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Cooking In Boston With My Mamma Maria And Me!

Join us in Boston for an extra ordinary culinary experience in my home town where food, culture and art brim.  My mom, who everyone calls, Mamma Marie, and I lead you in hands-on cooking classes creating delicious Italian cuisine.  Pasta maker and baker, she shares our family recipes and love of food, art and music with each and every guest. We welcome you to our kitchen and introduce you to the art of Italian cooking sharing our family recipes..

You will create delicate fresh pasta, antipasti, main courses, and desserts – in small groups of four to six guests. You’ll discover and enjoy precious wines with my Italian husband and wine expert Rino.  Rino’s grandfather was a famous wine maker in San Felice a Cancello in Campania.  Rino is proud of his Italian heritage and loves to share his knowledge.

Our delicious food adventure includes: two hands-on cooking classes, a Food Lovers’ Tour with tastings and a Chef’s Tasting dinner. We’ll visit the North End, stroll Charles Street and walk along the cobblestones of Beacon Hill and Eataly, the .  Also included is a visit to the Isabella Gardner Museum – home to a major collection of Italian art. Mrs. Gardner was a pioneer in entertaining during the 1800s at her Back Bay villa on Beacon Street and is remembered as a Renaissance woman.

Tie on your apron and get ready to slice, dice, sip and swirl, while enjoying excellent food and wine with our family!

Boston Cooking Classes & Wine Pairings

My mom and I learned the secrets of Italian cooking from my two Italian grandmothers, and in each cooking class, we share our family recipes with you.

Let’s start with antipasto!  When in season, we’ll prepare fiori di zucca ripieni – stuffed squash flowers  or zucchini oreganata – thinly sliced baked squash garnished with breadcrumbs, or stuffed red peppers with Italian herbs, involtini di melanzane, stuffed rolled eggplant, or polpettini di melanzane, eggplant bites – to name a few.  You’ll learn the art of rolling out gnocchi, stuffing ravioli Capresi and preparing authentic risotto.

Main courses follow with specialties such as spigola al limone –  sea bass with organic lemon sauce, or pesce all’acqua pazza – fresh white cod steamed with a light cherry tomato sauce, or vitello Positanese – veal Positano style, or pollo con le erbe e limone – pollo with herbs and lemon.  Every lunch or dinner ends with a dolce, traditional dessert.

Following each cooking class, everyone enjoys the food that was prepared in class accompanied with red or white wine. We cater to food allergies and restrictions, and menus change with the season.

We also prepare Italian and New England menus upon request.  Learn about the local cuisine of Boston – New England clam chowder, Boston Cream Pie and clam cakes as you stroll through Copley Square and Charles Street.  There are many interesting artisan food shops and markets in the neighborhoods from the North End to Back Bay.

Check in and relax in the family owned property nestled in the heart of the Back Bay.  Each room is adorned with modern comforts, comfortable modern beds, and private ensuite bathrooms.  The hotel has two restaurants onsite for your dining pleasure.   If you’ld like to opt for a full spa treatment, the hotel has access to spa services through its partnership with the nearby G20 Spa + Salon, which offers a variety of treatments including massage, facials, and a Himalayan Salt Cave, based by appointment only. Your home-away-from home is steps from the Public Garden, Copley Square, Prudential, and Boston Common.  If you love food, art, music and the literati scene, you’ll love this Boston tour!

A History Note On Boston

America was founded in Boston by a brave group of English Puritans who fled their country for religious freedom in 1620. When they arrived at their new land, they named it Boston, after Boston in England. These men and women were patriots who fought for lives, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I love my city and am so happy to be able to share this culinary tour with you. We welcome you with our Italian hospitality and American culture into the city coined, “The Cradle of America!”

Boston Cream Pie, Colonial Chocolate & Boston Baked Beans

Boston may be best known for its famous Boston Baked Beans, Boston Cream Pie, Fenway Park and Fenway Franks, the Boston Marathon, and its all-star sports teams, but dig a little deeper and you’ll discover what makes Boston one of the greatest food cities on the planet!

There are the Charles Street, North End and Copley Square markets, open from spring to fall.  Did you know that hot chocolate was made the beverage of choice in the 1700s and was served by Martha and George Washington to all their guests.

During your stay, we will visit the Old North Church, where Paul Revere hung his lantern, shouting, “One if by land and two if by sea.”  At the Old North Church, you will be able to purchase the original chocolate and recipe that belonged to Martha Washington.

The Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride & The U.S. Constitution

On December 16, 1773, the citizens of Boston rebelled against the high tax on tea.  Then, at Griffin’s walk they threw all of the tea overboard into the Boston Harbor. This act was called the Tea Party Revolution, a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty.  American colonists strongly opposed the “taxation without representation,” in the Townshend Act as a violation of their rights. In turn, they dumped 3,442 chests of tea imported by the British East India Company into the Boston Harbor.

During you stay, you can opt to visit the Tea Party Museum on your own.  Hosts dressed in original garb greet each guest and gifts of the era are available for purchase in the gift shop.

Also a big part of Boston’s history is Paul Revere, who made his famous ride – with the secret message, one if by land or two if by sea, at the Old North Church on April 18, 1775.  Just steps from the Old North Church, you may see the Green Tavern Dragon – where the US Constitution was ratified on April 6, 1778.  Step inside the historical pub and walk in the footsteps of Sam Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere.

Boston is home to Old Ironside in the Navy Yard; The Freedom Trail; Monument Square where the Bunker Hill Monument was erected to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Battle of Bunker Hill was the site of the first major battle that took place between British and Patriot forces in the American Revolutionary War on June 17, 1775.

Faneuil Hall, America’s first marketplace, opened in 1743.  The Hall a public gathering place where Samuel Adams, James Otis and the Sons of Liberty gave many speeches.

Discover A ‘City of Firsts!’

Boston is a city of firsts with America’s first public park, the Boston Common opened in 1634; the first public school – Boston Latin opened in 1635, the first subway system in the nation and the first telephone.  Facebook was also discovered in Cambridge at Harvard University!  It was also the first city in America to administer anaesthesia – performed by Boston dentist William T.G. Morton on October 16, 1846 at Massachusetts General Hospital.

It’s the home of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts – the 17th largest art museum in the world showcasing over 450,000 works of art; the Boston Public Library founded in 1848; the world-famous Museum of Science; the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Berklee College of Music; the Huntington Theatre Company; the Boch Center, and the Opera House.  You’ll never run out of things to do!

Boston is ranked 8th in the entire world as the best student city -– nicknamed the Athens of America.  It’s home to Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Emerson and Tufts.  When you come to Boston, you may never want to leave!

Cooking Classes and Tours times may change due to seasons.

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Boston Itinerary: 5 Days & 4 Nights

Day 1: Benvenuto & Chef’s Tasting Dinner

Arrival and check-in. Refresh and relax with an aperitivo, a Prosecco toast. Read over the contents of your Cooking Vacations’ Welcome Bag including helpful information that will acquaint you with Boston and brochures for you during your stay.

Later in the evening, enjoy our Chef’s Tasting Dinner with wine included.

Day 2: Cooking Class & North End Food Lovers’ Tour

Tie on your aprons and get ready to cook! You’ll be slicing, dicing and participating in hands-on making antipasto, pasta and dessert. Step by step, learn the art of Italian cooking.  We will prepare a full menu with wine included.  Everyone enjoys the foods that were prepared in class together to follow with a glass of local red or white wine. Buon appetito!

Later in the afternoon, we’ll visit the North End, the Italian neighborhood, for a Food Lover’s Tasting tour.  We will visit the small local shops owned and operated by Italian families for generations.  Tastings included.

We’ll included a stop at one of the most famous Italian caffès in the North End for an Italian espresso or cappuccino.  Discover Neapolitan pastries and gelato made fresh daily while immersing into the Italian lifestyle.

Next, we’ll visit the Italian market and bread shop with the finest Italian products and produce.  Ingredients are fresh and include, artisan cheese, Prosciutto, spices, bread and olives – to name a few. Following, we will visit a famous panificio, bread shop, featuring loaves of golden baked beauties of bread with food tastings included.

We’ll walk to the Old North Church, the oldest standing church in the City of Boston, founded in 1723.  This church was made famous by Paul Revere’s midnight ride. Learn about the story of chocolate and how it first arrived in Boston, and how Martha Washington brewed her own recipe for hot chocolate and spiced it with cinnamon, fennel, chili pepper and nutmeg. Sip Martha’s hot chocolate and purchase a bag of her original recipe in the gift shop.  The first Roman Catholic church and Italian newspaper are both in the North End continuing their tradition for everyone.

Shop in any one of the North End stores or hop on an Old Town Trolley or Boston Duck Tour for a tour of the city seeing Old Ironside, in the Charlestown Navy Yard, the Boston Tea Party Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, or stroll the Freedom Trail and soak up some American history!

Day 3: Cooking Class with Olive Oil Tasting & Charles Street Stroll

Cooking Class

Tie on your aprons and get ready to prepare antipasto, pasta and dessert, and everyone enjoys the foods that were prepared in class together at the table. Rino pairs and pours, then everyone toasts with a glass of local red or white wine. Buon appetito!

Following the cooking class, we’ll take a stroll along Charles Street. Learn about our founding fathers who came, conquered and pioneered America’s first city. We visit the Boston Common, duck pond and the famous bronze ducklings from the book, Make Way For Ducklings, written by Robert McCloseky.  You’ll learn about John Blackstone, one of the first Puritans who arrived on Beacon Hill in 1630 and built the first Public Garden.

Continue to Louisburg Square to American historical landmarks – not to mention seeing the beauty of Beacon Hill homes – where Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women and John Singleton Sargent, painter, and Charles Bulfinch once lived.

After the break, we will continue our stroll to a famous market that’s filled with prized farm-raised produce, artisan cheese, jams and marmalades, poultry, meat fish, and many products of Boston and New England. You’ll learn about Boston baked beans, Boston cream pie and clam chowder – even locally grown cranberries. This historical market is owned and operated by a well-known Bostonian family who has owned the store since 1919 – even President John F. Kennedy, and historian Samuel Elliot Morison shopped here.  Enjoy a coffee or tea and soak up the caffe society along the way.

Day 4: Isabella Gardener Museum

Discover Isabella Gardener and her one-of-kind villa built after a 15th century Venetian Palazzo. Ms. Gardner was a passionate patron of the arts and spent her life collecting European, Asian, and American art including Sargent, Rubens and Whistler. The museum is home to a delightful bistro and gift shop filled with artisan jewelry, prints and rare books.  Take time out for coffee, tea, snack or lunch.  Bring your own headphones for a self-guided tour.  Free wifi and QR codes for information on each artwork on display.  Transfers to and from the hotel to the Gardner Museum, not included.

Afternoon is free and on your own.

 Day 5: Ciao and good-bye until next time.

*Note: This sample itinerary schedule may vary due to inclement weather, holidays or rallies on the Boston Common.  All activities, in the event of rescheduling, are always included during your tour.