Learn to cook hands-on with pizzaioli~pizza-makers, sfoglina~pasta makers, panettiere~bread bakers and pasticciere~ pastry makers – the artisan way. For centuries Italians have mastered the art of cooking, eating and sharing the table with family, while sharing their love of food, family & friends. We continue this experience and welcome you to our table!
Authentic Cooking Vacations In Italy
Cooking Vacations provides authentic cooking classes and tours, food lover walks, vineyard & wine tastings and trips to the outdoor markets. Our talented chefs, sommeliers, and artisans bring you the best of each region hosted at beautiful properties selected for their location and charm. Each tour includes excursions to well-known and undiscovered places rich in culture and connected to the local people. Meet the fishermen, truffle hunters, and bread & pastry bakers who follow the Slow Food philosophy and biodynamic growing methods.
Our tours capture the art of Italian cooking, while tasting, discovering and enjoying la dolce vita, the sweet life. In Italy, la dolce vita is not a special occasion; it’s a way of life! For a complete list of cooking programs, click to Italy Tours
Our Family Invented the Art Of Cooking Vacations in Italy
Our family invented the art of cooking vacations in Italy many years ago. It all began when our American and foreign friends visited us in Italy and ended up spending their days in the kitchen with my Mom and Nonna Philomena. Everyone wanted to know how Nonna created her handmade pastas, plump ravioli filled with Ricotta, fresh sea bass with tomatoes and her towering sponge cake soaked in Limoncello.
My Nonna and Mom’s beautiful lunches and dinners were set at the table each day accompanied by Nonno’s homemade wine. Everyone followed rolling out pasta, making little meatballs and desserts & gelato filled with seasonal fruits. I then took our Italian culture, way of life and recipes and created Cooking Vacations. By word-of-mouth, friends and clients filled our family kitchen wanting to see, learn & experience our culture, and share the fun we had in the kitchen. Then, we expanded and added cooking programs throughout Italy. Today, we offer the most authentic experience for our guests. We are Italian, and we share our love of cooking with you!
Nonna’s Lucia & Philomena
Nonna Lucia was born in Prata Sannita, Naples Italy. She was a great chef who spent her days in the kitchen. Nonna Philomena her daughter, was also a great pastry Chef. As in most Italian families, my Nonnas believed that having their family eating around the table was the most important thing in life. Lucia was a beautiful young girl when she left Naples and set sail for America for a better life. She married Pasquale Scuncio when she was 17, lived a short life and died when she was 25 in America during the period of influenza. She left behind 3 young children and Philomena was her daughter. And today, my family recipes are used in some of your classes. Five generations later and we are still gently turning the pages of her worn-out cookbook smelling the sweet flavors of her Italian recipes. Cooking Vacations is dedicated to Nonna Lucia & Philomena.
A Note From Lauren
“In my family everyone is always in the kitchen before lunch or dinner-conversing and toasting with a good glass of wine- while helping to prepare lunch or dinner. In our kitchen, the preparation of cooking is just as important as the meal. The kitchen has and always will be the center of conversation, laughter and fun in our Italian family. This experience that we share is a family experience and Cooking Vacations gives everyone the opportunity to experience great food, wine, music, and the feeling of being Italian. As they say in Italy, ‘it is not healthy to eat alone.’
My great grandfather Pasquale and my Nonna Lucia were my inspiration for Cooking Vacations. My grandfather left Naples, Italy in the early 1900’s and set sail to New York for a better life. He was alone and did not speak English. He landed in America, married Lucia, had three children and lived to be 93 years old. I remember him well, and while I was growing up, he always kept the traditions of Italian food, wine, music and culture alive in our family. I share this experience with you”
– Lauren
