Find Culinary Inspiration with ZTastyLife!

 Step into the rhythm of tradition as we knead, roll, and shape two classic pasta doughs by hand—just as my nonne taught me:

• Flour + water (a rustic southern dough)
•  Flour + eggs (a rich northern dough) 

We’ll explore simple shaping techniques and prepare a fresh tomato sauce. 

We’ll explore traditional shaping techniques that reflect Italy’s regional diversity, such as Orecchiette (Puglia), Cavatelli (Molise), Scialatielli (Campania), Tagliatelle, Fettuccine or pappardelle (Emilia-Romagna)

 Then we’ll gather around the table to enjoy the meal we’ve created together. 

 Ready to deepen your pasta practice? In this session, we’ll focus on the soulful craft of filled pasta— (think ravioli or tortellini).

You’ll learn to make a delicate dough, roll it to the perfect thinness, and fill it with a house-made filling. We’ll seal, shape, and cook our creations, then pair them simply (e.g. a simple sage-butter, light sauce, or broth)

 Depending on the season and our regional inspiration, we might prepare:

• Ravioli capresi (a light, summer pasta from Capri, filled with caciotta and marjoram)
• Ricotta & herb ravioli (common across central Italy)

We’ll end, of course, convivially, around the table.

Join me for a sensory journey that begins at the market and ends around a convivial table. Together, we’ll handpick the freshest seasonal ingredients and return to the kitchen to create a soulful meal rooted in regional Italian traditions.

Depending on the season and what we discover at the market, we might prepare:

• Spring:  Frittata di erbe with wild greens (Lazio)
• Summer:  Eggplant Caponata (Sicily) 
• Fall: Tortelli di zucca : pumpkin-filled (Emilia-Romagna)
• Winter: Potato gnocchi with gorgonzola cream (Piedmont)

 Explore the beauty of simplicity with dishes born from necessity and creativity. Rooted in the wisdom of Italian nonne and farmers, cucina povera isn’t about lack—it’s about making the most of what you have. In this hands-on class, we’ll cook with intention, waste nothing, and rediscover how flavor often lives in the most unassuming places.

Depending on the season and what’s in your kitchen, we might prepare:

•  Panzanella – A Tuscan salad made with stale bread, tomatoes, vinegar, and olive oil 
•  Pasta e ceci – A rustic chickpea pasta soup from the central-southern regions 

 You’ll learn techniques for reviving day-old ingredients, stretching pantry staples, and transforming humble foods into memorable meals.  

 Cook recipes once reserved for festivals and feasts! Step into the celebratory heart of Italian culinary tradition. In this session, we’ll prepare dishes once reserved for saints’ days, weddings, harvest festivals, and family rites of passage—meals rich with symbolism, layered with care, and passed down through generations.

These are not everyday recipes—they’re the special ones, often slow-cooked and story-soaked, meant to be shared.

Depending on the season, we might prepare:

• Timballo (a baked pasta pie from Sicily)
• Pastiera (a citrus-scented Easter wheat tart from Naples)
• Bônet (a bittersweet chocolate and amaretto custard from Piedmont served at winter feasts)   

 Each dish comes with its own story.  Come cook, come listen, come feast! 

Discover the fragrant world of Italian herbal wisdom—a place where the kitchen and the garden meet, and flavor is intertwined with healing, memory, and ritual.

In this experience, we’ll explore the traditional uses of herbs and edible flowers in Italian kitchens, drawing from the quiet knowledge passed down through generations. We’ll taste, touch, blend, and brew—learning how these simple, powerful ingredients were once the heart of both cooking and care.

The session will include:

•  Infusions & Tisanes (digestive, calming, invigorating herbal teas)
•  Oils & Everyday Elixirs (infused oils, seasoned salts)
•  Sauces, Pastes & Pestos 
•  Edible Flower Uses (blossoms, syrups)

 This is kitchen alchemy. Garden wisdom. A return to the slow and sacred.