Nancy and Hailey welcome you into their Chicago apartment with a big smile and warm heart, starting your culinary adventure with an appetizer of cheeses, meats, crackers, and nuts. After getting to know each other, head to the open-plan kitchen to make delicious Chicago-style deep dish pizzas or handmade pasta from scratch (like fettuccine alfredo with a compound milk sauce!). Learn how to make the sauce, combine toppings, and construct your pies. Note that the dough will be pre-prepared since it needs time to rise. Once the pizzas are in the oven (or the pasta dough is resting), Nancy will guide you in creating a fresh salad with homemade dressing and a dessert. The 1.5-hour class ends with enjoying your meal over wine or beer at the dining table. If no preference is stated, Nancy defaults to pasta. You'll also receive printed recipes to recreate your dishes at home.
Nancy and Hailey welcome you into their Chicago apartment with a big smile and warm heart. Begin your in-home dining experience with an appetizer of cheeses, meats, crackers, and nuts. After getting to know each other, sit at the dining table and enjoy a delicious meal featuring Chicago-style deep dish pizzas or handmade pasta (like fettuccine alfredo with a compound milk sauce!). Nancy will also serve a fresh salad with homemade dressing and a dessert. Enjoy your meal over wine or beer as you learn about the food and culture of Chicago. If no preference is stated, Nancy defaults to pasta.
Please indicate in your booking whether you would like to make fresh pasta or pizza; if not, Nancy will default to fresh pasta.
Beer or wine are included in the cost of your experience.
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.
Appetizer of a platter of meats, cheeses, vegetables and dipsChicago-style deep dish pizza or fresh pasta such as tagliatelle with pesto or fettucine in alfredo sauceFresh salad with a homemade vinaigretteFlourless chocolate cakeTea or coffeeNancy is a warm and welcoming host who makes you feel at home from the moment you meet her. Along with her daughter Hailey, she offers a fun and interactive cooking experience in their Chicago apartment, where you'll learn to make Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza or Italian-American pasta. As a cooking instructor at Sur La Table, Nancy has a lifelong passion for cooking and entertaining. Having lived in Europe, she finds joy in hosting travelers and sharing her culinary expertise. Get ready for a session filled with delicious food, laughter, and the chance to forge new friendships.
"We had a lovely experience with Nancy Springs through Traveling Spoon. Nancy kindly adjusted her schedule to accommodate ours, which we truly appreciated. We booked a deep dish pizza-making class in Chicago, and Nancy greeted us right on time with a warm welcome that included wine, cheese, and crackers.
Before diving into the cooking, Nancy walked us through the plan for the evening. She had asked us ahead of time to choose three ingredients for our deep dish pizza, and she came fully prepared—dough made in advance and all ingredients ready to go. Fun fact we learned: deep dish pizza is made in a springform pan!
We chopped and sautéed our chosen ingredients, learned the proper layering technique, added our cheese and homemade sauce, and baked the pizzas. While they were in the oven, we also made fresh bruschetta and garlic bread. The pizzas turned out absolutely delicious, and there was plenty to take home.
To top it all off, Nancy surprised us with a homemade flourless chocolate cake for dessert—a thoughtful touch that made our the birthday celebration for our friend special.
I recommend Traveling Spoon to others. Their communication was prompt and professional, and all the details of the class were clearly communicated. It was a fun girls’ night out and a great way to celebrate a birthday!"
"I don't know anything about cooking except how to blow out a Stouffer's meal in the microwave. My wife is a essentially a chef. Nancy made the cooking class fun for me and taught my wife a few secrets. We had a blast. We took the pasta class and plan to take the deep dish Chicago style pizza class in the near future. Definitely would recommend this cooking class without reservation."
"It was great. Felt like we were at a friends house. Very hands on. Food was delicious.
Definitely worth the money. Got to take some home."
