STUDENT LETTERS - The Proof is in the Eating
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"What really got me going was watching a show on the Food Network a few year ago. It was Molto Mario and he mentioned a cooking school in Tuscany. The more he mentioned it, the more I was intrigued by the idea. This was before he had reached celebrity chef status. He just seems like a real honest guy. So I called him at his restaurant in Greenwich Village, NYC and he told me how to find the school on the net. So I cruised around on the net and found it. I was really excited about the itinerary and the hands on cooking experience. Most of the others I found had more demonstrations and eating out in fancy restaurants and were more expensive. Then I spoke with a travel agent who specializes in cooking schools and who said this one was the one that most people critiqued as having so much fun, as well as learning tons. Who also mentioned the school was situated on a farm and we would stay either in the main carriage house or in villas on the farm. The villas are scattered throughout an olive grove, this is fantastic. That was all I needed to hear, I did not want fancy, I wanted a country experience and I wanted a chance to mix and meet some Italians. And we did. It was like a dream come true. The daily tours are very casual and informative, as well as off the beaten track. We rarely saw other tourists. The guides are still my friends and the cooking school director, Sandra is outstanding. You could not ask for someone more dedicated. You will not be sorry. I actually went with my grown adult daughter and we enjoyed the total experience so much that I took my husband back another time and he "who did not want to go" has never stopped talking about how great it was. I can find no reason not to go to this cooking school." Betty Short betty@gorge.net |
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"When I got home I bought pasta rollers, and several ravioli cutters. I've made the farro salad (the one from the cover of Bon Appetit that you taught us) and roasted a turkey breast with our new secret spices I bought on our field trip to Chianti. I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me thanks to you and your wonderful staff. I've spent a week a Le Cordon Bleu in France and a week at Toscana Saporita in Italy. I learned more in Italy and had twice as much fun. Of course, once you educated us to the simple fact that the Italians taught the French to cook I realized I should have come to you first! Toscana Saporita is my Tuscan Cooking School and Farmhouse fantasy come true.When I tell my friends that we would cook all morning, and then have a two hour lunch drinking local wine sitting at a table under a chestnut tree, in the middle of an olive grove on the grounds of a historic estate they think I'm making this story up. Then I show them the pictures!" Fondly, Brett Stover |
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"Dear Sandra, I just wanted to tell you that last night I
had a dinner party and made your wonderful herbed chickens
and the semolina gnocchi (it was yummy by the way), and I
thought about you and all and what a wonderful time we had
there with you. Somehow it is always nicer to remember the
flavors under the big chestnut tree but it did bring back so
many sweet memories and I wanted to thank you again. Nancy Colville |
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"Hi Sandra! I had such a great experience being a part of your cooking team. The value I've walked away with is immeasurable, and I will treasure the memories forever. I did not fill out an evaluation form, so in my own creative way, here it is: the Grounds: comfortable, breathtakingly beautiful, peaceful. The Kitchen: inviting, exquisite smells, clean and bright. The Staff: professional, playful, artistic, respectful. The Food: what can I say?? omigod...YUM!!! What I've Learned: That cooking is an artistic expression, and when it's prepared with LOVE, it's much more enjoyable and tasty! Will I recommend your school? YES. Is there anything I'd change or add? I'd add a dance party one or two of the nights to burn off the wonderful food! Thank you, Sandra, Renee, and Bill for your unique (yet harmonizing) teaching skills and creativity. I'd love to stay in touch, and am fantasizing about a short-term move to Italy with my shears in hand -- anyone need a haircut??" Love, Jami Mattson |
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"We're back! We had a wonderful time. I can assure you that the experience exceeded our expectations. We met wonderful people, ate fabulous food, drank way too much, learned lots, and came home with great memories. Sandra and her team did an outstanding job. Mike and I came home, threw out our pots and pans, bought new stainless steel, and a pasta machine. If you ever need a reference, don't hesitate to get in touch. My cousins, who had never been to Italy, were so impressed. Charlotte is an amateur photographer and will be sending pictures to your NY office to forward to Sandra. We hope to have another promotion here this fall. Hope all is well with you." Jo Summers |
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------ Forwarded Message From: Charlotte Warren Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 To: <info@toscanasaporita.com> Subject: You're the best "Sandra, Thank you for the wonderful week of cooking, sharing, learning and laughing. You, your wonderful chef colleagues, Elena & Mona Lisa made our week one that we will always remember. The setting at Camporomano is just perfect. Now that we are alumni of the best cooking school in Italy, we will proudly share our knowledge with friends and family here in Texas. Kind regards." Charlotte Warren |
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Traveler rating: Lucca: Toscana Saporita Cooking School: "Great Cooking School in Tuscany, Italy"
From Trip Advisor - www.tripadvisor.com |
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"...Sandra, I cannot tell you how great my week at Toscana Saporita was. I went with a desire to learn more about Tuscan cooking in a stress free environment. And, your school turned out to be everything I wanted -- plus more fun and laughs than I could have imagined. All of the instructors -- truly all of them, were not only knowledgeable, but also very, very dear and generous with their praise and knowledge. I just had a great time. I know how difficult it must be to keep a high quality school like yours running week after week, but you and Christopher make it seem effortless, like you are having as good a time as your students. We were a very, very diverse group of people, but coming together at Toscana Saporita and learning together gave us a chance to appreciate each other in a way we probably would not in everyday life in America. Again, my hat is off to you. I will spread the word and hopefully, be back sometime in the future for another course. And, again, while I know you are a busy woman with lots and lots of friends in the city, if you're ever in NYC and would like to meet for a drink or dinner, please do call. I would love it. And, once whatever you and Christopher are planning to do in the next couple of years becomes public, please let me know. I would consider it an honor to support whatever the two of you do. Finally, Melinda and I loved staying at the little Donkey House -- it was like being a part of the school but then coming back to our own little cabin in the woods every night. We would sit outside and listen to the animals and the silence and look at the stars and feel this is what is must have been like centuries ago when the villa was first built. Thank you so much for everything Sandra. You're a great lady, you run a first class school and you gave me a week I'll remember forever". Lots of love, Robynne Reiber October 2007 |