Originally from Sicily, Antonella is an adopted Tuscan. As with many born and raised Sicilians, Antonella has always been incredibly passionate about food. A few years ago she decided to turn her passion into her work and Antonella now works as a cooking instructor, professional chef and a food blogger. She is a professionally trained chef with 15 years of experience! She lives with her husband and their two daughters in Florence. Antonella and her husband are both very extroverted, easy to talk to and have lots of experience hosting travelers.
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: (2-5 guests) Meet Antonella and her family at their cozy apartment. You will be welcomed not only by Antonella, but also by her husband - often her kitchen assistant! Antonella is an incredible host, both warm and professional - she is a professional chef and cooking teacher. As soon as you step foot in their home, they will offer you a classic espresso before you join the family at the dining table for your meal. Your hosts will offer you a prosecco to start (typical of Italian meals) followed by a selection of delicious Tuscan red wines. Antonella's husband is a wine lover and throughout the evening, he will engage you in a talk about the different types of wines in the region. Your menu might include a selection of traditional recipes from Tuscany and Sicily, depending on the menu you choose.
Cooking experience:
(2-5 guests)
Antonella’s kitchen is the kitchen of a professional chef. She has every single, specialized tool that you could imagine and a drawer with knives that would make any Master Chef jealous! During your Florence cooking class you will make a dessert, fresh pasta and main dish all from scratch. When you arrive, the kitchen table will already be set with the ingredients for the first recipe, a dessert. As you begin to put everything together according to Antonella's verbal instructions, she will share with you intriguing tidbits about cooking and baking, such as the difference between types of flours, and which flours are best for making fresh pasta versus cakes. As your dessert cooks, you will start to knead the dough for the fresh pasta. While the dough is left to rest, you will make your main dish, and then go back to roll out the pasta. Throughout it all enjoy Antonella and her husband's teaching and stories while they help to clean and fetch ingredients for your class. A memorable culinary experience in Florence!
Antonella can offer a Sicilian or a non-pasta Tuscan menu so if you prefer one of these options instead, let her know when making your booking.
Notes:
1. Antonella's experience is child-friendly, so if you are traveling with a family Antonella is happy to host you.
2. Please also note Antonella can offer vegetarian and vegan meals, if you inform her in advance, at the time of booking the experience.
Languages spoken: English, Italian
I'm a Signature travel advisor and booked a cooking class for my clients who said that "This was the highlight of their trip!"- Barbara July 14, 2025
We've seen "the David", mercato centrale, uffizi, the leather shops, luxury shops, the beautiful city of Firenze. Enjoyed meals at all the best restaurants.. By far our favorite experience in Firenze was Antonella's cooking class with dinner. Antonella was the most gracious host. Her demeanor gave us a family like sense of comfort. Her knowledge, professionalism and love of cooking was clearly evident within the first 15 minutes. The food was simply amazing! It's a MUST try. Very highly recommend...we will be back.- troydp2 October 30, 2023
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