Thursday -10/17-Day 6
BEST DAY EVER!!!! Remember my story about the wine and food pairing for Chefs class that Stu bought me for my 50th birthday in Napa Valley? Well, this day trumped that experience! Today’s Private cooking class from Casa Grande’s Chef Guila was life-changing! I learned so much straight from the expert, hands on, in a real Italian kitchen dating back to the early 1300s, oh my God, the pictures and videos that Stu captured are amazing and will be cherished for the rest of my life.
I am ready to bring this new knowledge and skills back, and teach it to others because the quality of ingredients, the freshness, textures, and flavor profiles, are indescribable and so much fun to learn.
It was exactly what I needed to regenerate my passion for cooking and teaching. So grateful to Stu for making this possible and encouraging me to do it, even though I really was not feeling it last night. He knows me better than I know myself.
And in only two hours, we made four types of focaccia bread, personal pizzas, calzone, white table bread and potato gnocchi with pesto!
I even got a proper pronunciation lesson to boot. I had to promise her I would pass that lesson along to anyone I taught these dishes to.
When everything was cooked and ready, we got to sit down in a very intimate dining setting in the family dining room just off the kitchen and enjoy all that we had made. Stu had plans to go to the gym and for a swim while I was taking the class, but it was so interesting for him that he stayed and took pictures and videos and even joined in and made his own pizza, it was such a good time. One of those things that just happen that you can’t really plan but he just knew that if I showed up, it would be an experience of a lifetime and he was right!
Guila opened a 2019 bottle of Sangiovese Rosso for our meal and we dined like the King and Queen of the casa. After the Rosso we had more of the dessert wine with biscotti, said our goodbyes with much appreciation to Julia and stumbled back to our room through many hallways and staircases, trying not to get lost, again. About to take a big fat nap so much for the rest of the day! We are done!
Buona notte!!
Accommodation
Villa, Hotel
Destinations
Tuscany, Turin, La Spezia, Figline
Tuscany, Turin, La Spezia, Figline
