What better way to enjoy to the full the aromas and flavours of a place than by getting to grips with its traditional recipes… and when we say “getting to grips”, we really mean it: guests and visitors to the area can now take lessons from one of the growing number of cooking schools that are popping up throughout the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills. The schools enjoy great success, particularly among tourists from abroad who get the chance to feel like one of the locals. And to amaze their friends with their new skills when they go home! Let’s start with Our Rustica, an Agriturismo offering Bed & Breakfast deep in the wooded hillsides of Tarzo. The company is run by Andrea and Ruth, Andrea is the chef and he tells us that they started with cooking lessons five years ago: “Initially with the idea of sharing local culinary experience while highlighting the produce from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area, including local wines, oils and cheeses. We offer bespoke courses for small groups which run from as little as a half day to a full week. The courses involve sampling local delicacies and learning to make simple recipes from the regional cuisine including fresh pasta and gnocchi, and lessons on how to make homemade pizza in a wood-burning oven. More than a simple cooking school, ours is a holistic approach to life where, through the medium of Italian cooking, our guests learn to appreciate the simple, genuine things in life, all in a lovely environment immersed in the local woods and vineyards”. Next we come to Loving Veneto where the focus is on providing genuine cooking classes, above all to guests from abroad. “We are a travel agency within an enoteca”, explain owners Serena and Loris, “which is itself inside Villa Marcello Marinelli in Cison di Valmarino. Guests who take our courses are guided step by step through the whole process, starting with shopping for ingredients through to preparing the various dishes. We hold the classes in a fully-equipped restaurant-style kitchen which nonetheless offers a fun, friendly atmosphere in which to learn. We mainly focus on local dishes as well as teaching students how to make dough for bread, pizza and pasta, as well as some simple sauces. More than a school, this is an experience which seeks to pass on the traditions and culture of our region. The classes are a unique way to really get a flavour of the area. Lastly we come to Agriturismo Mondragon in Tarzo, where ancient know-how and flavours are on offer including the goose stew – a house speciality and Slow Food Presidia – made from geese raised on the property. On the first Wednesday of the month, starting in July, chef Manuela Tessari holds a cooking course where the concept is not to forget anything, not the leftovers in the kitchen nor the ancient local recipes which might otherwise be lost. Together with Manuela students will learn recipes made using wild greens and almost-forgotten cuts of meat which just a few decades ago held an important place on the table. There is a minimum of five and a maximum of nine participants for her courses and enrolments must be received by the previous Wednesday.
EXPERIENCE
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