Cooking Class in Tuscany at Writers’ Retreat
It’s never easy to leave the Mulino where everything in our professional kitchen is carefully in place. But when asked by Italian Life to lead a cooking class in Tuscany at its March writers’ retreat, we couldn’t help but say, “sicuro!” And then the fun (and a little bit of craziness!) ensued. The retreat was comprised of eight writers and a writer coach, each of whom had come to Tuscany to work as a group to elevate their writing while also enjoying the amazing culture, food and experiences of Italy. They all stayed at a villa together and clearly had built strong bonds and a sense of community over the week together, all of which helped make the Olive Press Kitchen cooking class in Tuscany a memorable, lively evening together. “It was like a true Italian family meal,” said Italian Life founder Andrew Sabatini. “Everyone in the kitchen, helping out and of course Chef Giuseppe trying to organize and teach all these different people. It was so much fun!” The class consisted of a gorgeous salad full of colorful additions like beets, goat cheese and lush tomatoes. The women got serious about making the Olive Press Kitchen Nudi… one of our favorites. Many of the early attempts didn’t mean Chef’s exacting standards. “Try again!” he said, showing again how to use the two spoons to shape the mini-football like pasta. A second course of fresh artichoke risotto helped complete the meal, along with local wines, cheeses and olive oil. The highlight for everyone was when Chef joined the family meal around the big table set for 12! “It’s never easy to cook with some many people in a different kitchen,” said Chef Giuseppe, “but these women were interested, happy, asking questions and wanting to learn. It was worth the challenges, especially when we were able to all sit down at the table together and enjoy what we made.” Food and wine lovers coming to cooking class in Tuscany in May “I’m very excited about some of these new things we are offering at The Olive Press Kitchen this year,” Chef Giuseppe said. “We started our newsletter. We are expanding our exploration into Undiscovered Tuscany with lesser-known wines, new flavors in the cooking class at the Mulino and co-hosting our first weeklong food and wine retreat in May.” During the retreat, which is already filling up, is called Tuscan Wine, Forest & Flavors by Italian Life, Chef Giuseppe will host a small group of foodies experiencing the regions best of food and wine. In addition to a cooking class in Tuscany, the group will visit Chef Giuseppe’s favorite restaurants, wineries and even go on a truffle hunt. Every detail is arranged. We will be involved in both a wine harvest week in September and an Olive Harvest week in October and November. We’re looking forward to having guests come and experience these ancient food traditions in a true “hands on” fashion. Last year Giuseppe was a guest on the Italian Life podcast talking about the local regional flavors here in Tuscany. If you missed it, have a listen now and be inspired to sample these things yourself with us in 2026. Use our contact form to learn more or sign up directly on the Italian Life website.