THEY TELL ABOUT US

On Via San Felice, 116/G, in a picturesque court of old buildings, there is Amici di Babette (+ 39 051 6493627) where Antonella Bonora and Paola Conto greet us. These two lovely ladies are trained gourmets and founded the school on April 2002, attracting, since then, students from Germany, Spain, United States and Japan.

“We’re having a group from Australia next month.” Explains Antonella “Our students are 22 to 70, but we are also doing classes exclusively for children”.

The kitchen is large and beautiful, a perfect location for classes and evening events, and everything is well organized.

The classes are structured in trimesters and planned by topic, such as pasta, risotto, desserts or appetizers (every class is €60 per person for a group of 5 to 7 people and €55 for a group of 8 to 20 people.

The classes are also organized by menu (there are two typical menus of Bologna region, that go from €57 to €62 per person depending on ingredients and number of people). “We explore all Italian food,” says Paola “but we focus on Bolognese and Northern cuisine, especially on peculiar combinations of dishes”.

Also the prestigious organization Slow Food collaborates with Gli Amici di Babette for evenings and master classes, and chefs from the best of the Bolognese hospitality come here to learn more about this great food to find unusual arrangements between dishes and wine pairings.

“Recently we had a dinner-tasting of the best Porto.” Says Antonella “We tried different pairings like a chocolate fondant with candied orange with a Porto Vintage Character LBV Nieport, or a Piedmont fricandò of mixed meats with a potatoes and turnip mousse with a Porto Colheita 1990 Burmaster. We also had another dinner-tasting with Stefano Del Fiore the best local wine expert who proposed a unique bottles paired with dishes of the Northern Italian tradition”.

Besides these evening events, in the morning foreign students can really improve their knowledge of Italian and Bolognese cuisine here with classes that last 3 hours, where they are provided with the recipe text (with ingredients and preparation) in English, French and German. “We also have interpreters that we trained, with a specific knowledge of our dishes” says proudly Antonella “and work with the chefs Leoni, of the Il Sole, the Michelin starred restaurant in Trebbo di Reno, near Bologna”.

The two inspired ladies also have a catering company and definitely communicate the joy they experience in preparing a good dish and help tradition and innovation delight our senses.

From Alta Cucina Inc “Cooking Classes in Bologna”