Kosher Cooking In Florence™

Tie on your apron with Chef Gabri for hands-on Kosher cooking classes with authentic Kosher foods, tasting and touring in historic Florence.  All cooking classes follow the Kosher guidelines by certified kosher producers.  You will also visit the outdoor marketplace where you will see an array of artisan and farm-raised products; including a visit to the area’s only Kosher butcher.  As you tour the many vendors, you’ll learn how to select the freshest fruits and vegetables of the season.  Highlighting the tour is a visit to the Great Synagogue.  History lovers rejoice over this guided tour of the Great Synagogue and to the Jewish Museum.  This one-of-a-kind Kosher Cooking Florence program immerses you into Kosher cuisine and the Jewish Quarter of Italy’s most treasured art city.

Note:  The kitchen is Kosher and there is self- supervision from Chef Gabi.  If you require a formal certification there is an extra fee for the Rabi and Kosher certification.  Chef Gabri can arrange for official certification for Kosher foods used during the class, and also organize for a Mashiach to be present to oversee the cooking class. Our chef states a certified Kosherut is not requested as a thorough cleaning and the use of stainless steel utensils, pots and pans (with disposable dishes and kosher ingredients and rules) meets the Kosher standard.  A Kosherut from the Rabi of Florence is available and the supplement is $300.

Florence Kosher Cooking Classes

Chef Gabri welcomes you to her kitchen for two Kosher Cooking classes (vegetarian option also) during your stay.  She is an expert Kosher chef who has been leading cooking classes for over ten years using only Kosher ingredients, products and produce sourced from local Tuscan farmers and Kosher artisans.  All of the meat products are from the official Kosher butcher in Florence, the same one who you’ll visit on your market tour.  All cheeses are also made under strict Kosher guidelines by certified Florentine cheesemakers.

Under Chef Gabri’s expert guidance, you’ll be slicing and dicing, rolling and kneading, as you prepare full-course Kosher menus of antipasto, pastas with sauce, a main course and dessert.  Her Kosher menus include antipasti, such as fave e cicorie, fava bean purée with vegetables, and anchovies with curly endive; pastas cover orecchiette with broccoli rape sauce along with ravioli from Mugello with potato filling and a savory rosemary sauce, and tagliatelle with slow cooked ragù.  Main dishes could include fresh tuna with peas, chicken roasted with oranges or sardines in a sweet and sour sauce. Or then again, you might learn how to prepare pizza di scarola, a savory pie with cheese, escarole and olives and a score of vegetarian sides such as Florentine spinach and melanzane scapece. Each cooking classes ends on a sweet note with Kosher specialities such as crostata di zucca e amaretti, Kosher pumpkin pie and torta di mele, apple pie, to name a few.

Following the cooking class, lunch or dinner is served and everyone dines on the foods prepared in class with a toast of Kosher wine included.  Additional wines, beverages and after-dinner liqueur are available at a surcharge.

The Great Synagogue

Florence, a Renaissance city known for its art, museums, history, cuisine and gelato, is also home to one of Italy’s most important Jewish landmarks, the Great Synagogue.  Its emerald colored dome overlooking the red roofs of Florence with the Tempio Maggiore, is a symbol of religious perseverance.  Step inside and discover inlaid marble floors, stained glass windows and beautiful mosaics.  Religious services are held in the early morning for Shabbos and again in the evening before Shabbat.  The Synagogue is open to the public during the day.

Your English-speaking guide will lead you through the Temple and the Jewish Museum.  During the tour, you will see precious religious relics that tell the story of Florentine-Jewish history.   Your tour includes a visit to the Gates of Paradise where ten inlaid panels display stories from the Tanakh.  You will also visit Via dei Guidei, a street that was dedicated to the Jewish population and the first street where Jewish families settled in Florence.

A Note on Florence

Food, art and romance overflow in Florence, where ancient cobblestone streets lined with cafés and trattorie, along with restaurants spill out onto piazzas.  The main piazza in Florence, Piazza della Repubblica, was once home to Florence’s Jewish Ghetto.  The ancient ghetto was destroyed in 1848 following Italian Unity, but today visitors still stand in awe at the historical city square.  Benches and cafés line piazzas, inviting visitors to take a seat, enjoy a scoop of gelato, and watch the world go round.

Beyond the main square, Florence stretches into a low-lying city filled with art and stunning architecture.  It’s an art lover’s dream and home to the Uffizi and Accademia Museums.  Visit Michelangelo’s Davide at the Accademia, then stroll to the Galleria degli Uffizi, one of the most famous museums in the world featuring Renaissance art.  Imagine that the majority of the collections was donated to the museum by the Medici, including some of the greatest Italian masters like Botticelli, Giotto, Cimabue, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raffaello, dating back to the 12th and 17th centuries.

Join us in Kosher Florence to experience our Kosher Cooking Vacations tour!

Siena & Kosher Wine Tour

Siena is a Medieval city nestled in the Chianti Hills and surrounded by golden wheat fields, green olive groves and perhaps best of all, miles of vineyards.  Your Kosher Vineyard Tour immerses you into an enchanting vineyard, whose owners have has been producing wine for three generations.  The result of this special family history is a 37-acre property growing Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  The owner and winemakers lead you through the process, providing a history of wine making followed by a wine tasting with an informal discussion to follow.  A Tuscan Kosher snack follows, featuring olive oil, bread, Kosher cheeses and a glass of wine the family’s Kosher wine collection.

Your afternoon continues with a visit to the Medieval City of Siena.

Explore Siena on your own or add on an English-speaking guide.  Landmarks include the Torre del Mangia, a medieval bell tower overlooking the city and the Basilica di San Domenico built in the 1200s to house Saint Catherine’s relics.  Soak up Siena’s architecture, as seen in the Roman-Gothic Cathedral of Siena, with its inlaid mosaic floor – one of the most precious mosaics in Italy.  Conclude your tour with a visit to the Piazza del Campo, the main square and home to the Palio, Siena’s ancient horse race.

Florence Accommodations

Choose from 3 or 5 Star Accommodations
Check into either our 3 or 5-star hotel accommodations, just a two-minute walk from the Synagogue.  Accommodations offer fully equipped rooms and suites with modern amenities: Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, daily maid service, mini bar, and television.  Select rooms include views of the Synagogue.  Breakfast is served in the morning, (excluding the 3-star hotel).

3 Star Accommodations  Your 3 star accommodations blend late-Renaissance architecture with a cozy, elegant interior.  Deep hues of gold, red and evergreen decorate the walls and bedspreads, while a dining room is neatly set on the first floor.  This hotel is perfect for guests looking to budget their stay in an authentic Florentine hotel in a central location.

5 Star Accommodations  The 5 star property is set in the heart of Florence in a 15th century palazzo.  The property is elegant,Renaissance and luxurious. Set by the Piazza della Signoria and close to the Uffizi Gallery, there are trattorias, wine bars, shopping and museums just steps away.  Each beautiful room blends elegant Italian furniture, comfortable bedding and bed linens with private ensuite baths.  Warm-toned furnishings and textiles in red, amaranth, orange and gold adorn each room. Florentine curtains and tapestries, beamed ceilings and four-poster beds add to spacious rooms with lots of light. This 5 star property offers all of the finer amenities one could need.  There’s free wi-fi service, certified Kosher menus designed according to each guests’s needs and prepared according to the rules of kashrut, with the assistance of a Mashgiach from the Jewish Community of Florence.  Every ingredient is carefully selected from Kosher-certified suppliers including fresh raw materials – bread, fish and meat. Special attention is given to cutlery service, with porcelain dishes sealed and approved for milk menus, and dishes for meat menus.  When serving in the dining room, there is respect to the Kosher rules.  Menus are prepared have been approved by the Chief Rabbi for kosherization, according to the established times and procedures.

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Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival & Check-in

• Transfer from Florence Airport or Train Station to your accommodations.
• Check-in and relax.
• Review your itinerary and Welcome Bag.
• A Chef’s Welcome Dinner is served. Kosher wine and water are included.

Day 2 Market Tour & Cooking Class 1

• Breakfast is serviced.  (Excluding the 3-star hotel).
• A tour of the local market kicks off your morning with tastings along the way. Learn to select the freshest fruits and vegetables of the season with the help of Chef Gabri.
• Following your market tour, return to the kitchen for your first hands-on cooking class. The ingredients purchased in the morning Market Tour or Kosher Shop with Chef Gabri will be used, including meat from the Kosher Butcher in Florence along with fresh fruits and vegetables. Prepare Kosher and/or Kosher Vegetarian antipasti, fresh pasta, sauce, main course and dessert.
• Following the cooking class, lunch or dinner is served and everyone dines on the foods prepared in class with a toast of Kosher wine included. Additional wines, beverages and after-dinner liqueur are available at a surcharge.
• Evening free and dinner on your own with suggestions provided.

Day 3 Visit Siena & Kosher Vineyard Tour

• Breakfast is serviced.  (Excluding the 3-star hotel).
• Meet your driver for transport to Siena, a small medieval town nestled in the Tuscan countryside. Here, in the nearby countryside, you will tour a Kosher vineyard, delve into the wine cellars and sample for yourself their Sangiovese grapes.  The winemakers at this vineyard have been producing Kosher wines for over three generations, respecting the biodiversity of the land.
• Following your tour of the family’s 37-acre vineyard, your hosts serve a light Kosher lunch with fresh bread, organic olive oil and Kosher cheeses produced locally.
• Continue on to Siena for a 2-hour visit on your own, or add on an English-speaking guide.
• Meet your driver and return to the hotel.
• Evening free and dinner on your own with suggestions provided

Day 4 Cooking Class 2 & Visit to the Synagogue

• Breakfast is serviced.  (Excluding the 3-star hotel).
• Morning Walking Tour of Florence with an English-speaking guide who will lead you through the Jewish Quarter. You will visit the Synagogue, the Jewish Museum, ‘The Gates of Paradise,’ which are ten panels of artwork from the Tanach stories, the Piazza della Republica where the ghetto once stood, and Via dei Guidei, the first street of the Jewish Ghetto.  (Museum and entrance fees are not included in the price.)
• Lunch is on your own. Suggestions on your Hot Pick list.
• In the afternoon, tie up your apron for your second hands-on cooking class with Chef Gabriella. Following the cooking class, lunch or dinner is served and everyone dines on the foods prepared in class with a toast of Kosher wine included.  Additional wines, beverages and after-dinner liqueur are available at a surcharge.

Day 5 Check-out & Arrivederci

• Breakfast is serviced.  (Excluding the 3-star hotel).
• Check-out e a presto!
• Transfer to Florence Airport or Train Station.

*Note: This schedule may vary due to Shabbat, inclement weather, Saint days or festivals.  All activities, in the event of rescheduling, are always included during the program.