The best day we had in Italy was the day spent with Veronica, in her home, making the most…read moredelicious homemade Italian classics. My husband and I were on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy with our 10 year old and 17 year old nieces, and all ages were engaged in the process. We started the day seeing Veronica in town selecting fresh ingredients for our culinary adventure. We followed her from the center of town to her home, which is breathtaking on acres and acres of olive groves and other gorgeous landscaping. We had tasty homemade pastries and then got started. We did a roast, homemade pasta with both a meat and marina sauces, focaccia, salad of pole beans, feta cheese and a champagne vinaigrette, tiramisu and lots of fun and love! She sent us home with leftovers and olive oil from the property, which is sublime! We all agree it was our favorite day of the trip, and one day I hope to return and stay on the property and take another amazing class. Veronica is so knowledgable and warm, and she can teach any age and any personality. So blessed to have found her and spent the memorable day with her.

Veronica is an incredible chef and teacher. Her cooking class was the highlight of our trip to…read moreItaly. The food was delicious but the opportunity to spend an real Tuscan afternoon is something we will treasure always. Our kids were spellbound for the whole time!

This is a 5 star experience through and through! Everything about this 1/2 day class is…read moreunbelievable. Host and cooking lead, Manuela is a gem. She is friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable but most of all knows how to take your trip to Italy to another level! She immerses you in a full on sensory experience to cooking. Smelling ingredients, touching and understanding textures, seeing the freshness of ingredients and the rich colors, and finally tasting the fruits of your labor. Mmmmm. We opted for a regional class that featured Sicilian recipes and it was fantastic! We made a four course meal. One of the freshest meals I've ever had. Our food was down right mouth watering! You must must must go here when visiting Florence for a truly rich cultural and culinary experience. Loved this day more than I can capture in a review.

OMG!! This review is long overdue!! We had the best time with Manuela and Simon. Was definitely…read moreone of the highlights of our trip!! Manuela was patient, informative, and humorous. Everything we made was explained very well, and best of all was delicious. I will forever remember this time, and look forward to utilizing the recipes back home. Highly recommend taking a class with them!!

La Scuola di Cucina Lorenzo Medici has to be one of the top flight schools of Italian cooking…read more Everything about it is so totally impressive form its huge open modern design to its formally attired chef and master chef instructors attired in their dress whites with 52 pleated chef hats. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to attend any of the classes, though I wish I would have. However, I did carefully observe just about everything of their operations and the instructors left no detail to chance or uncovered. For example I noticed one student incorrectly cracking an egg against a knife edge and immediately saw two chef instructors showing him and instructing him on how to properly do it against a flat surface and they didn't leave him until he got it right. Also the instructors are constantly observing, tasting, having the students taste and advising throughout the entire process of students cooking. The instructions and classes are done in a totally "hands on" process of instruction. Furthermore you'll find that most of the students aren't comprised of armatures or wannabe cooks, but those who are already professionals and are there to improve and further hone their culinary talents. I've fortunately had the opportunity to observe many schools of cooking and culinary instruction including those of the Culinary Institute of America and have to say that those of the La Scuola di Cucina Lorenzo Medici were amongst the most impressive.

Took a cooking lass at the Central Market! What an amazing experience. Go on their website for…read morecooking class dates. €50 per person per class. You will not be disappointed

Such a great place for us very soon after arrival. Food was great and diverse menu options…read more.. assuming you like Italian you are in Italy so... Service was prompt and comfortable in English or Italian for speakers. They suggested great items. We sat in like a back area garden- charming. And they had a large TV set up to watch the Azuuri lose miserably to Spain. Fortunately the disappointment among the staff did not hurt the service or food!

Had such an amazing time here! I was a solo traveler and I was made to feel so welcome. Had the…read morechicken in a mustard and asparagus sauce that was so delicious but the whole menu looked tempting. Actually had dinner here twice. Wish I could go back again and again to try some more dishes. One of the staff a tall gentleman was just so great at his job and made it such a memorable dinner. I don't know his name but wish I could have thanked him. Hope you enjoy your future snowboarding travels to California.

Best cooking class I have ever taken and the food was so so good!!! He even sent me the recipient…read moreafter! We made papa pomodoro, a ravioli filled with cheese and pear and tiramisu! All 10/10!! And made in a timely manner too! I would go back again and highly recommend to everyone!

This class was so lovely , and informative! The host and staff was very very very friendly,…read morewelcoming and helpful! They all took their time with the whole group! The pizza , gelato, and sorbet! Came out ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and DELICIOUS! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PARTICULAR CLASS! Very wonderful experience!

My wife and I took a private cooking class with Chef Fabrizio. It was our favorite thing we did on…read moreour honeymoon! Chef Fabrizio is a fantastic instructor. He is hilarious! He taught us quite a bit about making pasta which will be quite helpful once we get home and make it ourselves. He was also very patient with our mistakes too. Mama mia! After the cooking class is over, you go down into the cellar below their kitchen and enjoy a private meal of the food you cooked. It was so much food! And extremely delicious as well. When we come back to Florence we will be sure to do it again.

I definitely recommend this. It was something fun to do with our big group. The instructor was…read morefunny. Honestly it was some of the best pasta we had the whole trip. They also give you the recipes to take home with you which I loved!

The Best Ever!!! My Dream Visit…read moreMy Cooking Inspiration My Dearest sister The Best Chef Ever--Laura Giusti

Staff = 5 Cooking classes = 4…read more Lodging / Accommodations = 1 We enjoyed the Tuscany cooking class. Chef Paola was a real professional -- articulate, interesting, fun, engaging and so knowledgeable. Everything we cooked was fresh, local, in season -- just perfect. We learned a lot and can't wait to share some of the recipes we learned with our friends back at home. In the one-week course, there are 4 afternoon classes. Everyone gets an opportunity to prepare an appetizer, first course, secondi (pasta) or entree and dessert. Note: I said prepare. The students did all the cleaning, cutting, chopping, rolling, mixing, filling, etc. The kitchen staff did all the cooking, plating and presentation. It was like going to a fancy restaurant every night, except we had done all the prep work and knew what went into the dishes. We sampled just about everything Tuscany has to offer in the Spring -- Beef Steaks, Pork Tenderloin, Guinea Fowl, Rabbitt, Quail, Branzino, Cod, Ground Beef, and pasta, stuffed pasta. Everything made from scratch. It took time, and the results were worth it in every bite. Wine was served with each meal and after there after dinner drinks. Overall, it was a lot of really great food and wine. We also met some nice like minded foodies who contributed to each of the meals during the week. The staff was fantastic. From the general manager, to the chef, to the kitchen staff, drivers, and the other workers, if you mentioned something, they were on it. Everyone had a can do attitude and made sure everything was dealt with efficiently and effectively. ...and they were all extremely nice. The lodging and accommodations were disappointing, however. I requested a room on the ground level with minimal steps before I made the reservation. The owner of Tuscookany promised a room with only two steps. Upon arrival, we were assigned a room with six steps, one up and five down. That made it tough for my spouse. The room was also dimly lit and spartan. The real challenge revealed itself the next morning when we discovered there was minimal hot water. The bathroom shower and faucets both started off warm and then went to cold. For three of the first four mornings, the staff tried to fix the plumbing with various maintenance efforts. On the fourth day, they moved us to another nearby villa where there was hot water. So that solved one issue but created another because we now had to negotiate a staircase to the second level and trudge over loose gravel even further each day to our cooking classes. I understand and appreciate the challenges of a historic 200-year-old villa like Casa Ombuto and I enjoyed its charming appearance. I don't understand how the management can promise one room and deliver something completely different and so under maintained.

This was an amazing experience! All of the chefs were friendly, kind, patient, funny and…read morepersonable. Chef Roberto and crew were wonderful with our special needs son - ensuring a welcoming, safe environment and that he had a great time. Learning to make these dishes was fun! They made it easy to follow and understand. The food was delicious and we look forward to using the recipes. Thank you so much :)

We went here for a Corporate event and this was one of the best times we've had in Florence…read more Cooking on vacation doesn't sound like it would be a "Must Do", but believe me, it was! The Mama Florence Team were spectacular (knowledgeable, friendly, and extremely helpful). They taught us step by step how to make an awesome meal! Even if you've never even boiled water, you will be able to do this class! From beginner to expert, they've got your back. I love this place and will definitely come back next time we visit Florence! Great job team!

I had a wonderful private cooking class with Marcella. Prior to the class, we planned the menu of…read morewhat to make. Marcella has a deep knowledge of food history and techniques. She is able to tell you the story of an ingredient, how it is cultivated, and how it can be applied for culinary purposes. She provided detailed instruction on how to cut, what to look out for while cooking, and even gave a lesson on how to pick a "good olive oil". I was even more impressed to find out that Chef Marcella had a deep knowledge of medieval cooking, a particular interest of mine. She was able to explain how different spices were used at the time, and how the Italian kitchen evolved over time. She has a profound knowledge of food history and the culinary arts. This being said: The class is what you make of it. If you are engaged and you ask questions, you will learn and get answers. If you attend just to follow a recipe, it may prove a less than enriching experience. I asked many questions, and Chef Marcella remained patient, taking the time to impart her knowledge upon me. I was extremely appreciative of this. My menu included: fresh pasta, stuffed zucchini flowers, filet all'aceto balsamico, and an olive oil cake with red-wine caramel sauce. Since my class I have made 3 of the 4 recipes. I took careful notes during the class and truly feel that Marcella made sure I mastered these recipes. The class can be as serious as you would like to make it. I would recommend letting Marcella know your particular goals with the class and your skill level so that she can plan the best class for you. High marks to Chef Marcella!

I went here as a class field trip with other study abroad students and had an amazing time!…read moreEveryone here was really helpful and kind to us, and we even got to take home the recipes at the end so we could show our families what we learned in class! If you're looking for an authentic Italian cooking class in Florence, I would recommend no place other than Giglio Cooking.

We went here with EF Go Ahead tours. We were so excited to make, eat and enjoy the start to finish…read moreproduct of Tiramisu, Pici pasta with a tomato sauce and bruschetta as a starter. We get here and they start the tiramisu right away. And ask for 2 (out of 16) volunteers. Then we watched these 2 make the tiramisu and the staff finish. Then the Pici pasta. They they asked for 4 volunteers to make the Dough. Then they called on everyone to help knead and roll out the dough. The thought that you and your partner / spouse Are actually going to eat the food that the 2 of you prepared is not accurate. The food was good, the chefs were awesome. But the description of what to expect was way off.

Upon meeting our chef Thomaso at our hotel, my wife and I, knew we were in for a real treat. Our…read morevisit to the Central Market was not only educational, but, fun and exciting. We selected florentine tomatoes and porcini mushrooms for our necessary ingredients. Upon arrival at the Cordon Blu cooking school, we were greeted by Gabriella the founder and owner. We shared a cup of coffee and proceeded to begin our class with Thomaso. Our menu included tiramisu, bruschetta with porcini mushrooms and of course, the making of fresh spaghetti and tomato sauce. The preparation was fun and with Thomaso's guidance, educational. We totally enjoyed our delicious meal and gained incredible satisfaction knowing we created it ourselves. We strongly recommend taking a cooking class from the Cordon Blu to enhance your Florence vacation, and allow you to bring home some knowledge to make some Italian meals back home....and by the way "you're welcome!"