i don't usually drink, particularly with red meat. so all in all pretty disappointing. i would not recommend this cooking class to a friend

Review by: Marita W	September 2010
This tour was really good, an Italian-Australian chef takes you to the Central Market in Florence and explains, sometimes with graphic effect, the food that each stall sells and why it is important to Tuscan people. Everything from cheese, to bread, to meat from the Florentine bistecca to yes, the bull's rectum is sold here and you see it all. The stall holders give their time and sometime their produce (no, not the bull's rectum) to help you understand a time when food was scarce and Tuscany's survival depended on being able to use every scrap of food. Afterwards you go back to the school's kitchen where, in groups of 5, with our own chef, we made simple dishes like bruschetta, meatballs in a vegetable sauce with balsamic and panna cotta for dessert. Lunch is served at long tables in the cellar with wine and water. All in all a good day with a knowledgable chef in the markets and small group to chef ratio in the kitchen.

Review by: Daphne E	September 2010
Loved it! I set the tour up primarily for my fiance who loves to cook and he absolutely fell in love with the tour of the market. I would recommend to anyone who asks. Roberto, our chief, was great!

Review by: Anonymous, Canada	July 2010
Excellent experience. A lot of fun. I'm not a fan of being in the kitchen - this changed that!

Review by: Carolyn F, United States of America	July 2010
This was a fun experience. I only have two complaints. First, directions to the meeting place were inadequate. Second, the group was too large for the kitchen. With three or four fewer people, it would have been fantastic.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
The trip to the marketplace was great. The kitchen and cooking set up at the school were excellent. The dishes we cooked were fun and delicious but, for the experienced chef, they were very basic. The marketplace trip made the trip worth while.

Review by: Deborah A	July 2010
Great experience. The market was very informative and the Chef was extremely knowledgeable. Even my non-cooking father enjoyed himself. Highly recommend.

Review by: Shalonda S, United States of America	June 2010
I really enjoyed this cooking course. During our trip to the market, Chef Roberto showed off his extensive knowledge of meats, produce, oils, cheeses, and balsamic. He was able to answer any and every question given to him. The actual cooking portion of the course was very fun, everything was delicious, easy to follow and easy to create. The recipes we were given after the course helped me to recreate the meal after the course was over. I would recommend this course to everyone.

Review by: Jane T, Canada	April 2010
The tour of the market was so amazing. Never been to anything like it. My grandson had a great time and the food was great.

Review by: Roberta L, United States of America	April 2010
We especially enjoyed the market tour. The cooking class was fun, and the results were delicious.

Review by: Maria F, New Zealand	November 2009
I would have liked to be more hands on. As spent alot of time standing around waiting for the chefs to come back and check our stuff.

Review by: Kimberly W, Australia	October 2009
It was a good experience and my favourite part was going through the markets, amazing food and everything is so fresh. I loved it .

Review by: Roisin O, Ireland	September 2009
The cooking course was very professional and great fun. We made some excellent dishes that we will for sure be making back home too. It was well worth doing in my opinion!

Review by: Anonymous	September 2009
The cooking course was very professional and great fun. We made some excellent dishes that we will for sure be making back home too. It was well worth doing in my opinion!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2009
This was the best! We loved it! Our guide was very personable, knowledgable, and speaks very good good English. We got great cooking tips.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	April 2009
Overall a great, fun experience for me, my wife, my daughters and my mother. It was fun and the food was great. The class is not meant to be a culinary school so if you are looking for that don't go. Otherwise, do it.