Experience Italy in a way you never dreamed possible!
Cooking
Our region of Umbria is to be savored as well as explored. Whether you are passionate about learning to cook Italian or simply wish to indulge in a banquet of Umbria's rich flavors, treat yourself to an experience of Umbrian rural cuisine in our Assisi home - or in your home in the U.S.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding my cooking classes or banquet meals in our home/your home.
Cooking Classes and Banquets in Umbria
Cooking Classes and Banquets in the U.S.
Why I Teach Umbrian Cooking
Recipes... Buon Appetito!
Comments
Cooking Classes and Banquets in Umbria
Cooking Classes in Umbria
Join us for a cooking class of Umbrian rural cuisine in our Assisi farmhouse. We'll start with market shopping and our rounds will include a visit to the local caseificio to taste and select, freshly-made cheeses, a stop to buy vegetables from farrmwoman Novella and then on to the butcher. A stop for a taste of Giovannino's wine and prosciutto is a must, followed by a visit to our farm neighbor to buy fresh eggs.
Then, on to our Assisi area farmhouse for our fully "hands-on" cooking class. Depending on the season, we might find wild asparagus or wild field greens on our land to add to our meal. Our cooking class will take a couple of hours and the eating pleasure might take just as long! As we cook, I will share Umbrian gastronomical lore and rural life stories, as well as insights into the rural restoration norms (our farmhouse is a restoration masterpiece of my husband, Pino).
Cooking classes in our home are generally limited to 8 persons. Fee per person: 130 E for pre-cooking shopping experience, the class, all foods, and enjoyment of the banquet (and you will NOT need dinner afterwards!) Read below what past "students" have to say.
Dates: July 19, 22, August 4, September 21 - 2010
Children's classes: I enjoy teaching children how easily they can make nutritious and tasty food. Parents, enjoy a day on your own while in Umbria while your children and I cook you a "banquet" lunch! Children's classes are limited to eight. Fee per person for two-hour cooking class and banquet meal: 90 euro.
Banquets in Umbria
A couple of nights a week, I offer a "banquet" dinner in our Assisi farmhouse and I am happy to do banquet lunches upon request. Whether at 45€ a person (for those also touring with me) or 48€ per person (for those NOT also touring with me), dinner in our home is top value. Eat, learn and experience! Fees indicated are applicable for groups of 8 - 10. I am happy to accomodate smaller groups: please ask for rates. Reduced rates for families and tour groups.
For groups over 10, dinner at the home of farm neighbors - reduced fees (depends on number of persons - happy to provide fee upon request).
Banquet events include:
- "banquet" dinner of Umbrian rural cuisine (and I might slip in a few Sicilian dishes - thanks to my Sicilian mother-in-law, Vincenza!)
- stories of our rural life during our years farming (and lore gleaned from my farmwomen neighbors who taught me to cook)
- insights into the rural restoration of our farmhouse ("masterpiece" of my husband, Pino)
.....and yes, I am happy to share recipes!
Dates: September 17, October 5, 2010
Cooking Classes and Banquets in the U.S.
Cooking Classes in the U.S.
Savor the goodness of Umbria in a cooking class in your home. Such an event is a perfect way to celebrate an anniversary, a milestone birthday, a special event and cooking events can be used as fund-raisers, team-builders, business events, get-togethers for gourmet food/wine groups, or simply as a way to gather friends together. See below for what past hosts have to say and click hereto read about last year's memorable tour!
Where and When? This year, I'll be offering Umbrian rural cooking classes in the U.S. and Canada in February - March 2010. Requests are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Early booking assures you preference when choosing the date. My itinerary will depend on the location of cooking requests and lecture requests.
Click here to see the 2010 U.S. cooking classes/lectures itinerary
What's necessary?
- Space in your kitchen for minimum of 12 people - groups are limited to 16 persons,
including the host(s) - although cooking lessons have worked out very successfully
in surprisingly small quarters.
- Very basic cooking utensils (I will send ahead the list of equipment needed).
How long does the lesson last? Cooking classes may take place in the morning or in the late afternoon. Meal preparation takes about 2 hours. If a morning lesson, cooking should start about 10:30 a.m. so that we can eat about 12:30 - 1:00 pm. If evening lesson, cooking would start at about 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner (about 2 hrs. later). Cooking lessons are fully "hands-on" and throughout our lesson, I will share with you Umbrian culinary lore and folk traditions. This year, I will start all classes with a brief introduction to the Umbrian land and the farmpeople who taught me to cook (illustrated on DVD).
What will we cook? Our menu includes various antipastos, a pasta dish, main course, side dish(es), dessert. I send ahead a sample invitation, the menu, recipes and shopping list prior to the cooking events - so that the host can print out the recipes for the participants prior to the lesson. Hosts are asked to do the shopping prior to the class. I arrive at the host's home well ahead of the lesson to make sure that all is in order and to see if anything else is needed.
Cooking class fee?
Hosts buy the foods (shopping list sent ahead) and are asked to make a contribution of $190 towards my travel expenses. Each guest pays $85 and minimum number of 12 guests is required, other than the hosts (who do not pay for the lesson). Pls note: yes, I can certainly offer classes to fewer than 12 persons but minimum fee of $85 x 12 is required in any case.
Cooking Classes in U.S. Schools, K-12
Let's invest in our children's health! When children learn to cook healthy foods (eg, Italian!), they soon want to eat only healthy foods. Healthy eating = healthy living. My annual February/March cooking/lecture tours will again include cooking classes (and talks) in schools for children of all ages, from kindergarten to high school students. Read about my amazing day in 2009 at The Selwyn School in Denton, Texas - and contact me for more information on how to offer a unique gift to our schoolchildren: Italian cooking classes and talks on Italy/Italians in schools. Children's classes can also take place in private homes upon request.
Banquets in the U.S.
Prepared and served by me for your guests - for those who simply wish to "feast" without cooking it first!
Number of guests: 12 minumum and 16 maximum
Cost? Hosts buy food and makes $190 contribution to my travel expenses. $95 per person (and assistant requested - of your choice - for help in preparation, please)
What time of day? late morning or early evening
What is needed? I will send the shopping list, menu, recipes and utensils required ahead to hosts. I will fully prepare all the meal (with assistant chosen by hosts - no previous experience needed at all!)
Optional Addition to Cooking Lessons or to Umbrian Dinners
Let's spark up the evening with entertainment! My talk on "Italian Gestures" prior to cooking classes or Umbrian dinners ("a glass of wine and..." ... gestures!) will start off the evening with gusto! (Optional addition to the evening - at no charge.) Another option: prior to our Umbrian banquet, a brief introduction to the Umbrian land and the Umbrian rural people (who taught me to cook), illustrated in a DVD
Why I Teach Umbrian Cooking
click to enlarge photo
When my husband Pino and I moved here to the countryside outside of Assisi in 1975, we both set out to learn all that we could about rural life from our farm neighbors. They taught us how to raise a variety of animals - guinea fowl, geese, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, sheep, goats - and how to best serve them at table! Every winter, one of the pigs was transformed into prosciutto, capocollo, sausages, pancetta, and salami (see Zsa zsa's Story). Chiarina taught me how to make pasta and where to find the wild mushrooms. From Mandina, I learned where to find the wild asparagus and the tenderest field greens for salads. Eva taught me how to conserve the garden's vegetables sott'olio, how to preserve figs and other fruits in a variety of ways . Emma and Gentile shared other secrets - and I am still learning from Peppa.
The cooking that I have been doing ever since has been the cucina povera of Umbria's rural people, the cooking of people who ate only what they grew - with very few "intruding" elements - as their income did not permit extras. The Umbrians proudly call this delicious simple food of their rural ancestors, "la cucina genuina". No other cuisine so generously combines goodness and freshness.
In my cooking lessons (both here in our farmhouse near Assisi - and in the U.S. in private homes), I now and then add a dish learnt during the years I lived in Rome - or on our annual summer visits to my husband Pino's family in Palermo, Sicily where my wonderful mother-in-law, Signora Vincenza, shared so many culinary secrets with me.
Recipes... Buon Appetito!
I'd like to share with you now and then, a taste of la cucina genuina of Umbria, dishes taught me by my rural neighbors, passed on from generation to generation. I learned to cook with my farm neighbors by watching and tasting. None of them had ever cooked from a recipe - or even seen one! All quantities in the recipes I share on my site will therefore be approximate. Enjoy. Buon Appetito!
Click here for my recipes
Comments
Cooking Classes in Umbria
"I cannot begin to do justice to the culinary blessings we enjoyed while touring with Anne, including a personal cooking lesson and meal in her real Italian farmhouse. This was preceded by local shopping for the fresh ingredients at the local outdoor produce market, the local cheese manufacturer, and the local butche. All of our time spent with Anne was full of joy. We learned and experienced so much more with Anne!"
Peggy Worthing, Atherton, CA
Banquets in Umbria
"Nothing can beat, the unbelievable lunch we had at your home Anne! We will never forget sitting around the table in your kitchen with the other guests and you, sharing stories while being treated to a full 5-course Umbrian meal of the most wonderful breads, meats, pasta, veggies, desserts and local wines...we were in Umbrian heaven! We so enjoyed taking the tour of your rural home and fields and meeting Pino and your son. You gave us the best of Umbria to bring back with us, Anne! Thank you! "
Gail and Frank Ferraro, Exeter, NH
Cooking Classes in the U.S.
"The cooking event in our home with Annie proved to be one of the most lavish, decadent, and memorable parties we've ever given. All hands pitched in with vigor. Every dish, pot and utensil we owned flew about the kitchen in a crescendo of activity. Wine flowed, garlic sizzled, chocolate oozed and steam and laughter mingled overhead. At the end of the evening every guest chef sighed deeply, leaned back, settled their hands across a sated belly and gazed dreamily off toward Umbria. Magnifico!"
Terry Smith, Piedmont, CA
"Not only was the evening filled with learning how to cook and eat the most fabulous food, but included wonderful stories of Anne's life in Assisi and how things have changed over the years. It was definitely a 'Top 10' evening and we'll remember it forever."
Scott and Ann McClellan, Lynnwood, WA
Cooking Classes in U.S. Schools, K-12
"How delightful it was for The Selwyn School to host Anne Robichaud! Her love, pride and knowledge of Italy brought it to life for our children and adults alike. We all learned so much about Italy and look forward to seeing Anne next in her corner of the world."
Adina Heller, Director of Development The Selwyn School,
Denton, TX
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