Cesarine

We booked for four people a vegetarian class because it was the only one where we could do a starter, a pasta and a dessert. While our host in Asti was so wonderful, the experience was way over priced. 400 euros for four people, but only one person could really cook at a time and what we made was very basic (gnocchis with fried pumkin and boiled pears with melted chocolate.) It was all delicious of course, but way over priced and very very simple recipes. We thought at least we'll get aprons out of it, but the main organisation had not sent them, our host said to write them and they'll post them to us, but they wouldn't cause the policy of the organisation does not allow for shipping otuside Italy. Not impressed. If it was 50 euros a person, it could be worth the price, but 100 each is way to much for what you get…

All was perfect

At the last minute while on cruise docking the next day in Messina, I began searching the internet for some type of 鈥渇ood鈥?experience and ran across Le Cesarine. I was able to make and confirm reservations for 鈥淭ypical dining experience with cooking demo in Messina鈥?online. When we docked and got off the ship, we were able to walk to the location in 20 minutes and enjoyed the local scenery on the way. It was apparent we where out of the 鈥渢ourist zone鈥?and into a urban neighborhood, which was a nice change from the crowded tourist area.

When we arrived, we were met by Maria Costanza Gugino who took us into her beautiful home and welcomed us as if we were old friends. After a nice tour of her home, she took us to the kitchen where we met her father who was helping with the lunch preparations. She quickly served us a glass of wine to accompany the snacks before appetizers. Next came a tray of salami and local cheeses to munch on while we watched her cooking demonstration which would become our forthcoming meal.

Maria prepared a sandwich type dish she called 鈥減oor people food鈥? which was a round load of wonderful homemade bread cut in half with part of the center torn out and replace with fried eggplant, fresh tomato, cheese, marinated eggplant spread, and more. FANTASTIC!!! This along with strips of fried eggplant were our second round of appetizers. All the while we鈥檙e enjoying the 鈥渟how鈥?as she prepared the tomato sauce and eggplant to go with our homemade pasta which had been prepared earlier that morning. She then moved on to the secondi, two beautiful beef rollatinis, one stuffed cheese and the other with tomato. This was all accompanied a beautiful fennel salad. And of course, more wine. 鈥淓CCELLENTE!!!鈥?br />

Finally, we finished with a delicious dessert of pudding with fresh chocolate both inside and sprinkled on top.
We had enough wonderful food to last for days and it was all 鈥淧ERFETTO鈥?!! But more importantly, was the experience. Within a few minutes Maria and her father made us feel like family. We were in her kitchen sharing the experience and then in her family dining room as if we were truly her family. 鈥淧apa鈥?didn鈥檛 speak English, but the communication was there in actions and facial expressions. Maria鈥檚 cooking was only excelled by her passion for food, friends and making us feel like long lost family.

If you are ever in Messina, you must find Maria and book an experience with her. You鈥檒l make a friend for life and enjoy one of the finest homecooked meals of your life. My words can do this justice you must review the photographs.

Cesarine with Maria in Messina
Had the very best cooking and dining experience with Maria. We were welcomed into her home, including meeting her daughter and father. We were shown how much passion and skill Maria has for cooking and how this is done in Messina. So very generous. So good to do this. Very recommended.

Amazing experience. Highly recommend it. Like cooking with friends.

What a great experience! My husband and I learned so much from Margherita, and look forward to trying the recipes we learned once we are home. Beyond the cooking, we also had a great conversation about life in Bologna, and took away many recommendations for our visit to the city. Thank you for a wonderful course!

Never before have I experienced a cooking course as a unique cooking experience, embedded in a loving family environment. In contrast to cooking courses, where it was undesirable to sit on a stool during the course, we were invited into the family kitchen & sat as if among family and friends. That's what makes the difference. No sterile environment with six to 10 cooking places, but a completely normal kitchen with quite typical regional cuisine. You feel as if you can look over your mom's shoulder and see how you can cook simple but refined meals and learn about the secrets that grandparents pass down from generation to generation. It was so entertaining ,we felt as if we were part of a cooking show, like one can find on "youtube", this time with the title "Cooking in Basilicata".
We unfortunately had a bumpy start to our day : We ordered a taxi for 09:30 am, but there seems to be only one real taxi company in Matera, which didn't come, although we were promised that it would arrive in ten minutes at the agreed pick up point. We called several times & each time was told in 10 minutes! The taxis never came. We called our host to apologize for our late arrival. Our host was so kind & became our savior by finally offering to come & pick us up. We were extremely grateful .Once we arrived we were greeted by a warm smile where we sat , and talked comfortably about what we would have for lunch that day. I will not reveal the menu here,it should remain a surprise for other visitors, as it was for us! Do not fear: they are menus which recipes are clearly structured and can therefore be repeated successfully at home without losing its excellent taste. During the preparation of the meal you have the possibility to ask questions, to give a helping hand or just to look over the shoulder, just like in the kitchen with Mamma! We created a starter, the main course and a desert which was taken together at a beautifully decorated table in the dining room. As a farewell gift everyone got a beautiful unique memento of our lovely time with our hosts . There is no better remembrance of Matera. Mille grazie to the hosts!

We had a marvelous visit and a lively meal with Paola and Marco. They were delightful. We felt honored to be welcomed into their lovely home. Paolo bravely took us shopping on one of the hottest days of the year (century?) and showed great patience as well as stamina. We appreciated the mini-tour of Parma that she offered. We learned a lot about the history of the place.

The meal she planned was tasty and beautifully presented. It also was surprising, since we had not before had any of the unique dishes she prepared. It was a real treat. And the wines were perfectly chosen.

Parma is a beautiful and exciting city. We will return some day鈥攚hen it is not so darned hot!

I thought that Alessandra and Victor were perfect hosts and the meatballs were delicious! It was fun to see how different the meatballs are made here, and the sauce was so easy and also great! I would recommend this to anyone visiting the area, it was a great experience and everything was perfect!

Barbara and Venice was fabulous wonderful hospitality excellent food

We had a cooking class booked in Como on the 7th June. It was such an enjoyable experience and Morena and Elena were absolutely brilliant and so welcoming! We helped to prepare some fresh pasta, and we were fed 4 courses, wine and Aperol Spritz. We were absolutly stuffed by the time we left! We had a wonderful time with Morena and Elena- who were hilarious! The only small thing that I had wished was different was that it had been a bit more of a cooking class. We got to make the pasta ourselves with some light direction from Morena, but other than that it was more of a dinner party and we were the guests. We had been expecting to get our hands a bit dirtier and learn lots about Italian food and cooking, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless.

Hi There. We are Staci and Sonja from Edmonton, AB. Canada
Our experience took place on April 23, 2019. This was my first trip to Italy and as a home cook here in Canada, I wanted to share in a culinary experience in Italy. I wanted this to be a private class only in the home of a true authentic chef. La Cesarine provided exactly what I wanted. Lucy was my go to from home and answered all my questions quickly so I knew exactly what to expect.
Our hosts were Nicoletta and Fabio. Their home was located close to our hotel as promised. Prior to leaving Canada we requested a menu which our hosts graciously approved. We arrived at their home at 530 and stayed until late evening. It was a beautiful Italian home full of charm and history. Our hosts were sweet, kind, and funny. We shared cooking chores, recipes and a fantastic dinner with drinks and great conversation. I could not have asked for a better couple to show me the Italian way of cooking. I would definitely share an evening with them again. We arrived as strangers but left as friends.

We just want to say what an amazing concept Le Cesarine is, linking people up and being welcomed into someone鈥檚 home, to learn real home cooking, it felt very special! Barbara was an amazing host, and we chatted about all sorts of things as well as learning through food. Thanks!!

We had two Le Cesarine experiences on our recent trip to Puglia and Bologna. Both experiences were very enjoyable and the meals were outstanding. The entire process with Le Cesarine is a good experience and very efficient. It is a rare opportunity to be able to dine in someone's home while traveling. To have the cultural as well as a dining opportunity added so much to our trip. We used Le Cesarine 3 times in October when we traveled in Sicily. As well, those experiences were excellent. We would highly recommend Le Cesarine.

Some weeks ago, we were in Rome and I decided to try "Le Cesarine" concept. Our host Al,essandro, and his wife received us very kindly and the meal was delightful. Pasta, of course, but also artichokes "a la romana" and some other plates with names I don't remember. A small thing I can regret is that the hosts didn't eat with us (not in the same room) but they came to speak with us very often.

Barbara was not just an excellent and patient chef, but she is a new friend. Her home and kitchen were warm and inviting, not to mentioned extremely well equipped. We made some delicious Tuscan dishes and she patiently waited while I caught on to the wrist movement to make the picci, plus she allowed me to take extensive notes so I could duplicate her recipes at home (Cleveland OH) with my family. She kindly gave us a tour of her outdoor kitchen and wine cellar which were both beautiful and heartwarming as they were in her family for generations. Thank you Barbara, I will definitely let you know how our picci, pamadora soup, and ricotta cake turns out when we make it at home and I promise to send pictures! If you ever come to the US I hope you will visit Cleveland so my family and I can welcome you as you welcomed us.

The staff is very responsive to help accommodate travel schedule. We had two experiences, and both were very nice and good people. Perhaps not the best food you can get around a location all the time, but they are local dishes and give a good feeling of the culture. We enjoyed it very much

Wow Wow! Highly recommended, Adele prepared so many things for us, we learned how to do Orecchiette cime di rapa also the fresh pasta, Custard cream, traditional glazed onions and many more, both her and her husband where very welcoming, they have a very beautiful home Casina Fumarola, afterwords we were also given a tour of their surroundings and enjoyed the fantastic food and wine with their friends.

Our family of five visited Bologna and wanted to take a cooking class in Italy鈥檚 food capital. We investigated several options, including doing a class at a school, but came across Le Cesarine and decided to go outside of our comfort zone and try this in-home experience. We are so happy that we did! Our hostess, Paola, was so lovely. She welcomed us into her beautiful home like we were family, and taught us how to make pasta like her grandmother taught her. What an experience! Paola set a beautiful table for us in her dining room where we ate the delicious meal that we had cooked. Getting to know Paola and cooking in her home was, for us, an atypical vacation experience that made our trip more interesting, memorable, and fun. The staff at Le Cesarine was very accommodating with our schedule and time constraints plus they allowed us to tailor the menu to our liking. We highly recommend this experience!!

It was a great evening we enjoyed the dinner the food was yummy we loved it and I recommend for any one want to learn to cook the pasta in a cozy environment..

Le Cesarine met and exceeded all expectations. Wonderfully unique alternative to going to a restaurant. Highly recommended.

My friends and I spent a few nights in Bologna, Italy, but the pinnacle of our experience was having dinner with our hosts, Oriana and her husband. They were so friendly and welcoming, and the food they prepared was exquisite! They were so accommodating, too, preparing a delicious vegetarian dinner. For whoever visits Bologna, Italy, I highly recommend having a meal with Oriana!

For the first time an original dinner at an Italian home cook booked via Le Cesarine. Le Cesarine made the perfect match for me with Sonia De Marzo in Napoli!
What a great experience, warm, dear family and Sonia had cooked on TOP level.
I can recommend it to everyone!

My family and I enjoyed two dining experiences with Le Cesarine in Milano and Verona. Fabio and Nicoletta in Milan were such welcoming hosts, with an interesting and lovely apartment decorated with items from their extensive travels. The local wine flowed and the conversation was lively. Every dish was perfectly prepared. And the pumpkin risotto proved to be the ultimate comfort food.

Silvia in Verona took extra care to provide an authentic, enjoyable, and relaxing Veronese dining experience. She was engaging, charming, witty, and funny with a contagious smile and laugh. That she spoke little English and I even less Italian mattered not one iota. In fact, this made it more fun. Oh, and her menu suggestions were spot on, from the polenta topped with various meats and fish to the Renga delicacy and a wonderful tiramisu, all paired with local wines from the Veneto.

The website and company (Lucy in particular) is so helpful and a pleasure to work with. The chefs are professional, skilled, and full of wonderful stories and cooking tips. We will be sure to include a meal with Le Cesarine on all of our future trips to Italy!

This was one of the most memorable experiences we had on our trip to Italy. Cecilia was our hostess. She was wonderful and her food was delicious!!!
She treated us like old friends. Time spent with a Le Cesarine Home Cook is a must for anyone travelling to Italy!!! Ask for Cecilia when in Florence….you will feel like you are home:)