Mama Isa: Cooking Classes Venice Italy | Cookery Courses

Such an amazing class. Isa was a great teacher for both of us and we learnt recipes we’ll keep forever. We did the gluten free class and made focaccia and fresh fettuccine in a tomato sauce. My partner is celiac and it was perfect for her, the best pasta and bread she’s ever had. I would highly recommend this experience, one we won’t forget.

Taking an authentic cooking class in Italy has been my intention for at least a decade. I was thrilled to find Mama Isa’s Cooking School on the internet and signed-up with my husband for our trip to Italy. As a dietitian, I wanted to learn how to make pasta (tagliatelle) and gelato. As both my husband and I are gluten free and vegetarian —this was a necessary part of our planning criteria. It was easy to talk with Isa on What’s App to work out the details such as the menu, our dietary restrictions, pricing information, as well as the location of the cooking school. The process was easy and Isa even provided the transportation logistics to get us to her place. When we arrived for our class, we were welcomed by Isa, and her husband and sous chef, Stefano. After a brief overview of the menu—we went to work in her nicely appointed kitchen and prep area. Isa described the order of what we would be preparing and how the ingredients worked in each recipe. Incorporating food science is essential when working with gluten free recipes as these flour blends do not work the same as typical pasta flours (notably semolina) which rely the structural network of gluten in the cooking process. My husband and I then prepared the dairy free gelato first, to give the ingredients time to be chill to create a creamy texture. Next, we made the gluten free pasta. The key to this process is let the dough sit for 30 minutes before rolling it out and cutting it into the desired shape. This gave us time to sit down for a wonderful appetizer prepared by Stefano which included wine, gluten free crackers, fresh tomatoes with balsamic vinegar & olive oil, vegetable crudites, and assorted local aged cheeses—a very lovely intermission before completing the remaining meal prep operations. After fueling up, we moved on to cutting and rolling out the pasta dough. We carefully placed the pasta on a drying mat before cooking. Our final project was to prepare a porcini mushroom sauce with freshly cut herbs—infusing a fantastic medley of flavors atop the freshly cooked pasta. Isa demonstrated her pasta plating technique to create a very eye-appealing entrée—sprinkled with freshly grated cheese and ground black pepper. We were then seated to enjoy the fruits of our labor—the fresh tagliatelle with porcini mushroom sauce with another glass of wine, followed by a decadent chocolate gelato! Throughout our interactive class, Isa provided helpful cooking and preparing tips elevating our confidence to recreate these recipes at home. Isa’s intuitive instruction, her versatility with traditional pasta recipes as well as gluten free pasta creations, and her gracious hosting skills certainly amplified our cooking experience. In addition, she emailed the recipes we made in our class as well as an assortment of other recipes to help us expand our repertoire of fresh pasta dishes and gelato varieties. Five stars to our wonderful chef and entrepreneur for inspiring us to the next level in our pasta-gelato meal combinations!