Genoa Culinary Masterclass-a Hands-on Experience By Do Eat Better

Laura was a great guide and very informative. Thank you Laura we had a good time

We had such a wonderful experience learning how to make pesto, pasta, a cheese dish & cookies! Mimo (Dominic) our cook, was friendly and kind! Gian Berto, our host, interpreted and is such a lovely person who was very helpful & kind. This was a fantastic morning of cooking and eating! Come hungry!

Our family had a wonderful time at this cooking class in Genoa. We loved learning how to make authentic pesto, focaccia, and delicious cookies while experiencing a true taste of the local culture. Gian and the entire crew were amazing. They were friendly, welcoming, and made the class both fun and informative. Their passion for Genoese cuisine and traditions was evident throughout the experience, and they created a warm atmosphere that made everyone feel right at home. The food was fantastic, but the best part was the time spent together as a family. We left with great recipes, wonderful memories, and a deeper appreciation for the region's culinary traditions. This was one of the highlights of our visit to Genoa, and we highly recommend it.

It was really a great tour, super interesting, great stories about places, people, history and buildings, delicious and diverse foot. Thank you very much, Deborah!

Recommend! The host Gian was great and very helpful. Very hands on and interactive. We made pesto pasta and local cookies as well as focaccia. Delicious!

We try to attend a cooking class in every city we visit because we feel local food is a window into local culture. This class did not disappoint. Our guide, Veronica, met us exactly where it was specified and immediately made us feel welcomed. A short walk later we were at Locanda Tortuga restaurant, owned by our chef and teacher, Bernardo. The restaurant itself is a masterpiece of old world rustic charm. We learned how to make several uniquely Genoese dishes from our talented chef, with Veronica and Chef coaching us as we tried to recreate the dishes ourselves. They made it fun and interesting and a delightful way to spend a morning in Genoa. We heartily recommend both Veronica and Chef Bernardo if you want to get "down and dirty" with the local cuisine.

Fabulous authentic experience. Learned a lot as two home chefs we learned new tips and techniques that we will take into our everyday life and to prepare meals for our family

This was such a fun and authentic experience! The location of the restaurant was great and so cute. We learned a lot and love that they emailed detailed recipes afterwards so we can try to recreate at home (which may mean my husband will be installing a pizza oven!). The food was of course delicious and we would highly recommend this tour!

Veronica (the host) and Bernardo (head chef) were so much fun. We cooked and ate and laughed for the entirety of the time. As someone who loves to cook and bake, I learned so much, but this class would be perfect for beginners too as everything is taught exceptionally well. The experience is well thought out with entertaining stories, tasty bites, and professional cooking tips sprinkled throughout. Nothing beats eating the focaccia al formaggio fresh out the oven! We heartily recommend this experience!

The cooking class was so fun and a great way to learn more about popular dishes in Genova! Our class was small and Veronica was an amazing host! She even gave us some recommendations to do with the rest of our day and let us know of any transportation issues we may encounter. The restaurant really made it fun to get involved in the cooking process and allowed us to be creative with our cookies and our pesto. I would definitely recommend it! Great way to start any day.

Absolutely loved our time! Our chef and guide were so fun, friendly, and welcoming. We hand-made authentic Italian foods and had a blast while doing so!

Our cooking class at Locanda Tortuga was everything that we had hoped for. The restaurant venue was amazing. Veronica was a very friendly and engaging host. The chef, Bernardo, was a great instructor. He was entertaining, funny, and his passion for food was infectious. The food we prepared was delicious. Can’t wait to make it at home. It was a true local experience.

We had an opportunity to do a cooking with lesson with Bernado at his restaurant in Genoa. It was a small group (with me and my teen granddaughters/nephews) and a husband/wife. Under Bernado instruction, we learned to make authentic pesto sauce and then some pasta/cheese bread and dessert. He was a great teacher and clearly passionate about his craft! Veronica (our guide) was very helpful as well. After all was prepared - we got to sample what we cooked! The kids really enjoyed the experience (as did I) - actually getting to prepare the meal vs. just watching. It was a unique experience. Note - we did have challenges finding the location! The meeting place is under the arches where the original Christopher Columbus house is located (you meet the guide there) but this is not where the cooking experience is! It's a restaurant around the corner.

What a fantastic way to spend the morning. A big thank you to Serena who gave us all a little extra attention with advice and directions for after the class. Bernardo was the owner of the lovely little restaurant very near the meeting point. He was humorous, informative and passionate about Genovese food. Our class companions also made it a delight. Highly recommended…and you get lunch from what you make. 😊

Serena was very professional, punctual and accommodating. Bernardo , our instructor, was absolutely amazing!! He was entertaining, engaging and a delight to work with.

The chef Bernando was lot of fun and made the experience really enjoyable. We really got a sense of what it was like to live in that area and to experience a local, Family-owned restaurant. Tour guide also was also very friendly and we appreciated her knowledge and commentary about The food and culture of Genova.

Really great way to spend some of our day in Genoa. Our guide, Veronica, provided lots of information before, during and after the class. She was a great translator for the chef to help guide us through the recipes. The pesto, testaroli, focaccia al formaggio and canestrelli were delicious. The class is a great mix of hands on and learning from watching the chef. The recipes were an unexpected but delicious deviation from traditional pasta and focaccia. Highly recommend!

We loved the class and the food. The only criticism is that because the exact amounts of each ingredient was not provided, it is not possible to prepare the dishes at home. We've tried to reach out to our guide but have not had a response.

What a fabulous experience!! Loved getting to know Veronica and Bernardo. Such a special time learning authentic Italian cuisine.

This was definitely the highlight of our trip! Veronica was amazing with her explanations of the city and the history of the area. Full of recommendations and advice, we truly appreciated her upbeat attitude and wealth of knowledge. Roberto was also an amazing instructor and his personality made us feel like we were at home speaking to a long time friend while learning some of the secrets of a few special dishes they have served for years. We not only made some great memories at this class, but left with a few recipes and the knowledge of how to re create these dishes in our own kitchens. Plenty of laughs, great tasting food, and some new skills learned.. we couldn't recommend this class more!

It was a unique experience. I highly recommend this course if you visit Genova. Not only did we learn how to make Pesto, but I can say that it was the best pesto I've ever eaten. Many thanks to the Chef and Veronica who are such special people and made this experience unforgettable!

Amazing experience! The chef and guide were knowledgeable and personable. We learned how to make 4 authentic Genovese recipes. Delicious, memorable and lots of laughs. Highly recommended!

Veronica was an incredible host and made you feel at home the entire time. I can’t express how much we enjoyed her. We had a family of 9 and they were so accommodating. From the ages of 13 to 82 and we all had the time of our lives. The owner was outstanding and taught us how to make hand-made pesto. The best pesto in the world along with hand-made focaccia. Such an amazing experience. We recommend to everyone and to all ages.

This cookery course was great fun. The super-friendly Veronica met us and acted as host. She also supported Bernardo, the chef / restaurant owner who carried out the course in his restaurant. Bernardo had a real sense of enthusiasm and depth of knowledge to share and being hands-on it was much more engaging, especially for my daughter (13). It was also airconditioned which was nice!

Our cooking class experience was fantastic. Both our guide (Veronica) and chef (whose name escapes me, somewhat embarrassingly...) were tremendously welcoming and friendly. Besides making Genoese cookies and hand tossing focaccia dough, the highlight for me was making pesto from scratch, using the freshest Genova basil you can imagine. (I am now ruined for what I used to call "pesto" in stores and restaurants back home...) Veronica went over and above in providing information about the cooking, and even had some recommendations about things to do after the class.

We have taken many cooking classes on our trip around Italy and, like the rest, this one did not disappoint! We learned to make pesto with a mortar and pestle (which requires some major elbow grease!), testaroli (a unique local pasta), canestrelli, and, best of all, focaccia with cheese (focaccia di Recco). We’d tried to make focaccia di Recco at home and it’s tricky - Bernardo, the chef whose restaurant hosted us for the class (Locanda Tortuga), allowed us each to make our own with his help. He was a great teacher, as was Marco, the champion canestrelli-maker who stepped in to help while Bernardo took a phone call. This hands-on experience was one of the most valuable of our trip. We’d also like to shout out Veronica, who met us at the meeting point - she gave us a ton of background on the dishes we were about to try while Bernardo was setting everything up. She was super helpful and also took pictures of us while we were cooking, then sent them (along with recipes) after the class. Bernardo, also, is quite a character and was very fun! Highly recommend this experience - if you’re not sure whether you want to include Genoa on your trip to Italy, this class is worth the stop!

Absolutely wonderful way to spend a morning in Genova! Food, company and cooking lessons were incredible. Highly recommended!

Domenico and Beatrice were the perfect hosts, we had so much fun making the most delicious pesto and focaccia. The canestrelli biscuits were so tasty. We also met the king of canestrelli! A fantastic way to spend a morning, grazie

We were able to make amazing food. I couldn’t stop eating the focaccia! Everyone was so nice and welcomed us like family.

Our hosts were amazing! Very friendly and gave us many secrets to Italian fare. We were given recipes, websites and a morning of delicious food. I would recommend this experience to anyone.

What a fun way to engage in the food experience of Genova! We adored making and tasting local Cuisine, including pesto, shortbread, and focaccia. Veronica and Bernardo were both professional and fun! Molto bene!

My friends bought me a solo ticket for this course as a graduation gift, so I had to join some others I didn’t know to participate. At the time, I was recovering from an injury that made it hard for me to stand for long periods. This made me a little worried about going alone, but I didn’t want to miss out! When our local expert Veronica learned this, she was incredibly accommodating and kind. She ensured I had places to rest and was even taking pictures for me so I could show my friends later. The course was a lot of fun with great atmosphere. I felt like I learned a lot. Plus the food was delicious! I am looking forward to making it again someday for my friends to try. I was really glad I decided to take a chance on joining in the end!

Our tour guide Veronica was fabulous. The chef that worked with and taught us couldn’t have been better. I would highly recommend this tour. In addition to learning some wonderful recipes, we learned a little Italian along the way.

The entire experience was memorable. We loved how passionate each of our chefs were in teaching our group the history and techniques in making our three dishes.

We had such a great time! The Chef and Juliana made the experience so enjoyable. We can’t wait to try the recipes at home with all the new tricks we learnt. Thank you!

My friend and I had a work trip to Italy in July and signed up for this cooking class. We were the only two in the class which was an absolutely incredible experience! Our guide, Juliana and our chef were amazing. 10/10 would recommend!

A great cooking class that is very interactive set in a restaurant with knowledgeable, great and helpful staff. Small intimate setting which also adds to the experience. Also the food was delicious! Juliana was our host who I would highly recommend

We had such a fun time with our family and Juliana was a great host. The food was so amazing and we loved learning with a very knowledgeable chef. Highly recommend this experience!

Both our guide (Juliana), and the chef (unfortunately didn’t catch his name) were great: very helpful, knowledgeable, and patient. They gave step by step guides for preparation, as well as local context/history of each dish. We then made each dish, which was a lot of fun. Each dish/component was simple enough for beginners to make, but was still engaging and novel where even people with more experience will still learn some techniques. Each step was meaningful and interactive (no menial/boring tasks). And the whole time the guide (also an experienced chef) and the restaurant chef answer questions and provide insight to each dish. Overall, I’d say if you are visiting Genoa, this is a must do. Was exceptional. I think this format is best for parties of 2-6, as then the experience is a bit more hands on and intimate, but I am sure larger parties would find similar enjoyment.

Our group (4 adults and 4 kids) had a wonderful time making fresh pesto, Focaccia Al Formaggio, and the cookies at the end. It was hands on with all of us and it was very educational with Sabine. Highly recommend!

My husband and I decided to take this class and had a great time. Both Sabine and Mimmo were super friendly and helpful. We had a blast, the food was delicious and would highly recommend this class to others.

Lovely experience, or guide Rita was lovely and helpful. Would definitely do this again, thank you :)

We loved this cooking class in Genoa (Genova). The Italian chef and our guide who spoke several languages articulated the process and made our small group feel welcomed. Each of us took turns making pesto from scratch along with the pasta noodles, focaccia bread, and cookies aka biscuits.

This was an excellent experience. Rita, our host, and Bernardo, our chef/coach made sure our group had an excellent time. This class was equal parts fun and educational. The food we made was simple and fantastic. You’ll have a great time and bring home a few recipes that you can share with friends and family. I would highly recommend.

Class was fantastic! Valeria (our guide/interpreter) was amazing. Total hands on experience. Chef Memo took us through all the steps of making true Genovese pesto, focaccia all'formaggio, testaroli (2x cooked bread pasta) and (with Chef Marco) canestrelli (biscuits/cookies). Don't eat breakfast (or anything) before the class, as they had cappuccinos and focaccia before the class, and you will eat what you make (which is a lot). Delicious! Best way to enjoy Genova!

The cooking class was such a great experience, definitely a highlight of our trip! The food was amazing and both our guide and chef made it so fun. The cooking class is a nice way to experience the culture. I would highly recommend!

This was one of our favorite activities that we did throughout our entire 3 week trip! Juliana was very friendly and helpful throughout the class. We loved learning how to cook from Bernardo, the owner of the restaurant. He was hilarious and helpful, and made the experience such a joy. The food was also delicious! We would happily take another class with Bernardo, and definitely would dine at Locanda Tortuga if we had more time in Genoa.

My son and I really enjoyed this authentic cooking experience. Our guide, Marina, was already waiting for us at the appointed place and took us to our "classroom" at a local Ligurian restaurant. Our hands-on cooking experience from a local chef was amazing, but it was Marina who not only translated but added cultural context and insights that made it complete. She also gave us great tips for later in our travels through Italy. Highly recommend the class, and five stars for Marina whose knowledge and fun personality made it memorable.

It was overall an amazing experience. Very well guided and a great insight into the genuine local cuisine. Thank you very much, we would recommend this for every fan of italian food.