Charming La Cucina Di Sandra Italian Cooking School Launches in Melbourne
The World Loves Melbourne attended a fabulous pasta cooking class at La Cucina Di Sandra Cooking School in Richmond with a group of 6, which included an engaging class, sumptuous finger food and 3 course meal with glass of wine. Since launching the classes in the later half of 2014 La Cucina Di Sandra has proved popular with groups of friends, cooking enthusiasts, people interested in Italian cooking, and corporates. One group of corporates took a long lunch at the cooking school and left at 5.30pm!
Upon arrival we were offered delicious Biscotti al parmigiano (Parmesan biscuits) and comprehensive recipes and notes (with pencil to write down some tips). Sandra immediately engages you with her humour and personality and her passion for Italian food is infectious.
La Cucina Di Sandra is the masterstroke of Melbourne foodie Sandra Del Greco who has pursued her love of Italian cooking after being schooled in cooking in Melbourne and honing her skills on regular trips to Italy, spending time in her Zia’s kitchen. Sandra has collected hundreds of Italian recipes from family and friends in Italy, as well as growing her collection of cookbooks. Born in Italy in Pescara, Abruzzo and raised among women who loved to cook Italian food for their families, Sandra developed a love for Italian food from an early age. Sandra also spent many years as a successful accountant and senior manager in business. After recently opening La Cucina Di Sandra in Richmond Sandra has received a great response from Melburnians passionate about Italian cooking, or keen to enjoy a great Italian meal. Customers have given the cooking school rave reviews.
The cooking school offers a fabulous selection of classes with bookings available online through the website at www.lacucinadisandra.com.au. We began our pasta cooking class with a stunning Pennette al sugo di salsiccia di Toto pictured above. Sandra told us the evening was about a "medley of pastas" with exceptional sauces. This dish was magnificent, with nuances of Italian sausage and pecorino cheese.
Sandra then prepared the seafood for the entree Bianco e nero di Carbonara di Mare (Black and white seafood carbonara). This dish featured sumptuous seafood including large prawns and well prepared calamari, with great quality pasta. The addition of squid ink meant the texture, taste and colour alters when you stir the pasta through.
Sandra gives excellent shopping and cooking tips, such as the one above...
La Cucina Di Sandra is held in Sandra’s spacious home, an iconic ex factory in Richmond that has been reimagined into a stylish kitchen area and living space. Guests can enjoy the rustic and spacious feel, and engage with the compelling personality of Sandra and her passion for Italian cooking.
Main course was rustic Italian, featuring Rigatoni al ragu bianco, con mandorle e cream (Rigatoni with white meat ragu, almonds and cream). Sandra made sure the sauce and pasta were perfectly matched then the pasta thoroughly coated in the sauce. A delightful ingredient in this dish was the rabbit mince - not something The World Loves Melbourne encounters every day!
Demonstrations take place over 4 hours and evoke the feeling of an Italian holiday, with Sandra’s passionate and interactive cooking style, down to earth tips and advice on how to cook brilliant Italian food as the back drop.
The session interplays between sitting at the kitchen bench and moving across to the dining table to imbibe each course.
As Sandra explains, “When it comes to Italian food, the Italians themselves are passionate about the distinctive food of their regions. At La Cucina Di Sandra we celebrate the best food of the regions.”
This is a unique foodie experience in Melbourne with cooking class guests tasting and learning about food they may never have experienced before. Attendees are treated to exceptional value - a great class, finger food, a 3 course meal, and complimentary glass of wine for $90 (many other cooking schools charge $135 upwards).
Guests are given a full set of recipes and extensive tips on how to successfully cook the same delicious meals at home.
According to Sandra, “The classes are perfect for groups of friends, lunch and dinner clubs, special occasions, gifts, team building and corporate functions. We’ve had groups from offices while away an afternoon at La Cucina Di Sandra and rave to their friends. We would love to see you here.”
The dessert was also spectacular, the Cannolo Siciliano un po scomposto (Deconstructed cannoli). The balance of crunch, sweet and citrus was exceptional and The World Loves Melbourne enjoyed the addition of orange blossom water.
La Cucina Di Sandra is an iconic cooking school with its own style, creating a convivial hub that is unique to Richmond and Melbourne. Book your class today!
