I have now had two experiences with these wonderful people and Renato who is an extraordinary chef! First was a private multi course dinner with friends that was so much fun, delicious and exciting. The food was unique, special and included things many of us had not tried. We wanted to be surprised and we were - happily! The 2nd experience was with a online cooking class. This was so much fun and especially in winter of 2020 when we had to stay home. I learned so much from Renato and was able to share the experience with friends from our own houses. Highly recommend either of these experiences!
Renato provided my partner and me with an amazing experience. He not only taught us the methods for creating an authentic Italian dish, but he also explained why each step was important. Although I cook routinely, this experience provided me with newfound confidence to make homemade fettucini noodles and a delicious tomato sauce from scratch. We will certainly schedule more classes in order to learn additional dishes!
We had Chef Renato at our home and he not only made the most amazing food with the best ingredients, but he was incredibly friendly and had a wonderful personality. We loved hearing about Italy through his eyes! ~Kim
This was our third time having Renato out to our house. He did a wonderful, vibrant pizza cooking class for a group of neighborhood kiddos. They had an absolute blast learning about how to make dough....and eating the pizza after. We also asked Renato to make some appetizers for the mommies with wine pairings. We were blown away at how delicious all the food was, as usual. All his ingredients are top notch and super fresh. We were inspired and dreaming of Italy at the end of the day. Thank you!
NOT OUR FIRST RODEO: A few years ago, my daughter and I took a pasta-making class at a farm in Tuscany. We enjoyed it, but it was a large group, more about the mechanics, and time wasn't spent ensuring it was edible (when the class was over, they tossed our sticky piles of flour and egg and served us their pasta). We didn't leave Italy confident in our pasta making ability (in fact, we were somewhat intimidated), SO we never tried it at home. Instead, I went back to spending top dollar on my favorite dish at a local Italian restaurant here in Oregon. When we saw the opportunity to learn with Renato, I wondered... could he teach me how to make that dish that I love so much? The answer... ABSOLUTELY YES. In fact... even better. IF YOU FALL OFF THE HORSE, GET BACK ON: Taking the class with Renato was a very different experience. My 4th grade daughter and I found RENATO to be incredibly warm, patient, encouraging, FUNNY... and created two aspiring Italian chefs. It was an experience that we will remember forever - a highlight of this time in history. He took his time... we never felt rushed... he answered all our questions and shared stories we enjoyed. Thanks to RENATO, we actually LEARNED a repeatable skill. As he explained, there are many different schools of thought on how to make pasta, and what we had learned at the farm was not as easy as how Renato taught us (and we LOVED the outcome of what we made with him). Doing the class from the comfort of our own kitchen, with Renato cheering us on from Rome, was INCREDIBLE. We learned how to make pasta and an amazing bolognese ragu, which we proceeded to gobble-up once we signed-off the call. The cost of the class was comparable to if our family of 4 went out to eat and ordered the dish we made... so it was a WIN! Am I talking Olive Garden? No. Gross. I mean that nice little Mom and Pop spot where they make it fresh, just like in Italy. I have every reason to believe Kate and I are capable of making this dish again, and since Renato made us so comfortable doing it, we might even tackle some new dishes! I wouldn't hesitate to take another class with Renato, and look forward to his family's return to Oregon so we can do this again, in person, with our friends and family.
Renato's food is the best! He will fill your kitchen with savory smells, laughter and fun.