During the Additional 10 Hours:

You will learn the techniques used to conserve food and preserve the original flavors and aromas of all the different types of fruits and vegetables that Mother Nature offers in this area during her four seasons.

As we detailed above, agricultural purity and healthy eating are closely connected to each other. In fact our ancestors, in order to have the benefits of the various fruits and vegetables available each year, found such successful methods of preserving these products that they were unable to consume the excess.

Products like wines, conserved sauce, conserved vegetables, fruit juice, jam, delicatessen products, etc. are all made by various methods of preservation. We know that all these products are very important. And that taking out preserved delicacies that your guests thought were out of season will leave them astonished at your next dinner party.

We will teach you how to utilize the oldest recipes, to pack vegetables like artichokes, eggplants, olives under olive oil, or how to prepare a delicious sauce.

You will learn how to transform fresh basil into the finest pesto sauce, and how to prepare sauce ready- to-use from fresh sweet tomatoes

Also we will teach you how to prepare surplus fruits to make unique jams or fruit juices to enjoy alone or in drink cocktails.

We can also show you various digestive liquors to enjoy after dinner like "limocello", made from the skins and juices of lemons and "nocillo", produced from unripe walnut shells.

Using the "bilberry", a fruit that came from ancient Greece, you can create another kind of liquor that is legendary for its curative properties and was used to cure stomach infections.

First Day of Classes:

Just after breakfast, we will visit the market to learn how to select the best vegetables, fruits, and other raw materials used during the preparation of our meals.

Around noon there will be a short class where you will learn how to prepare several cocktails, tarts, and other snacks to enjoy a delicious 'aperitif' and to create a relaxed environment to meet your classmates and introduce yourself.

After the welcome party, we will leave the school by van and go up to the surrounding hills to see the best view of the town. From there we will proceed to one of the oldest traditional cheese factories and watch the production of old-fashioned braided Neapolitan Mozzarella, the Casocavallo, and other unique cheeses produced in this area.

On the way back down, we will stop in Sorrento for a stroll around the town - an experience rich in surprises. We will point out various bars and meeting places in addition to many elegant shops carrying merchandise from the most exclusive names in Italian fashion as well as small precious handcrafts and antique shops.

We will then return to the house to relax and have a good time over a warm dinner.

Second Day of Classes:

As soon as breakfast is over we will start our first lesson: how to prepare fresh pasta and gnocchi. You will make the dough, cut it, and shape it.

The afternoon lesson will be focused on the preparation of different kinds of appetizers and vegetable side dishes. Examples include the classic eggplant and zucchini parmigiana, bittersweet red and yellow peppers, and spicy green peppers from the river with cherry tomatoes.

We will teach you how to prepare seafood and fresh fish in a particular way, such as how to marinate fresh Mediterranean anchovies, salmon and swordfish.

You will also learn how to prepare veal carpaccio with celery and chips of parmesan cheese, how to make the real meatballs for the Neapolitan Ragu' and eggplant-bal to serve with fresh sauce mozzarella and basil, and many other dishes that we will select together.

We will then prepare a traditional fish dish -- what kind of dish depends on what Neptune gives us from the sea.

If the market has less than ideal offerings, we can prepare 'baccala', a dry salt cod. We will soak it and then bake it in the oven with olive oil, garlic, sliced potatoes, black olives, capers, and cherry tomatoes.

Since no dinner is complete without dessert, we will show you how to make such delights as Tiramisu', Caprese, and Millefoglie alla Nocciola, using ingredients ranging from chocolate and coffee cream to walnuts.

Third Day of Classes:

You will learn the very specific preparation of the dough to make genuine Neapolitan Pizza. For this occasion you are requested to invite all your friends to pay us a visit, as we will arrange a real "all you can eat pizza party" that will be accompanied by the traditional "caponata" and by "mussels impepata," boiled with black pepper and covered with fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Fourth Day of Classes:

After breakfast we return to the class, where this time you will focus your attention on the preparation of the following:

Neapolitan Sfizi: The word Sfizi comes from something that is enjoyable to do or something that makes you happy.

Crochette: Mashed potatoes with ham, mozzarella cheese, and basil, covered with bread crumbs and lightly fried like an Italian-style tempura.

Arancini: Balls of rice filled with meat or ham, sweet green peas, parmesan cheese, and covered with bread crumbs.

Tender zeppolette di alghe: filled with a secret from the sea.

Zucchini flowers filled with ricotta and parmesan cheese among other things.

As soon as everything is finished we will seal it in the refrigerator and wait for the afternoon class which will be focused on learning proper frying techniques.

During the interval you may join us for a visit to a traditional pastry shop where you will assist in the production of Italian Gelato, and choose your favorite flavor.

The afternoon class will begin with taking out the 'Neapolitan Sfizi' from the refrigerator, frying them and keeping them warm in the oven.

You'll then prepare the famous Pasta e Fagioli that is made either with fresh or dried beans depending on the season.

For the finale you will make a dessert, but this time based on fruit, such as a fruit tart, fruit mousse, or Babà with fresh fruit.

Fifth Day of Classes:

The last class will be late in the afternoon at 6pm.

During this class we will prepare the Gala Dinner, based on delicacies from the sea, and teach you how to formally decorate a plate. For example, we could fill a small boat-shaped plate full of seafood for a nice appetizer. We will continue on with the lesson, preparing the traditional southern Italian Risotto alla Pescatora. This dish is a direct descendent from the age of Spanish domination, since it resembles paella and does not relate to anything else in Italian cuisine. For the second course we will prepare an imperialcalamaro (big squid) filled with different types of sea food, covered with a sweet cherry tomato sauce, and baked in the oven. We will complete the evening with a light cake and fruit cocktail.

Graduation Day:

Graduation certificates, delivery of the exclusive apron and the recipe handbook including all the dishes made during your stay and goodbye party.

March 01-08
March 08-15
March 15-22
March 22-29
March 29 - April 05

April 05-12
April 12-19
April 19-26
April 26 - May 3

May 3-10
May 10-17
May 17-24
May 24-31
May 31-June 7

June 07-14
June 14-21
June 21-28
June 28-July 05

July 05-12
July 12-19
July 19-26
July 26-August 02

August 02-09
August 09-16
August 16-23
August 23-30
August 30-September 06

September 06-13
September 13-20
September 20-27
September 27-October 4

November 01- 08
November 08-15
November 15-22
November 22-29
November 29-December 06

20 hours cooking class + 10 hours artisan production classes

40 hours cooking class + 20 hours artisan production classes

60 hours cooking class + 30 hours artisan production classes

80 hours cooking class + 40 hours artisan production classes

• 5 Dinners (including the Welcome Party and Graduation Gala Night and Goodbye Ceremony)
• Demonstration classes in Sorrento in one of the oldest cheese factories with choice of souvenir product
• Demonstration classes in Sorrento artisan Ice Cream Shop with choice of your own ice cream
• Enrollment charges, didactic material, attendance certificate, handwritten recipe book, exclusive apron and gift basket

Notes: There is no refund for school hours missed by students. The school reserves the right to alter its programs.