Bologna Cooking Class Half Day

This fun, hands-on experience is ideal for both beginners and experts and teaches participants how to prepare mouth-watering dishes typical of the Emilia Romagna region. By the end of the lesson, take home several delectable and authentic recipes to recreate the magic of Italy in your kitchen!

Your cooking class will take place in a professionally equipped kitchen in Bologna, the capital of Emilia Romagna and culinary center of Italy. Since the middle ages, Bologna’s nick-name “la grassa”, the fat one, refers to her rich food culture and abundance in gastronomic traditions. Professional chefs will teach you, step-by-step, the secrets to numerous delicious Bolognese dishes. This is not a demonstration, but rather a hands-on experience, where each individual will be equipped with a personal workspace and burner.

The day will start with a stroll to the local market to purchase the freshest ingredients (market visit included only if you book the morning session only). Let your eyes wander the stalls of crisp, colorful and organic fruits and vegetables. With your chef, you’ll handpick the produce that you will later chop up. Emilia Romagna has lots of grazing pastures- so be sure to check out the tender meat cuts as you pass the local butcher. As you’ll see, the market is a site in itself.

After the market, you will head back to the kitchen to continue the class and start cooking.  The course begins with the fundamental element of every Italian meal: pasta. Get your hands moving as you mix, knead and roll pasta with a mattarello (rolling pin), to create pasta in the traditional manner- that is, without a machine! You will learn to make some of the staples of Bolognese pasta: tagliatelle, ravioli and tortellini. Taste the difference of your fresh, fluffy ravioli.

Then, the class will continue as you learn how to prepare all elements of an Italian multi-course meal with a menu that will change based on the season and availability of fresh products. Get busy as you make fresh pasta sauce (ragu bolognese), a meat main course (like pork sirloin in milk sauce or duck breast with caramelized pears), a side (spinach flan) and dessert (panna cotta or tiramisu).

When you finish cooking, sit down to enjoy your top-notch, authentic creation. And, of course, savor regional wine (included in the price!) that perfectly complements your masterpiece.

After you finish, be sure to bring the recipes home with you. These cooking techniques can be applied to everyday cooking. You’ll agree, there’s no better way to relive your trip to Italy than by cooking up the authentic meal you mastered in Bologna! 

VEGETARIAN MENU - This cooking class is also available with a vegetarian menu. Open the options bar inside the reservation box (in the top right of this page) and select the vegetarian menu option. Same price as the meat menu. Subject to availability.

When making the booking, please write in the notes section if you have allergies or food-related issues that we should take into consideration.