Our Kids cooking programs welcome children and their parents into the kitchen. Kids and their parents participate in the process: measure, mix, peel, chop, dice and prepare recipes under the supervision of our excellent Chefs. Everyone enjoys the food prepared in class with lunch or dinner following. Join our family for fun-filled educational Kids Cooking classes that will enrich your vacation experience!

Cooking Classes

Classes are set up so that everyone has their own workspace & tools, including a rolling pin, pasta-wheel, appropriate bowls and pans. Children 3 years old and up, accompanied by their parents, will learn food facts about healthy “green-light foods,” food groups, the food chain, food origins, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and fiber content. Kids also learn about Slow Food in our Slow Cooking programs.

The experience offers a great chance to make new friends, and share conversation. Children will also have the opportunity to learn conversational Italian, names for food phrases and more. Each participant receives a Cooking Vacations recipe booklet and Chef’s apron. All the recipes from class can easily be prepared at home.

Our week-long programs also include artisan food visits to the farmer’s market, where kids can choose from fresh, seasonal produce for the classes; the country farm, where they will see the process of milking cows for making butter, cheese and gelato, along with visits to the cheese maker, and bread baker. Food trips also may include a lemon or olive grove, a working farm or garden. Tastings and informal discussions included. Emphasis is on the healthy Mediterranean diet.

Pizza Making

Our pizza making class shows kids, step-by-step, how to mix, knead and roll out the dough. A variety of pizzas are made using local seasonal ingredients. Everyone enjoys the pizza together after the lesson.

They will also learn where and how the first pizza was made in Naples. We tell you the history of the first pizza and how Chef Raffaele Esposito, a Neapolitan chef and baker, created this pizza for the Queen Margherita. Using tomato, mozzarella, and basil, in the colors of the Italian flag – red, white & green, he named it Margherita. To date, the Pizza Margherita is Italy's most popular.

Pasta Making

From spaghetti to maccheroni, pastas are endless in Italy, and this class shows kids how to make shapes and forms into fresh pasta. The class starts out with a little history on how the famous Italian, Marco Polo, introduced pasta to Italy. Our Chefs show how to mix, roll and shape the dough. Pesto, cherry red tomato and pumpkin sauces are just a sample of delicious sauces that top each one. Menus vary based on the seasonal ingredients available. Following the class, kids and parents enjoy the pastas prepared in class.

Gelato Making

Kids can eat their way through a plethora of gelato flavors in Italy, while learning how the Romans first made it. Flavors include, orange blossom violet & rose, exotic Indian fig, and chocolate & limone-to name a few. Kids participate in blending the fruit and mixing the ingredients. Our Chefs lead kids step-by-step for creating the perfect gelato. Tastings follow.