Tuscan family recipes with an expert cook in Florence

Meet Mirella

Mirella lives with her husband Stefano (her partner in life and in the kitchen!) in a small town called Antella located in the South of Florence. The town is in the Chiantigiana area and is surrounded by the Chianti Hills. Mirella's love for food and cooking comes from her paternal grandmother (nonna) who she used to help in the kitchen as a young child. As an adult she began trying out her nonna's recipes for herself. Her grandmother was a highly skilled top chef and an expert in the history of Florentine cuisine from the Renaissance period. After Mirella completed her schooling, she decided to follow her passion and enrolled at the Istituto Alberghiero in Florence, a school which trains you to work in restaurants and hotels. Over the years she has worked in several restaurants, hotels and schools. Given her vast experience she often had to accommodate special dietary needs such as gluten or lactose intolerance and frequently prepared meals for people of different religions or for vegetarians and vegans.

Mirella is a multi-faceted woman who organizes cooking courses and summer camps for students, teaches simple cake baking and organizes visits to nearby farms where you can learn about milking cows and cheese making. Mirella not only cooks ethnic family recipes but also enjoys fusion food and experimenting with new ingredients. Recently, she has become more and more interested in organic food as a means of eating more naturally and also of safeguarding biodiversity. She loves going to markets and local producers to look for ingredients that can be used fresh in her recipes.

On days when her husband Stefano is available, he will also join you for your experience. Like Mirella's, Stefano’s love for cooking began in his childhood. He was born into a family of pastry chefs who owned several high-quality patisseries in Florence where Stefano learned the trade. As an adult he followed his other passions when he opened a winery and later a restaurant in Elba.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (2-15 guests) Mirella’s approach to cooking has been influenced by her Florentine, Tuscan and proudly peasant roots which have made her appreciate the richness of ‘poor’ people’s food. Peasants couldn’t afford to throw anything away and so they invented the most ingenious ways of recycling yesterday’s leftovers, like “la ribollita”, the famous Tuscan vegetable stew made with dried bread. Her cooking is also greatly influenced by Renaissance cooking, especially the dishes served at the Medici court. Cooking for the Tuscan nobility was an art and ingredients were rich and expensive.

Mirella has a different menu for every season, as she prefers using seasonal ingredients in her cooking. Some of the dishes you might eat during the winter are bruschetta with sausage and stracchino cheese, ribollita (stew) or Florentine pork with peas. In spring you may be served a vegetable tart, penne with ragù sauce (meat-based sauce), peasant’s meatballs with seasonal vegetables and cioccolatissimo (extra rich chocolate dessert). The summer may include dishes such as bruschetta with tomato and basil, fresh cheeses and honey, pappa al pomodoro (made with dry bread, tomatoes and olive oil), hunter’s chicken with roast potatoes and tiramisù. In autumn you may be treated to eggs with caper salsa, pecorino cheese and salamino grapes, pumpkin risotto, pork with prunes and pinenuts, and chocolate flan.

These are only examples of her seasonal menus - they can be changed to accommodate special requests. Wine is included in the cost of the meal.

Cooking experience: (1-15 guests) The aim of Mirella’s cooking class is to share her knowledge about food, its preparation and its Florentine and Tuscan history. Mirella prefers conducting a hands-on class, where travelers will learn how to make dishes themselves. She will teach you how to make 3-4 of the dishes you will eating later, such as various bruschette or antipasto, a pasta, a main, pasta sauces and other seasonal recipes. Weather permitting, Mirella will host the cooking and meal experience in her outdoor garden area!

Market visit: (2-8 guests) You will visit Sant'Ambrogio, one of the more central markets in Florence, a 30 minute drive from Mirella's home. During the market visit you will visit local producers of wine, oil, fruit and vegetables. This will be a fun filled experience of buying food, talking about food, preparing food and finally eating together!

Notes: Please note Mirella speaks limited English, so either a family friend or her son will join you for the experience as a translator.

The meal price includes a glass of prosecco (Italian white wine) with the antipasto (hors d'oeuvre) and two glasses of wine with the meal. Mirella also offers limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur) and/or vin santo (Italian dessert wine) with dessert.

In-villa option available: Note that Mirella is also pleased to offer a private cooking or meal option at your Tuscany villa, if you prefer not to travel. For rates and availability please contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

Languages spoken: English, Italian

Traveler reviews

Mirella and Stefano were so kind. My wife and I absolutely loved our personal Italian cooking class. The environment was authentic, Mirella and Stefano were excellent teachers. This cooking class is a must when in Florence! We will book again the next time we are in Florence!

- Preston April 13, 2022

I can't express how awesome this cooking class experience was! Mirella and her husband were such a delight. We learned how to make several different types of pasta, tomato sauce and more! Every dish was delicious and they made the experience so fun! This was one of my highlights in my month long journey in Italy.Thank you for such a wonderful memory!Robbin Cecchini

- Robbin C October 16, 2019

Our family loved the cooking class with Mirella and Stefano. They welcomed us into their home, and gave us a fun and interactive lesson. The food - clearly thanks to Mirella and Stefano - turned out great. And just as importantly, both were incredible with our kids, aged 11, 10 and 8, who immediately took to them and opened right up. Mirella and Stefano are teachers who know how to connect. It was like a dinner with family friends where we all joined in to cook. If you will be in the Florence area, this is a must do.

- Mark S August 27, 2019

Mirella & Stefano were perfect, helpful and delightful chefs, guiding me through a midday exploration of true Tuscan culinary adventures and helping me to explore my desires to learn more about simple, basic cooking in this part of Italy. From the opening garden exploration to prepping for the lovely meal, all was a remarkable experience.Robert RossBainbridge Island, WArwrlink@gmail.com

- rrossgardens May 23, 2019

We had a wonderful lesson with Mirella and her husband. Our evening was off to a rough start when we accidentally put in the wrong address into our GPS and did not arrive at the correct place. Mirella was more than accessible and helpful by phone and her English is very good! She was able to help us get to the right place and was very welcoming and comforting as this was quite a stressful experience for us. Mirella is a wonderful cook and taught us very well how to make the recipes. We ended up making bruschetta, tagliatelle from scratch with a tomato sauce, pork in a wine sauce with Florentine peas, and terramisu for desert. It all tasted delicious! We had a blast learning about Italian cooking with her and later shared a meal with her and her husband. I would definitely recommend this experience for anyone visiting Florence or the surrounding areas. It was one of the highlights of our 2 week trip!

- MDD92 October 13, 2018

My 14 year old son and I opted for a market tour and home cooking lesson with Mirella and Stefano. We had a really wonderful time. I was especially pleased that they treated my son as a competent cook (which he is) and allowed him to fully participate. I’ve been to classes where he has been treated as a child and not been given opportunities to chop and make the pasta. Mirella and Stefano were charming and welcoming. We’ve cooked a lot of Italian food so the menu was familiar but delicious. The best part was cooking together and comparing life and experiences. Bravo, guys! Highly recommended.

- Monique G September 13, 2018

Traveling Spoon is an amazing company and Mirella and her husband were wonderful hosts. She was warm, welcoming and funny! My husband and I agreed it was the highlight of our trip. I'd recommend coming before dinner to cook as well. We loved it and made the recipe when we got home!

- Jess E December 21, 2017

Mirella invited us into her home where we had so much fun cooking, eating, and just enjoying!

- Brenda September 28, 2017

My wife and I are in our 30s (ok one of us almost in their 40s, but I won't say who), and we have made traveling around the world our raison d'etre. We had 5 days in Florence before heading out to Roma and Venice, and our dinner with Mirella and Stefano was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of our trip. We shared a five hour dinner at their home, cooking alongside them and sharing a table and conversation with them into the evening. High marks for the thoughtfulness that went into the menu selection which was seasonal and thoroughly local but also wonderfully different from anything you would encounter on the well worn tourist recommendations in Florence. But more important than the wonderful meal and cooking experience was to spend time with a food obsessed Florentine couple in their home, laughing together late until the scheduled taxi service had to drag us away, and for us to share wide smiles the entire ride back to the hotel. Mirella and Stefano's home brought us to a different time and place. Their passion for food and entertaining is self-evident. Herbs and spices come straight from their garden, which Mirella handpicks for the meal. We made pasta from scratch together, and they took the time to teach us how. Stefano is the kind of guy that makes you wish you spoke better Italian, because you know you'd love to share a limoncello or grappa (or two) with him after dinner, trading stories. In short,we felt we were able to just for a moment, feel like we were able to experience something sincere and unique, something authentic, something non-transactional. Simply amazing!

- Alan M August 25, 2017

A fantastic host!

- Alison June 24, 2017