Half Day Cooking Classes
Overview | Price| Pictures | Details | Location | Reserve & Availability | Contact | Rated as EXCELLENT |
Learn the authentic Italian cuisine with the LOCAL EXPERTS.
Learn Italy’s culture through its food and wines.
Learn the secrets of an ancient cuisine, handed down by Southern Italian Women.
Learn a simple, tasty and healthy cuisine.
Have fun meeting new friends!
Overview
CLASSES TAUGHT BY CINZIA
-Learn with a LOCAL EXPERT (Cinzia is native to Puglia; certified wine sommelier and extra virgin olive oil taster);
-Learn an ancient cookery method (slow cooking);
-Use highest quality ingredients;
-Learn to cook with extra virgin olive oil;
-Make traditional, simple, tasty and healthy home-made recipes (we never FRY!);
-Pair food with excellent wines from Puglia;
-Classes are HANDS ON and in English;
-Small groups: min 4, max 10 people (please enquire for larger groups);
-Time: from 4pm to 9pm (including following meal based on your creation);
SPECIAL CLASSES
We also run special classes which are focused on the health benefits of the ancient Mediterranean cuisine of Puglia and extra virgin olive oil.
You will learn that both ingredients and the cookery method are important to preserve antioxidants content, nutrients and enhance food flavors.
You will learn about the benefits of extra virgin olive oil and how to cook with it.
These classes are hands on, in English and for minimum 4 and maximum 10 people.
These special classes take place at specific dates.
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Price
Cooking classes with Cinzia cost 140 euro per person per class (including 21% VAT tax).
Price does not include transfers (please ask and we can help you arrange them).
You can join one or more classes. There are usually three cooking classes per week.
You may also attend the ONE WEEK Cooking & Wine tour
Special classes with Cinzia & Marika cost 180 euro per person (including 21% VAT tax).
For dates and availability of the special classes please contact us.
Please specify which class you are interested in.
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Pictures
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Details
Cooking classes are in English and personally taught by Cinzia.
During the cooking classes you will learn the authentic and traditional Italian cuisine of Puglia that only locals know (Cinzia learned everything from her Grandmothers). This cuisine has never been written down but handed down from mother to daughter (very unlikely Italian men cook!).
You will learn that the quality of the ingredients is key in the Pugliese cuisine and that extra virgin olive oil will be used almost for everything. Cinzia personally selects the best olive oils and ingredients (locally sourced, organic and in season) to ensure the highest quality.
You will learn that also the cookery method is very important in order to make very tasty and healthy dishes. Food is never fried and always cooked in a way that enhances flavors and nutrients. The real Pugliese cuisine is home-made in its essence.
Each class with Cinzia features the preparation of three recipes (from fresh hand-made pasta with durum wheat, freshly made tomato sauce, seafood or meat courses, stuffed focaccia, courses with vegetables, to sweets). On request Cinzia provides classes for vegetarians or people who are intolerant to gluten.
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Location
The Stile Mediterraneo Cooking School is located in Squinzano, nearby the best wine and extra virgin olive oil areas in Salento Puglia. Squinzano is 15 minutes from the Lecce historical center and off the tourist tracks.
For the accommodation you may stay at theStile Mediterraneo B&B. Or, if you prefer other accommodations, we will be happy to refer you to the best boutique hotels and villas.
If you rent a car, you can easily drive to our place (we will send you directions). As an alternative we can organize group / private transfers from Lecce (little extra), or private transfers from Brindisi, Otranto, Gallipoli, Ostuni, Fasano or any other location where you may stay.
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Reserve & Availability
(Please click on each event to read full details)
Reserve
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Contact
“Great day in Puglia”
Two smart and beautiful women (sisters) who love their region and their country run this cooking school. It is actually more than a cooking school, it is a lifestyle, it is a friendly meeting, it is a family reunion…it is GREAT! Don’t pass on it, while in Puglia, go to Lecce and spend a class, a day or a week with those two lovely young Italians. You will learn a lot and cook like a Italian from Salento when you go back home. ENJOY!
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“Wonderful food, Delicious wine & Great company!”
It’s not often on Tripadvisor that you see an attraction that has been rated “excellent” by everyone, but having experienced it for ourselves we can see why. We arranged for Cinzia and Marika to come to our villa to provide a cooking lesson for us on two seperate days, the first day for lunch and the second day for dinner. They brought all of the food and wine with them and after a four hour very entertaining and extremely good lesson we got to sit around a large table in the courtyard and enjoy a wonderful meal whilst learning more about Puglia from these special ladies. Their teaching style is so calm and relaxed, they feel like old friends. Their knowledge on the local produce is incredible. They share great family secrets with you and teach you recipes and skills that you can take home with you to impress your friends.
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“A fantastic cooking course in the heel of Italy”
We joined the two lovely young ladies at Stile Mediterraneo in Squinzano, Puglia for an afternoon and evening of cooking and conversation.
We learnt to make some beautiful traditional local Italian dishes with a personal touch whilst indulging in some regional wine. It was a fun and up-beat environment with lots of useful tips and many interesting facts about the food we were preparing in terms of quality and also healthiness.
We also spent the night at the house where the course was held. The house is a beautifully restored building that looks untouched from the outside, but as soon as you step through the door and into the grand courtyard your spirits are lifted and you are drawn to the staircase wanting to explore further.
It is possible to do much more than a single night and one cooking class but we were touring, so had no spare time. If we make it to Puglia again we will definately plan to spend more time here.
Best part: Well that’s difficult as it was all-over great but if pressed it would have to be eating our fantastic meal with good company.
Worst part: That’s easy – leaving.
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“Do NOT miss this!”
We booked the Stile Mediterraneo after reading about it here, and we were overwhelmed! Cinzia & Marike came to meet us in the street, and suddenly we had chatted away an hour on the terrace over home-made lemon sherbet and drinks. The cooking class was great, and they both took time to really make sure you understood every detail of making Orrechiette and stuffed squid. We learnt about wine, olive oil and preparing broccoli the italian way.
All in all, an amazing experience, that felt more like a night with friends than a class. Marika & Cinzia have the lowdown on everything in the area as well, where to eat, sleep or buy local products. I would recommend this early in your Puglia trip – you’ll know exactly where to go afterwards!
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“Fun , educational and Delicious!”
My husband and I took one of Stile Mediterrano’s cooking classes…. and wish we could have stayed for more.!
Both sisters, Cinzia and Marika, are warm, welcoming, fun, and knowledgeable instructors. Their spacious studio / kitchen is wonderfully equipped …perfect for hands on learning….and the terrace where we enjoyed our foods was a perfect setting for a relaxing, evening meal.
We were immediately made to feel right at home.
All foods are fresh and local and wonderful wines accompany the foods.
I whole heartedly recommend this adventure for anyone looking for an unique holiday experience.
Language is not an issue since both women speak perfect English even though they are native to Puglia, Italy
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“Warm hospitality and great fun cooking”
We joined Cynthia and Mark last week for the day to experience cooking traditional dishes. I was not quite sure what to expect but it turned out to be one of the best days of our holiday in Puglia. We were immediately made to feel so welcome in their lovely home and the cooking itself was relaxed, interesting and also good fun. The only shame was that we had to leave after eating the wonderful food because we could only spend one day there. We envied the other couple who had a whole week ahead of them! Very highly recommended. Jenny & Glyn – London
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“Passion”
At 8-9-2009 we attended a hands-on cooking class with Cinzia and Marika. We made a traditional Puglian dinner and spend the night in their beautiful B&B. We made tart, orecchiette, tomato sauce and stuffed eggplant. The dinner, the wine and the breakfast were great. No matter where we talked about of what they thought us, the common link was passion! Go there if you want to taste and feel the Puglian food and traditions.
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