Sicilian cooking course and more

I wish we had the time to take another class with Carmen. She is a charming and gracious hostess, and the best kind of cooking teacher: knowledgeable about every aspect of the food being prepared, and eager to share her delight in the food, culture and aesthetics of the dishes as she guided us through the techniques and steps needed to create the elements of our delicious lunch. She is a Siricusan who shared tales and history of her city, and a world traveler who brings a sophisticated perspective
We had artichokes with garlic and parsley, spaghetti siracusana, piwtqdhio-crusted swordfish, and ricotta tiramisu. She provided us with printouts of each recipe so we could take notes as we wished as we cooked. Her kitchen is comfortable and well-equipped. Cheeses and wine took the edge off our appetites as our food cooked. And her home-grown olive oil is fabulous!
The apartment is elegant but warm, with incredible views of the harbor and Mt. Etna. We felt welcomed, at home and at ease, amd thoroughly happy with every aspect of our day with Carmen!

Carmen is a fantastic host and terrific cook. She shared with us some secrets for a perfect, authentic lunch including eggplant, pasta and fresh caught fish. The almond pudding she showed us how to make was a delightfully simple and surprisingly delicious treat. Her flat is beautiful and her kitchen is perfect for cooking in. We found ourselves devouring everything we could and disappointed we couldn't eat just a little more. A ride into the Syracuse countryside to tour her country house was a great added adventure to an already perfect day.

Hard to sum up what an amazing experience this was.

Carmen was an incredible host - she really went the extra mile to make our experience every bit as good as it could have been.

The apartment was beautiful and a wonderful space for the course. On a clear day (like we had) you had wonderful views of the sea / Ortigia and Mount Etna.

The cooking was really enjoyable - the right balance of being shown what we were doing without being too prescriptive. She was also full of tips and tricks or suggestions for how we could experiment/practice more when we were home (which we definitely will be doing!) It felt like the perfect balance of refined cooking and homely authentic Sicilian cuisine.

We also really enjoyed hearing more about Sicilian culture and the local area. She has a wealth of knowledge with a detailed answer for every question we had for her.

We chose to make the sardine pie, orange and fennel salad, fish with herbs and citrus (listed as orange but Carmen sensibly suggested a swap to lemon as we were doing the orange salad) and cannoli. The food was amazing and we were very happy with our choices but have no doubt whatever we had chosen would have been fantastic.

We had such a wonderful time and will remember this day for many many years to
come. If we ever come back we would book another course without hesitation.

We simply could not recommend enough.

I got the class from my husband for my birthday and it was a perfect gift! My friend and I learned how to make spaghetti Siracusana, baked swordfish with pistachios and breadcrumbs and the famous, traditional cannolo.All the food turned out delicious and the recipes can be used in Norway, our home country, too.Carmen is a very charming lady who knows what she is doing. She has loved and practiced cooking since she was a child and you can really see that. We felt very privileged to receive her families recipe for cannoli! She is kind and helpful also beyond the framework of the class. Thank you,so much,Carmen!

I got the food making course from my husband for my birthday. And it was a perfect gift. My friend and I learned how to make Spaghetti Siracusana, baked swordfish with breadcrumbs and pistachios and traditional cannoli. All the courses turned out delicious and what is equally important, perfectly doable in our home country (Norway). Carmen is a super charming teacher. She knows what she is doing (we felt privileged to get har family recipe for the cannoli), because she has loved and practiced cooking all her life. The course gave us just the kind of insider knowledge to Sicilian cooking as we hoped for. In addition, we almost felt like we got a new friend too. Carmen is very easy tot talk to and she is kind and helpful beyond the framework of the course. Thank you so much for everything, Carmen!

'E non solo' 'and not only'. What a delight! All of the warm Sicilian culture was shared with us in an afternoon of Caponata and baked Merluzzo. Carmen, thank you for sharing the experience. A highlight when visiting Sicily!

This has been the highlight of our holiday. We were welcomed warmly into Carmen's beautiful home and benefitted from her great knowledge of the ingredients & recipes we had chosen to learn to cook, creating a superb lunch with charming company. Would absolutely recommend this to all. FAR better than a restaurant lunch!! Great quality & value and would not hesitate to book again!