Under the expert guidance of a multilingual chef, you will visit the Florence historic market, where you will select the organic ingredients that you will then use to prepare a four-course meal. On this course you can learn to cook a typical everyday Tuscan meal, starting off by choosing the ingredients in season. Under the expert guidance of a multilingual chef, you will visit the Florence historic market, where you will select the organic ingredients that you will then use to prepare a four-course meal (starter, first course, second course and dessert) in a top class cookery school. The course will be followed by lunch with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine and a fun and friendly atmosphere.
Chef Francesco was a wonder guide and teacher. The market was so clean and refreshing. He knew many of the vendors. At his cooking school he showed us how to make pasta, the filling for ravioli, bruschetta and chicken w/veggies. His knowledge is vast and enjoyed his easy style. So patient! An expert chef and wonderful person! I fell in love with the art of cooking.
We had the best time! Very interesting tour through the market with Francesco! Lots of fun with tastings! Then learning some techniques and delicious food back at his school with his wonderful chef! great time!
The day started with an enjoyable market visit and product tastings. Chef Francesco was very friendly and taught us how to make delicious recipes for a Italian meal including fettuccine from scratch and also gave really good tips for ingredient preparation. We were served very good wine with our meal. I I highly recommend this activity.
What a fun time time! The market was really cool. I especially loved the truffle and balsamic tasting. And later, learning things about Italian cooking that I wasn't aware off, like you only use the garlic for flavoring and then it is taken out.
It was amazing. Stefano was a great teacher. We actually were the only ones in the class so my husband and basically had a private class. The market before was fantastic with lots of good tastings. Highly recommended
Katarina was an excellent guide and chef. She explained the different foods at the Central Market where we had some food tastings of olive oils, balsamics, cheese, truffles and salami. Then she asked us what type of ravioli we would like to make. After a walk to the cooking school we got our aprons and proceeded to make a 4 course meal of bruschetta, lemon spinach ravioli, chicken Modena made with balsamic glaze and peppers and onions and for dessert we had panna cotta flavored with coffee and topped with chocolate. It was great making everything from scratch including the ravioli. We then were served Prosecco and red wine to go with our meal which was so plentiful that it could have fed 2 more people. We were two that had Katarina as our private chef. This was an amazing experience that was well worth the cost.
fun day w catrina at market and back at cooking school to prepare and eat delisih meal she was very fun and informative. attentive to dietary needs and easy to understand
Catarina chef was excellent, class was held at a real cooking school.. really fun to visit the market
The cooking part of the tour was great, the instruction fun and clear, & the food was amazing. The downside was the market . Our guide bought the food and we walked thru the market with very little interaction. We did have a stop at a booth for olive oil, balsamic and truffle tastings and the girl there was very engaging. Again, like I said, the cooking part was great and the owner spoke to us and it seemed like a really well run school.
Noemi did a great job for our market tour and cooking class. It was engaging and informative while also having a great time! The food was excellent! Small group allowed for personal experience with others.
Overall, the trip was nice! The food was yummy, the dishes were easy to make, and the tastings were fun. Only critique would be that it was a little hard to find the guide at the start. Contrary to what the viator post said, the assistant was not wearing any visible insignia saying Caf Tours (but they were wearing blue). The temporary statue in the square was confusing things. Our guide was also quite soft spoken, making it hard to hear sometimes. Perhaps the tour getting a remote earpiece for all guests would help with that? Other than that, doing a cooking class in Florence was extremely lovely. Would definitely recommend it!
Katarina was great!! She was very helpful and informative. The food we made was delicious!! She also gave us some nice recs for local restaurants to try! The tour of the market was awesome we got to try some delicious product and learn about local cuisine.
We met the guide in the piazza where he then took us to the market, where we sampled some local delights. After the market we then walked to the cookery school where we learned to make typical Tuscan dishes The school was a great environment with the team being very professional & accommodating as 1 of our party is gluten intolerant.
I don’t remember our chefs name but she was fabulous. We started at the Centrale Market and did a truffle, balsamic and olive oil tasting and it was wonderful. After the market we walked to the cooking school which was about a 10-15 min walk. The school is lovely and our group was 4 of us so it was a more intimate cooking experience. We made 4 courses and everything was so simple to make and turned out delicious. My favorite course was the chicken, it was exceptional. My Mom and I enjoyed this class so much and would do it again.
We did not get to participate in the cooking class we paid for because the trip operator would not give us the address of the cooking class. We hit bad traffic because of a road closure on the way into Florence. We called ahead to inform them we would be late. We understood we wouldn't be able to tour the market with the group due to the difficulty of them walking around the market, but it is unacceptable that the operator would not provide the address of the actual class. I would not suggest this tour to anyone as the company was unsympathetic to a condition caused by the city they do business in. I will be filing a complaint with my credit card company because they would not refund our money either. Please, do yourself a favor and book a different tour.
Everything was amazing! The market experience was great - got to taste lots of samples and see the market in action. The cooking class itself was fabulous! We made 4 courses and everything was so delicious! I liked this cooking class because nothing was too difficult to potentially replicate at home. The chefs were so nice and made this a wonderful experience for us!
Unfortunately, I do not remember our tour guides name, but she was lovely and informative. The tour through the market was great. It was less about buying the ingredients for the afternoon meal, but more about sampling and learning about the products like the meats and cheeses, olive oils and balsamic vinegars, which was a great learning experience. She did purchase some herbs and we bought fruit. The experience at the cooking school was great. Our group only had eight people so it was small enough to get to know everyone. The recipes we made were simple yet incredibly flavorful and there was more than enough food for us to feel completely full and the wine was generous. We also received the recipes afterwards. Overall, it was a wonderful experience that did not feel like 5 hours, at all.
A fantastic cooking experience in Florence with our chef Francesco - who made the class fun and delicious 😋 The group was great and sharing our meal at the end was a perfect way to end the day ⭐️
Wonderful way to experience Florence away from the crowds and our Chef (Francesco) was brilliant with his friendliness and knowledge of the culinary history and background to Italian food. Would recommend this experience to anyone visiting Florence. The start of day at the fresh produce market was also memorable and definitely worth the visit.
Going to the central market and learning about all the different food and oils and then learning so much in the class about preparing the food. Francesco was so knowledgeable and so fun to tour with and learn from. We loved this experience and will be recommending it to others.
Excellent experience. Only critique is that I would have loved to make a more “classic Florentine” meal. Walking through the market was amazing and I never would’ve discovered it if not for this tour. Learning to make pasta in Italy… a dream!
This outing was one of the highlights of my trip. I enjoyed the old market, the Balsamic Vinegar exposition, truffle exploration, and espresso. Francisco is so knowledgeable. Then to cook with some of our purchases was also interesting, informative, useful, and delicious. sharing the meal with the others was the perfect end. Wine pairing good as well. Highly recommended!
We started with an informative trip to the Mercado Central, where we had chance to try some amazing truffle, cheese, produce and salamis. After this, we went to the cooking school and made an amazing lunch with Tuscan kale and bean bruschetta, fresh pasta with an olive caper sauce, chicken with balsamic vinegar, and a lemon ricotta cake. Katelina took her time to explain everything and we did ALL the work. Afterwards, we enjoyed the lunch with wine and got the recipes as well. Absolutely recommend this tour. There are others that are twice or even 3x the price, I’m not sure if they are worth it.
Wonderful experience going through the market with the chef and the cooking lessons. Small group, great instructors, very hands on, fun experience.
Sadly this was a terrible cooking class. There were too many people in the class! We booked ours class in June and our name wasn’t on the class participants. Instead of apologizing they just placed us in the class and made it too big! The chef, no idea who it was as he never introduced himself, there was no rapport with the group, he marched through without a backwards glance. You dont actually play any part in the market shopping and you would be better to go to market on your own, all the vendors are keen to give samples of truffles, olis, cheeses etc. We finished at the market at 11am, its a dusty long 15 min walk then to the school, our chef did not stop once to tell us anything about anything or even check we were following. We then sat and did nothing until close to 12.30 The 'cooking class' felt very rushed, again the chef had no personality in what ever he told us to do, maybe he just had a really bad start to the day but at the end of the day, paying for a 5 hour event one expects to have someone who likes to communicate with people. We were a group of 4 and when leaving some of us were handed recipes we didn’t even cook!
The experience was outstanding! So much fun and informative. Francisco was so much fun. Would definitely do this again and have recommended to friends that asked!
Visiting the Mercato Centale was a highlight of the cooking class. Also making the food we purchased from scratch. Making new friends and sharing a meal we prepared together was priceless.
Enjoyed much the walk in the market. Cooking was fun and well demonstrated by Stefano, specially making the pasta. Lunch was delightful! Would recommend this event to every wanna-be cook out there.
Sadly this was the worst cooking class experience out of many including in Florence that I have done. The chef, no idea who it was as he never introduced himself, there was no rapport with the group, he marched through without a backwards glance. You dont actually play any part in the market shopping and you would be better to go to market on your own, all the vendors are keen to give samples of truffles, olis, cheeses etc. We finished at the market at 11am, its a dusty long 15 min walk then to the school, our chef did not stop once to tell us anything about anything or even check we were following. We then sat and did nothing until close to 12.30 The 'cooking class' felt very rushed, again the chef had no personality in what ever he told us to do, maybe he just had a really bad start to the day but at the end of the day, paying for a 5 hour event one expects to have someone who likes to communicate with people. We were a group of 7 friend so we did have fun as we made it so. The food was nice and of course we enjoyed the dinner afterward. This class could have been so much better with a different character of a chef, someone more passionate about food and cooking. Overall I would no recommend this class
We were unable to make the workshop - tried to cancel 24 hours before hand, weren’t able to tried calling the number provided to cancel, they weren’t helpful! Asked on the day if they could wait for us or provide further information for where to meet them - were not helpful. Save your money and do not book the course
This was a well organized, fun experience for my daughter and I. Meeting in the market and having an explanation of truffles and the olive oil was very informative. Having fresh ingredients straight from the market was awesome! Once at the school, we learned how to make tiramisu, pasta, bruschetta, and a chicken dish. Our group was small so we got to participate a lot. It was so fun learning new things in the kitchen and I would highly recommend this to anyone.
We did the market tour and Tuscany cooking class in Florence. The cooking class was fantastic and we learned how to make traditional pasta, tiramisu, bruschetta along with preparation of the basic ingredients. The kitchen was really nice, air conditioned, good equipment, and super friendly staff. Great way to make friends with other travelers. Only issue is the initial meeting point is not streamlined, no indication as to who to go to. Luckily the various tour guides walked us over to our chef.
We had such an amazing time! Cooking new dishes while making new friends. Nothing like the act of making a meal together to bring people together. We enjoyed our guided tour through the market with tastings at the end. My favorite was making gnocci and my daughter loved the bruschetta which amazed her since she is not found of tomatoes! The chefs teaching us did a wonderful job of breaking down the task and letting us work on each step.
Such a great experience! We are a family of 4, with two teenagers. They loved the market and learning to cook. The guides were so lovely and helpful. It was wonderful to get to know others here in the city. I would highly recommend this experience.
Amazing experience. Going to the market and then cooking was fabulous. Greta, was a great teacher! We'll organized and informative.
The chef was nice but there were too many people to get any real instruction. The market can easily be visited without a guide. The cooking facilities were clean and comfortable
Greta was wonderful. The entire day was a lesson in Tuscan cooking The market experience prior to cooking was great
Loved the open market experience. The cooking class was great and learned a few tricks we can apply at home. However, the walk from the market to the cooking school was very difficult. My suggestion would be to have a car transfer pickup from the market to the school.
What a great way to spend a day in the magical city of Florence! To see the Central Market, meet some of the vendors and taste some of their products was just the start of our culinary adventure. Our wonderful chef then led us to our kitchen where we cooked a delicious meal with appetizer, pasta, chicken, and dessert, which we shared with all our fellow chefs. A memorable day indeed!
There is not much actual cooking done on this “Cooking Course” and the menu bore no resemblance to the one advertised. The first course was Bruschetta- so we chopped tomatoes and garlic to put on crusty bread. That was followed by Gnocchi, which we shaped from pre prepared potatoes, but did not actually cook- the chef took our prepared gnocchi away and did something with it which we did not see! We then chopped peppers and onions and floured some chicken pieces which two of us (out of ten people) were allowed to stir in one frying pan, then the chef threw in some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, put the chopped veg on top and left it on the hob to cook while we ate our first two courses. The pannacotta dessert involved heating one pot of cream mixture on a single hob, which five of us took turns to stir. The chocolate topping which was on it when it was served appeared on top without any participation from any of us! We had sixteen people on this tour and there were three single electric plates, so for most of us it was a vegetable chopping course, not a cooking course. There was a very hurried walk from the market to the kitchen building- one poor lady had real trouble keeping up with Stefano, the chef/guide, who wasn’t the friendliest Italian we met on our trip. Having said all that, the market tour was interesting and included tasting tiny pieces of cheese, salami, balsamic vinegar and truffle oil. The lunch that we didn’t really cook tasted delicious, as did the wine served with it, so we did enjoy the experience. However, anyone looking to learn how to actually cook Italian specialities should look elsewhere.
We were very lucky to be the only ones in this group. There are great advantages to travelling in Italy during winter. The market was fantastic. Our guides were as friendly as they were knowledgeable. This was a great experience for a teen who loves cooking.
The experience was great, learning new cooking styles meeting new people I come from a cooking background but I still learned the new things.
Francesco was lots of fun teaching us to cook some Italian dishes, which turned out great despite the fact that I helped. He has a great sense of humor and answered questions well. The market tour involved some tastings at a couple of the stalls, which made it all the more enjoyable. This was definitely one of the highlights of our vacation.
Francisco was incredible as a chef & entertaining the group! The market visit was very informative & making the 3 dishes was fun to make & were delicious. It was a great way to spend several hours in Florence!
Had such a fun and amazing time with our Chef and Guide, Stephano..and the food was amazing that WE cooked...wow! Great time, definitely recommend !
Everyone in our group of 14 (mix of adults and teens) enjoyed the market tour & cooking class. We prepared 1 appetizer (bruschetta), 2 courses (gnocchi and pan fried chicken), and desert (panna cotta). There was another similar sized group that was running in parallel and they had their own chef/guide. The facility was a professional chef school and was clean, spacious, and well equipped. At the end, we ate what we cooked and they severed wine (red & white) and offered bottle water to accompany the meal.
The guides were kind and knowledgeable, but this was a group course - no individual cooking. Misleading wording in the listing. We cooked our meal with 6 strangers and had to share utensils and food items, taking turns and dividing up responsibilities instead of getting the full experience ourselves. We didn’t get to eat the food we actually made because there was no way to tell who did what. If you choose this course make sure you are ready for a group experience.
Our chef Catarina was terrific. We made bruschetta, gnocchi from scratch with a beautiful ragù, balsamic chicken and of course tiramisu. The market tour was informative with tasty treats! Great way to spend the day.
I enjoyed the market tour. Amazing to be surrounded by so Many great and fresh foods. Many we do not have in our Markets. Our chef, Stephano, was very well prepared and able to handle the various personalities in our group. Our group was a mix of strangers (unfamiliar to each other) and we all enjoyed each other's company.
This is a great value for the price! We didn't just "walk" through the market...we received informative information (and tasting) of balsamic vinegars. Learned a lot about the market. Luca was a fantastic guide AND instructional chef! We learned four recipes with plenty of opportunity for everyone to practice and participate. Then enjoyed a wonderful meal of our labor, along with wine. Highly recommend!
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