Mercato Centrale Market Tour and Cooking with a Florentine Chef in His Home- Day Trip — CALL

Alessio is a fun, warm and welcoming host and professional chef who is excited to share his local cuisine and Fiorentino traditions with travelers. He has a wide repertoire of Florentine dishes that you may not see in restaurant menus. Alessio studied economics while he was at University and worked at a bank but quit after a few years to follow his true passion – cooking! He was keen to use the creative part of his brain and flex his artistic muscle and diligently taught himself to cook from cookbooks. He worked his way up to head chef at a few restaurants before he became a private chef. Alessio was very close to his grandfather growing up and cooking brings back fond memories of himself as a young boy helping his grandfather in the kitchen. Enjoy a memorable culinary experience with this Fiorentino cooking expert! Alessio sometimes hosts with his friend and colleague, Livia, who also has a long history in the food industry. She is a private chef passionate about preserving the traditions of Italian food and culture; she is dedicated to learning how to make the pastas taught by grandmothers around Italy! Meet your host Alessio at his simple and modest sunlit apartment and join him at his dining table to enjoy a typical Fiorentino meal over fun conversation and laughter. Your homemade meal might include dishes such as an antipasto of crostini crostini di fegatini (chicken liver pate served on crusty bread) or a seasonal segato di carciofi (artichoke carpaccio with pecorino), a main of ossobucco alla Fiorentina (braised veal) or pollastro affinocchiato (braised chicken with fennel), and a pasta like pappardelle ai fungi (mushrooms) or risotto al nero (squid ink) with a typical Florentine vegetable side dish. Your meal will conclude with a dessert of torta della nonna (cream pie) or schiacciata alla Fiorentina (orange sponge cake). If you book a cooking experience, join Alessio in his apartment kitchen and learn to cook a regional Florentine meal from recipes that he has perfected over the years. Your hands-on cooking class will last about two hours. You will learn to cook three dishes from scratch such as an antipasto, a main of meat or a pasta, and a dessert. As you cook together, enjoy learning about the skills and techniques that Alessio has honed over the years before you sit down at the table to share the meal you helped prepare with him. If there is a specific dish you'd like to learn, please let your travel advisor know when making your booking. Alessio also offers with Livia an optional market tour add-on.