Sicilian Cooking Class In Taormina

One of my absolute favorite activities in Taormina! We did this Sicilian cooking class as a family and had the most amazing time from start to finish. We made eggplant parmigiana, salt-encrusted sea bass, swordfish skewers, and homemade pasta — and everything was absolutely delicious! The experience was hands-on, fun, and such a great way to learn more about traditional Sicilian cooking. Our chef was AMAZING — incredibly kind, welcoming, patient, and informative. He made the entire experience so much fun and took the time to explain everything as we went along. This was such a special experience to do together as a family and definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Sicily. I would 100% recommend this class to anyone visiting Taormina. Come hungry — you will eat VERY well! 🇮🇹🍝🐟❤️

We had a blast! Paolo made every minute fun. We cooked and ate a beautiful meal, shared with a delightful group of strangers who became a family cooking and eating together.

By far the best thing ive done in my life. Cooking was excellent, Wine was free flowing and we made some great friends too

Francesca was a fantastic teacher, highly recommend! We made 4 different things, pasta, eggplant parmesan, swordfish rolls and fish in salt. The class is in the middle of a working restaurant so it was noisy but a lot of fun. Taormina is a cute town as well. I would highly recommend this experience!

We booked our reservation for the class at 11:00pm the night before not knowing exactly what to expect. Everything about the class was well thought out and organized. Going to the market and grabbing ingredients was a great touch and the walk was easy. We had a group of about 20 people from all over the world, and everyone was pleasant and seemingly very happy to be there. Luca, our chef & instructor was really cool, fun, and a very good communicator. We made fresh pasta, which was paired with swordfish & snapper. The table wines were very drinkable and there was more than enough to go around. All in all it was a great experience and we left with full tummies and big smiles!

It was a wonderful experience. It was 4 hours or so and was worth the price. Chef was nice and did a good job making his way around and showing everyone what to do.

If you do a cooking experience, make sure its only a relatively small group. Our cooking class had nearly 40 people (way too many) on it and it was super hot so my husband and I had to dip out and go and sit under a fan and watch instead. We also had trouble hearing Margareet's voice over the noisy restaurant and that was with my hearing aids at full volume too! Please invest in a microphone so that everyone can hear without trouble. The market is also a waste of time.

What a great experience, from the local farmers market where we inspected , touched and smelled the ingredients to the beautiful restaurant down the street where we had the full experience of making our own pasta , lasagna , branzino and fish balls . The crew was fun , professional and very accommodating. We enjoyed a very full luncheon with red and white wine 🍷 and much abundance . We highly recommend this experience to anyone who wants to experience local Sicily cuisine to its best .

Fun environment, great host (Paulo), and lots great food and wine. The whole experience was almost four hours long including a trip to the local marking, prepping food and a cooking demonstration.

Went as a family with 2 teenagers who are difficult to please and had an amazing time. Professional chefs, generous hosting with plenty of amazing local food. Good fun and great value. Totally recommend this experience.

We echo all the positive comments already left… this is one experience you need to book today! Frederico was an excellent and patient chef. I enjoyed my time at the market place where we got to sample fruits we do not have in the US, including a two pound lemon where you eat the pith. We made so many different kinds of pasta and eggplant parmesan and feasted on an array of cheeses and fruits. We had a group of eight and by the end of four hours we felt like we had six new friends. Truly a “must-do” in Taormina!

This was a fantastic time. I felt like I really got a Sicilian cultural experience. The Chefs were helpful, and warm and my friends and I really enjoyed it. Lots of laughter and great food Worth it!

The class consisted of approximately 30 people which is much too large a group. The advertisement described a small group experience so we expected the group size to be 12 people or less. Paolo and staff demonstrated but it was extremely difficult to see and hear instructions. Extremely disappointed with this class

Chef was so attentive and fun! Loved the class! Well worth every penny! The town is lovely. The variety of food was very interesting.

One of our favorite days on our entire European Summer holiday! Market tour for ingredients and then cooking for a bit and then eating and laughing for more fun! Chef was amazing and gave each and every guest attention, instruction and sheer joy! Highly, highly recommend this Sicilian afternoon!

Paolo is amazing and super knowledgeable about Sicily this was the best tour in the area, hand down. We explored the local area, grabbed food and cooked everything

Chef Paolo first took us to a market to show us all the various vegetables, and to explain how they are used. That was great fun because he is such an interesting and entertaining fellow. We went back to the restaurant and learn to make pasta. Then we learned to make salt baked fish, delicious. When it was done, we learned how to fillet it. Then we learned how to make very delicious eggplant Parmesan. And if that wasn’t enough, we also learned to make excellent breadcrumbs, and to create a sardine and crusted breadcrumbs. Paolo very amusing with his stories about his grandmother, and how he learned to cook the hard way. Midway, we had a break for wine and cheese and bread, When the cooking was done, we all sat down to a very delicious meal that we had made, of course, with the help of a very busy and very friendly kitchen staff. We got aprons to take home, and and Paolo sent us the recipes so that we could continue to cook Sicilian style. It was a great adventure and I highly recommend it as a wonderful way to spend a long morning to afternoon.

Great fun experience plenty of helpful cooking tips and at the end we were able to eat our delicious creations with plenty of wine.

Great fun and well organised. There were assistance chefs to help and the atmosphere was relaxed. Lots of praise for trying to make my pasta take on different shapes.

What a delightful time! Just do it. The chef was a delight and the experience was fun, engaging, and delicious!

We booked this last minute as it was the only cooking class with availability for the following day. Overall we found that the group was just too big (maybe 20 to 25 people). There was one main chef and some other chefs rotating around the group but it just felt like a big production. The cooking part was very simple, no actual skills learned. The parts which were more complicated like frying aubergine or gutting the fish was already prepared for us. I also didn’t like that the food you prepared and handled gets mixed in with everyone’s food and you do not get your own back after it’s cooked. Some of it was handled a lot like the pasta and swordfish rolls rolled by hand. It totally put me off eating any of it knowing it had been in everyone’s hands (maybe that’s just me!). Despite those couple of points we (couple) did really enjoy the experience and it was a good way to pass a few hours whilst it was raining. The chef was fun and the location was very nice. I liked the choice of dishes that we made. We met some lovely people in the group. One of the best things was there was a lot of wine served and we were able to stay for a while after the session chatting to some of the others we had met. Overall I would recommend if booking last minute as it seems that some of the more popular cooking classes are not available.

We had a lovely morning preparing food for our lunch. Would highly recommend doing this to enhance your stay in Taormina.

I was disappointed in this experience. Tour meet up location was not clear, they left for the market before we arrived (which was on time). You could not hear the guide at the market. We did not shop for the food at the market, not sure the benefit of going there. The class is at a restaurant with customers being served during the class. There are different instructors during the class. Only one was good and explained the food, cooking techniques. We made salt crusted fish that was loaded with bones because of poor cleaning and inedible. The eggplant Parmesan was somewhat edible but soup like due to poor cooking guidance to the people making it. We made pasta and a lot of it but only had one small bowl barely one serving for a table of 12. It was so hot the entire time trying to prepare the dishes as we were by the pizza oven in an outdoor area. I’ve done several cooking classes in the past and never had an experience like this. I left the class early and went to get lunch because it was so disappointing. Unfortunately I would not recommend this class.

Chefs Giovanni and Paolo were so fun and personable, really created the best experience. The food was amazing - we made four different dishes and had an excellent meal. Met great people from around the world. Restaurant setting was perfect. Can't recommend this enough - would definitely do it again on future trips!

The service was great. A lot of explanation about local food at the market. And later on cooking at a beautiful location with the local products from the market. The food was amazing. The chefs from the restaurant showed us how its done and the we git to get our hand dirty. Thank you for the great experience!

If you want to learn how to cook, this cooking class is the best!! We learned a lot, and everyone was so kind and patient. We focused on Sicilian cooking, and we highly recommend this class. We prepared amazing parmigiana, pasta, fish, and more. The food was outstanding, and the staff was very friendly.

One of my favourite days ever! Had so much fun cooking with everyone, a great way to meet people as a solo traveller and learn a lot too. The staff made sure you had enough food and wine throughout! I’ve recommended this to everyone who’s asked for a cooking class in central Taormina. Definitely a spurge money wise but I think it was worth it!

The experience was fantastic! Both chefs were fun, informative and enthusiastic! We learnt a lot and also enjoyed meeting other people. The food was delicious, the wine great, we took some food home for our dinner and to share with our family. Would definitely recommend! And already have 😊

One of the best and most fun experiences! Everyone is so friendly and very clearly enjoys their work! The staff make this course into something truly special. They perfectly balance the cooking to be fun but also educational. There is a wide variety of of what is cooked through out the class, so there’s something for everyone (from the least experienced cooks to the top chefs). Everything tastes delicious and everyone becomes friends by the end of the class. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who can do it! They will also send you an email with all the recipes you made at the end of the class. The views from the restaurant are fantastic and only add to this wonderful experience!

The Chefs and Guides were brilliant. It was interactive, informative and a lot of fun. We ate copious amounts of local dishes and drank lots of good wine. The whole experience was perfetto!

Great experience in seeing how the Italians prepare a meal. Loved it. It was great. Would go again. Si

Wonderful experience - would HIGHLY recommend! Great time making pasta, fish and drinking wine with new friends!

Shopping, instruction, comraderie and food. Family interaction was great. The whole experience was enjoyable.

Everything from the market to the restaurant that we cooked in was a great experience. The chef and his family were very welcoming and informative. The recipe and food were fantastic!!!

Mimmo did a wonderful job teaching us how to prepare a Sicilian meal. Very passionate and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

Five course lunch that we prepared and later ate was excellent. The instructor Giovanni was engaging and humorous, he explained some of the realities of the food industry beyond simply recipes and preparation techniques, and the meal prep was a lot of fun.

I think the market part was a waste of time.. it would have been MUCH better to have Giovanni show how he made his tomato sauce from scratch… l also hope that he will send us the receipts … we had given our emails, two days ago and still we haven’t received yet 😂😂

This was great fun from start to finish and Nimmo is an excellent host and teacher as well as cook. We never would have found the market we went to with him to buy the produce on our own! And the ingredients were fresh that day. Back at the restaurant we learnt so much. From how to hand make pasta (in lots of different shapes), to making pesto Sicilian style, a main course packed with flavour - including the obligatory lemons - and a vegitable dish typical of the region. They took great care with my fish and seafood allergy, and I noted catered well for the vegetarian in our party. Well worth the time and the money.

The Chef/guide/teacher was very informative and well disposed and helpful The visit to the market was not well organized and took away valuable time that could have been used differently (such as preparing a sauce and not just using already prepared sauces) The setting was good and the overall experience was enjoyable As of yet, three days later, we have yet to receive the recipes for the dishes prepared

Chef Mimmo was a delight and his cooking class was a unique experience - one of our most memorable! The food was amazing and inspiring - can’t wait to try making pasta and all the wonderful dishes we made at home. Highly recommend - you will meet new people, learn some great recipes, and enjoy a delicious meal!

Great teacher. Perfect setting. Would highly recommend to a friend. Learned a lot. Had a great afternoon

Not worth it. This was probably my least favorite cooking class I’ve done (and I’ve done several in Taormina). The instructor was really rude and made a lot of negative remarks to the people cooking. He was extremely condescending which made everyone feel uncomfortable. The drinks were stingy (unlike other classes you’re welcomed with a drink or cappuccino, endless wine, and homemade lemoncellos at the end) this class made 4 people share 1 bottle of water! And literally a tasting of unlabeled wine in a glass jug. The aprons are not the same as other classes just cheap throw away fabric that’s wasteful, no certificates for the kids. I don’t mind being outside- it was very beautiful but we were all sweating into the food. Don’t even get me started on the actual cooking lesson. We were all given steak knifes and told to just hack at the ingredients. No formal chopping - it was weird. You make two pieces of pasta per shape… that’s it- just two chances to make a pasta shape. For the price this was just not worth it compared to the other classes. To sum up the experience the instructor never even came out to say goodbye/ thanks for coming or to formally end the class. We all just quietly looked at each other and awkwardly left one by one as if we had over stayed our welcome. Even if it was free I would be hesitant to go back. I’ve been to 50+ countries and love food, I don’t think I’ve ever written a negative review but vacation time is valuable and I hope this helps someone pick the best experience.

This was the best tour in all of Sicily. Mimo and his mother were great hosts, and showed us how to make a typical 3 course Sicilian meal. We started with shopping at the market and proceeded to first make fresh pasta, an eggplant caponata, and rolled swordfish entre. Our group was 10 people and we fit nicely into the restaurant with plenty of room for us all. By the time we finished and ate a delicious meal we were all friends.

What an incredible cooking experience! Professional, delicious, plenty of food! We learned to cook several meals, and every single one was unique and Delicious! Included a visit to the local markets, lots of fun!

This was my favorite!! We were welcomed by Dominic and went to his beautiful restaurant. There were 2 other couples-which was nice to have a small group making the experience very personal and inviting! We made three Sicilian dishes, all which were extremely delicious-it was by far my favorite tour we’ve ever done! Highly recommended!

We really enjoyed the market and the cooking class. Best of all we got to eat what we prepared with a nice glass (or2) of wine. My only complaint is that we were promised all of the recipes via email and despite going back and asking them to send the recipes again we have never received any recipes.

Learning how to cook good Siciliansk food, Caponata, making pasta, Sicilian pesto and Involtini di Pesce Spada, It was fun and good 👍

Great time at this cooking class. Met some great young couples from Australia and had a wonderful time preparing great Sicilian dishes with chef

We just loved the entire experience. Chef Mimmo was amazing, fun, easy to work with and talented. He made the entire experience fun while teaching us about the local food, tastes and the culture of the Sicilian people.