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.
Cristina works for a multinational technology company, and for as long as she can remember, her passion has been cooking and organizing creative events with culinary themes. Her cooking passion comes from her origins in Abruzzo, an Italian region east of Rome. In Abruzzo her family produced olive oil, with her grandmother leading the production. According to Cristina, her grandmother was the most talented chef in their hometown, and she used to cook in almost every local wedding that took place!
Cristina takes her passion for food everywhere, even to her workplace. As the president of their employee association she is in charge of planning social events, and she came up with the idea of organizing theme dinners representing the most important Italian regional cuisines, such as those of Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Sicily. In each event, she cooks for an average of 50 people and - over traditional regional wines of course - she blends culinary history with stories, music and even local performances! She is excited about sharing her passion for food and hosting with travelers from around the world.
"Cristina and her husband were wonderful hosts for my wife and I. We made fresh dough from scratch, prepared a variety of toppings and baked a number of delicious pies! They also provided some local beer, moscato, and a traditional Sicilian dessert. This was an amazing experience, we spent hours eating and sharing our cultures. Highly recommended!"
"My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with Christina and her family. Christina’s
expertise and passion for cooking was truly remarkable. I highly recommend this class to
anyone looking for a truly authentic experience."
"Our travel agent recommended this cooking experience with Cristina and it exceeded our expectations. Cristina and her husband Vito greeted my family with open arms as if we were a part of their family or friends. We instantly felt at home. We were able to learn how to prepare and cook an authentic Italian meal from scratch from the first course through dessert. My husband and daughter made spaghetti and ricotta/spinach filled ravioli with Cristina in the kitchen complete with making the dough, kneading it and making it into the pasta while my son and I made the antipasto plates and the panzanella salad. Cristina served us the pastas, one with her sauce with meat and the ravioli with a butter sage sauce. We helped set the table and all sat down to eat the meal together with engaging conversation. Then we finished the evening with homemade cannolis that we also helped prepare and a suprise taste of Vito’s homemade limoncello. My family all agreed that it was so delicious and the best meal that we had. We highly recommend Cristina’s cooking experience if you want to really feel the heart and soul of the Italian culture. We will always have this as a wonderful memory for our family ."