PAOLA’S SENSUAL COOKING CLASS
Old Frascati Food & Wine is excited to announce that we have added a new ‘Sensual Cooking Class’ with our famous, Paola! Available Wednesday and Saturday in the AM or for private bookings. The cost of the tour is 100 euro per person. Max 8 people per group. This class will be geared towards using all of your different senses to create different local dishes depending on what is in season.
You will begin the day by taking the train from Roma Termini to Frascati which is just 30 minutes and 2.10 euro. Upon arrival, Paola will greet you at the train station and will take you on a walk through Frascati’s historical food market where the locals do their daily shopping. Blend in with the locals. Meet the bakers, the butchers, and the farmers selling vegetables from their fields. Their stalls are full of items such as fresh fruit, vegetables, cheeses, cured meats, balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomatoes, olives and many other Italian food specialities. Shop for the ingredients to use for the cooking class and learn to choose the best seasonal products.
From the center of Frascati, it’s a short walk to the 15th century Villa Mergè, where you will start your cooking lesson. This isn’t just a demonstration, you will actually take part in creating a full traditional farm to table meal. You will learn to make real Italian fresh pasta by hand with freshly laid eggs and learn to make a traditional sauces using ingredients from right outside the door!
Paola will lead you in demonstration on how to make a few different dishes of her choice. Dishes will vary depending on what time of year it is and what fresh vegetables and herbs are in season. Learn to prepare the classic bruschetta with fresh bread, homegrown tomatoes and the farmhouse’s own extra virgin olive oil and then take a break to enjoy it with a glass of Frascati Superiore DOCG wine.
Throughout the cooking process, Paola will have you use all of your different senses to get in touch with your food and the dishes you are preparing. As the food is finished, you will get to enjoy each course paired alongside wines produced in the Frascati area.
The overall experience will last about 4 hours from start to finish, have maximum 8 people per group, costs 75 euro per person and it will be an experience you cannot find anywhere else!
A note from Paola herself:
“What is the Sensual Cooking Class? My desire is to offer a cooking class focused on getting in touch with the ingredients we have chosen to prepare the dishes with. You will use all five of your senses to really understand what each ingredient has to offer before combining them all to create a magnificent dish. For example, while harvesting the herbs and edible flowers from around the olive trees outside of the villa you will smell the freshness of them and even get to taste some straight out of the ground. Dishes will vary based on what wild herbs are in season along with what fresh vegetables are as well. We are what we eat!” – Paola
