One of our objectives on this trip is to enhance our culinary abilities. Ray is already quite adept with cooking but as my family will attest to, I could do with some more training. Without spending a week in an old farmhouse in Tuscany and living with a group of 8 in the chef's home, it was very difficult to find cooking classes for tourists (ie. not training to be a "real" chef). I finally found Andrea offering lessons in a little restaurant in our favourite neighborhood of Trastevere. When I contacted Andrea for information, I was envisioning a cute blond girl from North America giving cooking lessons in Italy. As it turns out, Andrea is a gorgeous young Roman man (see picture of Andrea and Ray). His girlfriend, however, is a cute blond from US who works with him. Andrea portrayed the exact image I have a young Italian man. He has long dark hair, he has been in the "family" restaurant business his entire life, he went off to university and got a degree in business and tried the finance industry and then at the young age of 30, decided that this was not what he loved and came back to the restaurant. He has found his passion in being a chef and a teacher. Further more, he speaks with such passion and his voice gradually gets louder the more passionate he gets on a subject - don't ask him why he doesn't use more garlic! He is a gentle soul yet he shouted at an 80 year old couple who had parked their car "incorrectly" and he couldn't get his scooter out. Don't mess with Italians on the road.
We have returned to Andrea's class twice now and we are meeting him and his girlfriend at a wine bar (likely at around 2:00am one night when he gets off work). We have learned many little tips that will ease our, or should I say 'my', cooking stresses. Did you know that it is the easily removed "heart" of garlic that gives you indigestion?
Roberto and Ray
We also attended another cooking class when we were in Florence but nowhere near as fun and personal as Andrea's class, even though our Chef, Roberto, was a gorgeous dark haired passionate Tuscan (see picture of Roberto and Ray). We now know the qualifications to become a chef in Italy.Buon appetito,
Sue
Sue
Too much Andrea talk and not enough cute, blonde american girlfriend talk.
ReplyDeleteWhile travelling from Assissi to Rome we shared our train compartment with a man I am sure was an older relative of Adreana or perhaps Roberto.
ReplyDeleteHis greying hair was short but his looks still distinguished. He was very gallant, charming and sooo helpful. When his cell phone rang it played the"Theme from the God Father" I was so moved that I handed him Dad's share of the lunch I had prepared. It was a Shirley Valentine moment.
Aileen
I'm sorry but I'm having a hard time seeing Ray in the pictures of Andrea and Ray and Roberto and Ray. Was there a problem with your camera?
ReplyDeleteVince
No problem with the camera. Ray's in there somewhere. It was simply an accident... honest.
ReplyDeleteSue