You will learn how simple it is to cook a typical Sicilian lunch or dinner. Sicilian cuisine is for everyone: Vegans, Vegetarians, Celiacs, for those who eat fish and those who want Meat. I am a chef by passion and I belong to a family of skilled chefs. I will explain every detail to you so you can bring Sicily into your kitchen. I organize events of all kinds, to celebrate every moment to remember. After booking I will contact you to decide the menu together.
Amazing cooking class!! Really enjoyed learning about Arancini, fresh pasta, and cannoli from Maria Rita! She was very flexible about the menu, allowing me to choose the type of sauce we made and I think she would be flexible if you wanted to make other foods too. Her home is so comfortable and she is so welcoming. I highly recommend this!
Maria was an amazing host, and it was such a fun experience going to the market with her to pick up groceries and prepare and eat lunch in her home! The experience was less cooking-education and more about the fun experience
Maria invited us into her home. She has a lovely apartment. She was very kind and warm. When she realized she was short and ingredient had her husband come home with it and we met him as well. We made Sicilian meatballs, homemade pasta, and a pesto sauce. For dessert we made tiramisu all the food was wonderful. She gave us recipes to take home and we just made pesto sauce at home and it is fantastic. We highly recommend you visit Maria.
Maria offers an authentic and warm environment to learn and experience traditional Sicilian flavors and skills. We were a family of seven with various levels of cooking interests and experience, Maria made each one of us feel important and welcomed. A highly recommended experience.
We loved our cooking experience with Maria Rita! She was fully prepared for us when we arrived, and had planned two recipes and a desert ready for us to prepare. We had specific dietary restrictions which she easily adapted our menu to. She welcomed us into her home with warmth and kindness. We really had a great time- I was with am older teenager and Maria Rita was able to engage with her and keep her interest going throughout the class. As a bonus, space and location is fabulous!
We had the pleasure of learning authentic Sicilian cooking from Maria, diving into handmade pasta in three different shapes, Sicilian pesto, and her grandmother’s meatball recipe. The pastry class was just as delightful, where we baked cannoli, cassatelle, and paste di mandorle. Maria welcomed us into her apartment, which boasted a breathtaking view of ancient Syracuse. She expertly demonstrated each cooking technique before guiding us with patience, offering feedback along the way. With only two couples participating in the class, the atmosphere was cozy, allowing for individual attention. Afterwards, a feast with our (mostly) successful creations, paired with a fruity Sicilian red wine. It was absolutely delicious. We wholeheartedly recommend this experience — a great blend of authentic cooking, and Sicilian hospitality!
Maria Rita and her husband warmly welcomed us into their home. She was patient and wanted to be sure we were happy with a menu of our choice. I went with my 87 year old Mom and Maria Rita made sure to keep her happy. We thoroughly enjoyed the fresh pasta, Sicilian style pesto, peppers and onions and tiramisu we made under her guidance. The table was set beautifully overlooking the archaeological park. It was a lovely evening. We would definitely recommend Maria Rita for a fun meal you can make with her.
Maria Rita could not have been a more gracious hostess! We went ON Mother's Day and she welcomed us into our home like family. Her son even stopped by to drop off flowers and said hello / welcomed us as well. All appropriate utensils and ingredients were waiting for us, and we made: - Home made fresh pasta ---- She showed us multiple techniques and each of us chose the style we liked (or had ANY sense of how to make properly!) - We chopped all the vegetables for an amazing Caponata that she cooked while we continued the pasta - We made a TiraMasu cake, layering the ladyfingers and fresh creams into a decadent treat. ....served all together at her own table with wine of our choice. This has been one of the best experiences of our trip so far. PS - 100% recommend the 7 minute walk down the street to walk through the Neapolis Archeological park!
Maria’s cooking class is an amazing Sicilian experience. She was very warm and made us feel at home. She was very patient with us learning to make the fresh pasta and explained on all the other dishes we made. I was very impressed with her knowledge of Sicilian cooking. The food turned out really delicious ! Thank you Maria for the Sicilian experience and the delicious pasta, swordfish, peppers , and Castatelle!
We had the most amazing experience with MariaRita at her beautiful home. She was a gracious host who welcomed us with beautiful appetizers and a well organized program. She patiently instructed us to make 3 different types of pasta and dessert, which we then enjoyed at a beautifully set table. We had so much fun and the food was unbelievably delicious. I would highly recommend this experience to friends and family!
The food was amazing, thank you for teaching us! We learned how to make vegetarian Sicilian dishes, such as sicilian pesto with freshly made pasta. Also we learned how to make tiramisu.
Maria Rita is a very good hostess, we felt very comfortable with her. As the cooking course took place in her home, it was particularly personal and authentic. We also really appreciated the fact that she took our vegan diet into consideration and came up with a four-course vegan menu. We are looking forward to trying out the recipes at home.
We absolutely Maria’s cooking class. Being invited into a cozy Italian home was a memorable experience. She taught us how to make fresh pasta from scratch and an amazing tiramisu. She was knowledgeable, friendly and most importantly very fun to spend the evening with. We also enjoyed her husband Pepe’s occasional visits - he was quite the character and very friendly. If you want an authentic and fun Italian experience we highly recommend this class!
Our experience with Maria Rita was exceptional! From the visit to the Ortigia Market to pick our own personalized meal choices to a visit to her very comfortable home to cook and learn. Followed by our most delicious lunch…we would highly recommend a few hours with Maria Rita to complete your Siracusa experience!!
Terrific evening learning to cook authentic Sicilian food. Maria is a terrific host and instructor and our time spent in her kitchen was full of learning, fun and friendship. We joined 2 other guests and started by making Pasta dough and hand shaping pasta - harder than Maria made it look but we all agreed the process was very therapeutic! Maria shared lots of tips for Pasta making! Other recipes and techniques for Pesto, Capinata, stuffed swordfish and Tiramisu followed - we all mucked in under her expert guidance and got a real feel for the ingredients and techniques. After all the prep we enjoyed dinner together around the table and the stunning views from the balcony. Maria is great with people and made us all feel at ease. She brought Sicilian cuisine to life for us all and we left feeling inspired to make the dishes at home. Thank you Maria for sharing your love for cooking Sicilian food and for hosting us all in your home.
It was a fantastic experience and highly recommended for team building activities. We were a group of 8 colleagues and it was a very enjoyable experience. Maria Rita was a wonderful host, taking care of all of us with a smile on her face. And she was very patient, required for a loud group like ours 😂 We cooked pasta, ravioli, meat and also cannoli as desert. Value for money! And if we visit Sicily again, we’ll be visiting Maria Rita for another lesson. We were also provided with a lot of photos after the activity.
My husband and I had a wonderful time cooking with Maria Rita and her husband and son. They were gracious hosts. We will definitely be trying our hand at making raviolis and tiramisu. This was a great experience and we would recommend it.
The class was amazing!! Maria Rita is such a lovely and fun host and her son Guiseppe was a great translator:) We had such a great time making pasta, Aracini and almond cookies. Maria Rita was so courteous and accommodating that we made Gluten free pasta and lactose free arancini. It was an absolutely delicious lunch. If you are in siracusa we would recommend you book this class and visit Maria Rita.
The class was amazing!! Maria is such a lovely and fun host and her son was a pleasure as well! We had such a great time learning about Sicilian cooking and making an absolutely delicious dinner while enjoying an amazing bottle of Nero d’Avola. If you are in siracusa or Ortigia I highly !!!!! recommend you book this class and visit Maria!
Last week I booked a cooking workshop at Maria Rita with my husband & parents. And this was truly great! Maria Rita is a lovely pure human being, very accessible and a great chef. We immediately felt completely at home. I made a request and so they taught us no less than 3 (or actually 4!) typical Sicilian dishes including pizza Margaritha, 2 kinds of pasta with a delicious pistachio pesto and cannolis 🤤 My husband, parents and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to get started with all these delicious dishes myself! 😍 If you have any passion for cooking I say DO!
We spent a wonderful evening with friends at Maria's and had great pleasure in making our own Sicilian pasta, ravioli and tiramisu. The atmosphere was warm and time flew by. In addition to a lot of fun, we also learned a lot about the art of making pasta. Thank you very much, dear Mary, for this special experience!
The experience of this course was very spectacular. Maria Rita's treatment was excellent and her dedication to the art of cooking admirable
It was an absolute pleasure to attend a cooking workshop with Maria Rita. All dishes were prepared according to the silician tradition. Thanks for teaching us your knowledge, we already know how to make our friends and family happy with your recipes at home!
It was a wonderful experience. We went with the family and had a great time. Maria Rita is very hospitable, she totally opened her house to cook some rich Sicilian dishes. Not even the best restaurant eats so well and with the best company. In class we made pasta, ravioli, parmigiana and tiramisu. All exquisite. We would repeat without hesitation.
Great experience!! We loved learning about Sicilian cuisine. Maria Rita is an excellent hostess and teaches classes in a fun and enjoyable way. Undoubtedly an unforgettable experience
The experience was very interesting and apart from learning to cook we also shared a pleasant time of conversation. María Rita explains very well how to make typical dishes of Sicilian cuisine.
Had a wonderful cooking course! A very nice and hospitable family! You will learn to make different pastas in the family's apartment! It was a very nice experience!
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