Yes, Chef!

My first cooking class in Florence, Italy.

Today I learned that I need to start reading my emails. As part of the International Studies Abroad program, there are many extracurricular activities organized for students. They offer group events such as museum tours and food tours for us to immerse ourselves in the city’s culture. Today was a cooking class at Chefactory Cooking Academy.

I spent a decent amount of time in the kitchen during middle school and high school, but ever since college, I rarely use anything besides a microwave. As we gathered at the Duomo I was surprised to see some of my Boulder friends were also attending the class.

Inside Chefactory Academy are multiple kitchens equipped with all cooking appliances. They also have a dining room for the guests to enjoy the dishes they’ve made.

Today’s class consisted of three courses:

Appetizer: Potato souffle (Potatoes, milk, diced veggies, spices)

Entre: Fettuccine pasta with a red sauce and a ragu sauce

Dessert: Panna Cotta

We started by making the dessert so that it could chill in the fridge for as long as possible. First, we took two sheets of gelatin and soaked them in a bowl of water. Gelatin doesn't come as a powder in Italy, instead, it comes as a solid sheet. Once that was soaked, we placed the gelatin in the pot of cream on top of the burner. As soon as the pot began to steam, the sugar was stirred in. Finally, we poured the mixture into individual cups and put them in the fridge to set.

Next, we began the potato souffle. We mashed a few baked potatoes up and sprinkled in some oregano, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Following the spices were three eggs and a splash of cream. We spooned the mash into more individual cups so that they could be put on a tray and sent into the oven.

Now for the pasta. Before making the noodles we started on our two sauces. The ragu sauce called for chopped onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and parsley. There is something about chopping veggies that makes me feel like a true chef. After adding the veggies to a pot of olive oil, we tossed in a few pinches of Italian spices. Once the ragu had warmed, we stirred in beef and let that cook.

For the red sauce, there was really only one step. I shoved my hand into the bowl of tomatoes and slowly squished them in my hand. Once they weren’t solid anymore we heated them up along with the spices.

I was at the same station as two of my fellow Pi Phis! I got to see Hannah and Lindsey everyday in the sorority house last year but not nearly as much this year. I am so glad we were able to reunite in Florence and whip up some pasta together. PPL!

At the table next to me was another one of my friends from Boulder. Braham was executing his task of stirring both the veggies and the stock.

Although I am in an entirely new country, there are many things that have made it feel like home. Running into friends at events like this, in class, or on the street, makes me feel like I am back in Boulder taking a stroll on the hill.

As the sauces continued to simmer, it was time for the best part: the pasta machine. Videos on TikTok or chefs on TV always make it look so easy. For the dough, all we had to do was take a fork and start beating an egg into a bowl of flour. Once the majority of it was combined, we picked it up with our hands and began to knead it on the table. Finally, we rolled out the dough with a rolling pin and sprinkled it with flour to ensure it wouldn’t stick to the pasta maker.

Using the pasta machine called for two main steps. Firstly, we put it through the flattener a few times to ensure that our noodles wouldn’t be too thick and chewy. Second, we fed the layer of dough into the cutter and the noodles oozed out into perfectly shaped fettuccine. Our head chef gathered up all of the batches and took them to the other room to boil.

We took our seats back in the dining room and waited to be served. Another plus of this event was the free water. It sounds ridiculous to rave about free water but that's one of the things I miss most about America. Deciding between spending 3 euros or suffering from thirst is a decision I was oblivious to a month ago.

As our dishes came out, I tried my hardest to critique them. Overall, I would give the meal a 6/10. The potato souffle could've used some more salt. The consistency was a little chunky and I've decided I prefer mashed potatoes. The pasta with tomato sauce wasn't anything special either. The noodles were quite al dente and the tomato sauce tasted like any common sauce. I didn't try the ragu pasta but my peers said it wasn't anything great. I enjoyed the panna cotta. At first, I thought it was strange because I could tell there was gelatin in it. It looked as if it would taste like pudding rather than jello.

Although the food was not Michelin star worthy, the experience was great. I can now say that I have taken an Italian cooking class in Italy. I recommend this class to all study abroad students and I hope to attend another one soon.

Florence, Italy February 7, 2023