Mama Isa: Cooking Classes Venice Italy | Cookery Courses — Attraction in Venice

Taking an authentic cooking class in Italy has been my intention for at least a decade. I was thrilled to find Mama Isa’s Cooking School on the internet and signed-up with my husband for our trip to Italy. As a dietitian, I wanted to learn how to make pasta (tagliatelle) and gelato. As both my husband and I are gluten free and vegetarian —this was a necessary part of our planning criteria. It was easy to talk with Isa on What’s App to work out the details such as the menu, our dietary restrictions, pricing information, as well as the location of the cooking school. The process was easy and Isa even provided the transportation logistics to get us to her place. When we arrived for our class, we were welcomed by Isa, and her husband and sous chef, Stefano. After a brief overview of the menu—we went to work in her nicely appointed kitchen and prep area. Isa described the order of what we would be preparing and how the ingredients worked in each recipe. Incorporating food science is essential when working with gluten free recipes as these flour blends do not work the same as typical pasta flours (notably semolina) which rely the structural network of gluten in the cooking process. My husband and I then prepared the dairy free gelato first, to give the ingredients time to be chill to create a creamy texture. Next, we made the gluten free pasta. The key to this process is let the dough sit for 30 minutes before rolling it out and cutting it into the desired shape. This gave us time to sit down for a wonderful appetizer prepared by Stefano which included wine, gluten free crackers, fresh tomatoes with balsamic vinegar & olive oil, vegetable crudites, and assorted local aged cheeses—a very lovely intermission before completing the remaining meal prep operations. After fueling up, we moved on to cutting and rolling out the pasta dough. We carefully placed the pasta on a drying mat before cooking. Our final project was to prepare a porcini mushroom sauce with freshly cut herbs—infusing a fantastic medley of flavors atop the freshly cooked pasta. Isa demonstrated her pasta plating technique to create a very eye-appealing entrée—sprinkled with freshly grated cheese and ground black pepper. We were then seated to enjoy the fruits of our labor—the fresh tagliatelle with porcini mushroom sauce with another glass of wine, followed by a decadent chocolate gelato! Throughout our interactive class, Isa provided helpful cooking and preparing tips elevating our confidence to recreate these recipes at home. Isa’s intuitive instruction, her versatility with traditional pasta recipes as well as gluten free pasta creations, and her gracious hosting skills certainly amplified our cooking experience. In addition, she emailed the recipes we made in our class as well as an assortment of other recipes to help us expand our repertoire of fresh pasta dishes and gelato varieties. Five stars to our wonderful chef and entrepreneur for inspiring us to the next level in our pasta-gelato meal...

I like to eat and I like to cook. I especially like pasta and seafood. So, when my wife Paula and I were going to be in Venice for 4 days, I searched out what cooking schools were available so I could learn from the masters. A Google search came up with Mama Isa’s cooking class in Padova, which is 20 minutes by train from Venice. As I was born in Padova some years ago, I instantly decided that I would enroll at Mama Isa’s-and I am so glad I did. I booked a 4-hour session for Paula and me (10a.m. to 2:00pm), and after a few e-mails, Chef Isa and we agreed on the menu-(1) Tiramisu (Regular and with Limoncello) (2) Homemade Pasta with vongole (Clams) and (3) Branzino baked in salt crust. The day of the class, we took a short cab ride from the train station in Padova (Padua) to Chef Isa’s house. The outside was typical of the buildings on the street-nothing to distinguish it from other buildings. We were 15 minutes early so we rang the bell anyway. Chef Isa responded immediately and we were welcomed into her home. The inside was something else. Two kitchens with modern cabinetry, high end appliances (cooktops and ranges), beautiful hardwood floors. One wall was decorated with various Venetian masks, and the other had pictures with frames that can only be Venetian (Chef Isa is from Venice-go figure). As to the cooking lesson-Chef Isa worked with Paula and me, she took us step by step making homemade pasta, explaining why you do it that way-how to cook the clams and how to assemble the dish. The same goes for the Tiramisu and the Branzino. Nothing like doing it yourself with the help of an excellent teacher. By the way, Chef Isa’s English is terrific, which was great for Paula, and I was good with English or Italian. In the end, Paula and I ate the meal we cooked and, if I say so myself, it was most gratifying. Finally, Chef Isa and her husband Stefano had dessert and a glass of wine with us at the end. Che simpatico!!! Instructions, directions and recipes were all e-mailed, promptly, and in English. Chef Isa is thoroughly organized. I was impressed with Chef Isa’s organizational skills as well as her teaching abilities. If you want to learn how to cook Italian (Veneto style), Chef Isa is my choice. By the way, In the event you want to take a 2 day, 3 day or week long (all day) class, Chef Isa can accommodate you in her spare bedroom. It’s cheaper...

Mama Isa & Stefano were just the sweetest people. I literally told my husband while we were eating that I wanted to take her & Stefano home with me, Stefano was such a sweet helper too! She gave us very detailed instructions on how to reach her home, and everything went very smoothly getting there. It was a nice little break to get away from crowded Venice.

They gave us a very warm welcome once we arrived at the home, and explained the plan of action for the day, as well as gave us a little tour of her lovely home. She then donned us with our aprons, and before we got started, offered us some very tasty treats! (Paired with some Prosecco of course).

It ended up being a private cooking class for my husband and I that day, and it couldn't have been more perfect. She took her time explaining everything we were doing, and how to do it, as well as little helpful tidbits about cooking. She also had lots of patience with my very curious husband who went through all of her spices and asked what each one was for! :) We ended up going to a little market afterwards just to buy one of them to take back home, the peperoncini's. Yum!

The Food was simply delicious! We made a pumpkin risotto, fettuccine with Ragu/bolognese sauce, and Ciambella della Nona (her Grandmothers cake recipe) The Risotto was so good, I don't normally eat pumpkin, but the risotto was so creamy and had such great taste that it was hard to resist. The bolognese sauce was also very delicious, and the cake was like eating a soft sweet cloud. Making the Fettuccine was such a fun experience for both my husband and I, I will definitely be making all of these things back at home.

I also loved that all ingredients were fresh - Basil and parsley from the garden, olive oil and cheese from Stefano's family, etc. The recipes were so simple, yet so delicious, I absolutely recommend her to anyone who wants to eat (and make) delicious and authentic Italian food.

P.S. She sends you the recipes via email so that you don't have to worry about writing anything down, you just show up, cook, and eat!

Thank you Mama Isa & Stefano for such a wonderful time...