What To Expect

Sample Menu

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Delicious and fun!

  Susan S,,Oct 8, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Gilda was accommodating g about pick up and made it very easy. The venue was magnificent. She was warm, informative and friendly. Explained the process and the products. Food was delicious. Highly recommend.

• Ok class, not my favorite. Way too expensive for what it was

  Joseph C,,Sep 18, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  3.00

  Maria’s class was good. Her apartment was very warm and she eventually turned on the air conditioning . The we made pasta which was good, but the pistachio pesto sauce was out of a jar, not home made which was disappointing. She asked if she could add a person to our private class and we agreed. She added some shrimp to dinner but really didn’t want to clean them and cooked them head an all in oil and garlic, nothing fancy and they were tasteless . The ricotta pie we made for dessert was the best thing. All in all, we had a good time but was very expensive for what we got. Also parking near her apartment was very difficult. We were supposed to get all the recipes and she sent a PDF that wouldn’t open. She sent pictures of some of the recipes but not all which was disappointing

• Real Sicilian home cooking

  DayTrip475013,,Jun 22, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Ewa was so welcoming and we felt like family from the get go. She was very knowledgeable and we had so much fun cooking in her home. She uses many ingredients from her own garden which was amazing to see. Get prepared to use your hands and eat lots of amazing food. She is truly warm and generous. The experience was once in a lifetime.

  

  

  

• Bonding across cultures over food and shared experience

  kathleen m,,Jun 8, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  We were so delighted to meet Eva and we instantly bonded over the common language of women-that transcends culture, language and time. This was made even better by traditional wine that flowed and the hard work of making 6 different kinds of pasta. To be honest, we both had a long day and didn't even know if we were up to a cooking class. However, we were warmly greeted by Eva in the courtyard of the home that she and her son own together. Her son works in Roma. We were given refreshments and lovely antipasti with divine homemade cheese. The conversation flowed with all of us using Google translate along with broken English and Italian. We were supposed to make 2 kinds of pasta but Eva noted our enthusiasm and we made 6 kinds of pasta. She was a natural cook and gave us such great tips that we can take home to extend our cooking adventures. By the time we sat down to eat -we were tired and excited to try our pasta and baked eggplant dish. The food was awesome -there was enough to feed a family of 15 and there was just the three of us. Eva shared with us all the drinks and potents she makes with the herbs and plants in her garden. We connected, laughed, and got our hands covered in flour. Sicily is about tradition, family, and culture and this experience embodied that.

• Family cooking class

  Tammy H,,May 25, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Maria and her husband were very inviting and warm in allowing us into their home. We made homemade pastas and sauce and tiramisu. It was a wonderful experience and the food was so delicious. Highly recommend for everyone of all ages!

• Authentic Sicilian Cooking Experience

  Melissa R,,May 13, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Upon arrival, my husband and our close friends were warmly greeted by Maria Rita. The kitchen was setup with all the tools needed to make an authentic sicilian meal of bruschetta with sicilian pesto, 3 types of pasta with the sicilian pesto, sicilian caponata and tiramisu, way more food than we could eat, especially after the delicious snacks layed out upon arrival. Maria Rita was warm, welcoming, and great at providing instruction. I thought making pasta from scratch would be so much harder, but she made it easy amd fun, very engsging, an experience we enjoyed so much that we are already planning on doing it for a party when we get back home. We got to meet her husband Giuseppe and son Giacomo which wss really a treat for us, such a lovely family. The location of the home was perfect, directly across from the archeological park with amazing views. After a wonderful experience learning to cook and eating a delicious meal, we went to the archeological park before heading home, the perfect end to a wonderful day. I highly recommend this experience to anyone seeking an authentic sicilian experience, especially if you love food. Two members of our group don't even enjoy cooking and absolutely loved this experience.

• Maria Rita 5+++ Stars

  870danag,,May 12, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had an absolutely fantastic experience with Maria Rita’s cooking class! She was very passionate about Sicilian cuisine. We felt very welcomed in her kitchen, where we learned to make authentic dishes from scratch. It was a highlight of our trip! We would give her more than 5 stars if allowed! And we loved meeting her family - husband Joseph and son James!

• The best cooking class with Ewa.

  Traveler81021,,May 11, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Look no further. This is the best cooking class! Ewa was a fantastic host. She made a fun day for our group in her beautiful outdoor kitchen and served us in her own dining room. We really enjoyed her company. She even cut a beautiful rose from her garden for my sister and I since it was Mothers Day.

  

• A Memorable and Delicious Experience!

  lovethelake99,,Oct 5, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Cesarina Gilda was an amazing hostess and produced our best regional Sicilian meal, enjoyed on her beautiful rooftop. She was entertaining and instructive, had us laughing while we worked and watched, and produced a meal that was filling and delicious. She was assisted by her sister who prepared our beautiful table and also kept us entertained during our meal; it was an honor to be welcomed into their home and family. Using simple, local ingredients, Gilda prepared Sicilian pesto, new to the four of us who had been familiar with the northern Italian version. The addition of tomatoes and burrata and the use of almonds versus pignoli nuts, plus basil of course, is a version we will now use as our own at home, it was fantastic; the minimal us of garlic made the flavors of the other local ingredients stand out. When added to the small rolled pasta, it created a dish that we all had seconds of, and will talk about for a long time. The bruschetta was made simply, but was over the top with fresh Sicilian tomatoes and local semolina bread toast. We loved the meatballs, (served separately from the pasta) made in a local traditional “Agrodolce” sweet and sour style. They were a light and flavorful blend of chicken and pork, braised in the Agrodolce sauce with onion, vinegar and sugar. For me, the best part was the dessert, we had both dark chocolate and pistachio options of Torta Tenerina, similar to molten lava cake. The four of us highly recommend Gilda, and we will call on her again when we return to Siracusa. Her experience cooking as a Cesarine in so many regions in Italy added to our education, as she was able to compare so many dishes and traditional recipes that use ingredients common to the different areas. Thank you Gilda, we look forward to recreating what we have learned!

  

  

  

• Highlight of our trip to Sicily!

  Lena S,,Oct 2, 2024

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Wow wow wow!!! Mine and my mom’s favorite thing we’ve done in Sicily so far. Maria Rita is so sweet, such a good teacher and opens up her beautiful home for such a fun and unforgettable night of delicious food. A must do when you come to Syracuse! Added bonus is the gorgeous view off her balcony that you get to enjoy while eating.

  

  

  

  
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