What happens during your pasta making class, step by step
A three-to-four-hour evening structured as a private masterclass with dinner at the end. The chef arrives forty minutes early to set up each pasta-making station — wooden board, '00' flour for tagliatelle/pappardelle, semolina for pici, cracked eggs, rolling pin, ravioli stamp, knife and apron per guest.
Workshop minutes 0-30 · the dough. Volcano of flour, eggs cracked in the well, fork-mixing from the centre outward. The chef walks each guest through the moment when the dough comes together. Then the kneading: push with the heel of the hand, fold, rotate a quarter turn. Eight to ten minutes per guest until the dough is silky and bounces back when pressed. Wrapped in cling film for the rest.
Workshop minutes 30-60 · the rolling. While the dough rests, the chef demonstrates the antipasti and prepares the sauces in the background. Back to the dough: roll out into thin sheets (3-4 mm for cutting, 1-2 mm for ravioli), measuring by hand against the wooden pin. The chef shows the proper way to check thickness against the kitchen light.
Workshop minutes 60-120 · the two shapes. Cut, shape, fill, pinch. Two different pasta shapes per guest — tagliatelle long ribbons rolled into nests, pappardelle wide ribbons, ravioli filled and stamped, or pici rolled hand-by-hand with semolina water. Each shape teaches a different skill. Pasta drying on dusted boards while you wash up.
The dinner. Two antipasti, your fresh pasta in salted water (90 seconds for tagliatelle, 2 minutes for ravioli, 3-4 for pici), the two sauces tossed in the chef's skillet, plated on your patio. A homemade tiramisù assembled at the table with espresso poured last. Then the chef cleans the kitchen and leaves you with the printed recipe cards, the flour-ratio notes and a folder of digital recipes by email the next morning.
The menu you will produce during your pasta making class
A deliberate workshop menu — every dish is either pasta you produced in the workshop or a complement that lets the pasta shine:
Two antipasti to start. Crostini neri toscani with chicken-liver pâté · marinated zucchini and pecorino flakes with Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil (or seasonal: fig and prosciutto in late summer, pinzimonio with new-pressed oil in November).
Two pasta courses, both produced by you in the workshop. Tagliatelle al ragù bianco di Chianina (slow-cooked white Chianina ragù, no tomato — the chef cooked the ragù while you were rolling) · pappardelle al burro e salvia with grated Parmigiano (or seasonal swap to ravioli ricotta-spinaci that you stamped yourself, or pici cacio e pepe that you hand-rolled with semolina).
One dolce. Homemade tiramisù assembled in front of you with savoiardi, mascarpone and espresso poured at the table.
Wine pairing is offered as an optional paid add-on: Chianti Classico, Rosso di Montepulciano or Brunello, with or without a sommelier — many guests prefer to bring bottles from their villa cellar. Workshop format: 2 to 12 guests, beginner-friendly, kids 6+ welcome on age-appropriate steps (ravioli pinching, pici rolling, tiramisù assembly).
The set menu is fixed by design — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy adaptations always available on request.
