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Host: Giovanni

Melbourne, Australia

USD
$52-$92 per person

Traditional Italian cooking with a professional pizza maker

Host offerings
  • Apartment
  • Professional cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Giovanni

Giovanni is an Italian Chef and Masseur, who has been living in Australia since 2008. He has been working as a Pizza Maker for about 12 years and nowadays he runs his own massage studio from home. Giovanni is passionate about cooking and eating healthy, local and seasonal produce and believes that good food is essential for a good mind. He first learned to cook when he was a child by observing his mother in the kitchen, while she prepared fresh meals for the family. Later Giovanni came to Australia and took a certified course and has worked in several restaurants as a chef.

Giovanni is excited to share his passion and knowledge for food and cooking, so that everyone can cook fresh meals without having to depend on processed food. And as both his parents were teachers, he says that he has definitely inherited their teaching skills!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (2-4 guests) Meet Giovanni at his apartment in Coburg, 9 km north of Melbourne's central business district. Giovanni’s specialty is Italian food – the food he grew up eating. He loves cooking with seasonal and fresh produce, and likes to make everything from scratch at home – from marmalade to pickles. Join Giovanni at the dining table to share a traditional Italian meal, that might include dishes such as grilled cheese, homemade pizza or farinata (a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour) with seasonal toppings and crostata ripiena (seasonal stuffed tart) or spalmabile di cioccolato e nocciola (chocolate or hazelnut spread).

Cooking experience: (2-4 guests) Join your host Giovanni in his home kitchen to learn to cook a traditional Italian meal. Your hands-on cooking class will last about 2 hours during which you will learn to cook two dishes from scratch. Some of the dishes you might learn to cook are pizza – you will make the sauce and toppings, the dough, learn how to stretch the dough and cook it; and chocolate or hazelnut spread. Giovanni will also share tips and tricks, the science behind the techniques used and will teach you about flavors. After cooking, sit down at the table to share the meal you helped prepare.

Notes: Giovanni is happy to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free requests. Instead of pizza or farinata, if you'd like pasta or gnocchi, please let Giovanni know in advance.

Languages spoken: English, Italian

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Grilled cheese
  • Homemade pizza or farinata (a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour) with seasonal toppings
  • Seasonal stuffed tart or chocolate or hazelnut spread
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Giovanni

$52-$92 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $52 Not offered
Cooking Experience + Meal
 Not offered $92 Not offered
Transportation
 $52 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $52 Not offered
Cooking Experience + Meal
 Not offered $92 Not offered
Transportation
 $52 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:00pm-2:00pm 7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 10:00am-1:00pm 5:00pm-8:00pm

Meet Giovanni

Giovanni is an Italian Chef and Masseur, who has been living in Australia since 2008. He has been working as a Pizza Maker for about 12 years and nowadays he runs his own massage studio from home. Giovanni is passionate about cooking and eating healthy, local and seasonal produce and believes that good food is essential for a good mind. He first learned to cook when he was a child by observing his mother in the kitchen, while she prepared fresh meals for the family. Later Giovanni came to Australia and took a certified course and has worked in several restaurants as a chef.

Giovanni is excited to share his passion and knowledge for food and cooking, so that everyone can cook fresh meals without having to depend on processed food. And as both his parents were teachers, he says that he has definitely inherited their teaching skills!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (2-4 guests) Meet Giovanni at his apartment in Coburg, 9 km north of Melbourne's central business district. Giovanni’s specialty is Italian food – the food he grew up eating. He loves cooking with seasonal and fresh produce, and likes to make everything from scratch at home – from marmalade to pickles. Join Giovanni at the dining table to share a traditional Italian meal, that might include dishes such as grilled cheese, homemade pizza or farinata (a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour) with seasonal toppings and crostata ripiena (seasonal stuffed tart) or spalmabile di cioccolato e nocciola (chocolate or hazelnut spread).

Cooking experience: (2-4 guests) Join your host Giovanni in his home kitchen to learn to cook a traditional Italian meal. Your hands-on cooking class will last about 2 hours during which you will learn to cook two dishes from scratch. Some of the dishes you might learn to cook are pizza – you will make the sauce and toppings, the dough, learn how to stretch the dough and cook it; and chocolate or hazelnut spread. Giovanni will also share tips and tricks, the science behind the techniques used and will teach you about flavors. After cooking, sit down at the table to share the meal you helped prepare.

Notes: Giovanni is happy to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free requests. Instead of pizza or farinata, if you'd like pasta or gnocchi, please let Giovanni know in advance.

Languages spoken: English, Italian

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Grilled cheese
  • Homemade pizza or farinata (a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour) with seasonal toppings
  • Seasonal stuffed tart or chocolate or hazelnut spread
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $52 Not offered
Cooking Experience + Meal
 Not offered $92 Not offered
Transportation
 $52 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $52 Not offered
Cooking Experience + Meal
 Not offered $92 Not offered
Transportation
 $52 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:00pm-2:00pm 7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 10:00am-1:00pm 5:00pm-8:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.