Chefactory The Taste Workshop Cooking School

Definitely one of the highlights of my time in Italy! It was great that it was a small group of 6 of us, and everyone was so interesting, especially two young sisters from Canada who were already seasoned home chefs. Chef Katerina was cool and classy. Having been on a few tours, I enjoyed that she stuck to facts and answered questions without making me feel like a tourist. The most touristy part was the market tour (ours being one of many happening that morning) but I had a lot of fun learning about the regional specialities and must-eats like the Fiorentina steak (and how to cook it). Also thanks to the group for their patience as I did as any good Asian mama and buy up produce from almost every stall. Chef bought fresh tomatoes that were going to be in (on??) the bruschetta we were making. It was a rainy day, which was actually fantastic as it had been scorching most of my trip. We began cooking as the rain poured down - most romantic haha! We began by making the panna cotta that was going to be dessert, so that it could sit in the fridge. Then we prepped all the veg: tomatoes and garlic left to macerate for the bruschetta, slices of pepper and onion for the pollo di modenese, mashing baked potato and mixing it with herbs for the pasta filling… Having never handmade pasta, it was fun for me to learn how to make it from scratch. Chef coolly showed us how to mix, knead, roll and cut our pasta sheets before filling and sealing our tortellini. It was terrific fun learning everything from how to chop your onion like a chef, down to how to sear your chicken before drowning it in a cup (!) of balsamic vinegar and leaving it to cook. We sat around and ate our efforts with wine and many laughs. Chef handed us a booklet of recipes, and because I asked how to make gluten-free pasta for my husband who has intolerances, she showed me how to mix and cut gnocchi (which I can make with gf flour) and gave me a recipe for it! So grateful, and I can’t wait to try it out back home. All in a lowkey and thoroughly enjoyable way to experience Florence! Highly recommended!

Very well organised. Catered for all levels of cooking skill. Provided some really handy tips. Staff were very knowledgeable and welcoming and had a good style of delivery. The duration and pace of the class was perfect keeping everyone engaged whilst ensuring people had the opportunity to learn and also ask questions. And of course the food we made was delicious. Highly recommend

It provided a perfect blend of education, hands-on practice, and cultural immersion. I left with new culinary skills, delicious recipes, and wonderful memories. The class was highly interactive, allowing us to get hands-on with every step of the pasta-making process. We mixed, kneaded, rolled, and shaped the pasta by hand, which was both fun and educational. The chef’s personalized tips and tricks were invaluable. I highly recommend this class to anyone interested in exploring the rich tapestry of Italian pasta-making traditions.

Absolutely love the class the chef was so funny and knowledgeable, my family totally enjoyed, 100% recommend them , easy spot reservations and English speaking chefs ! Thanks you Nehomi for great a class and amazing tips ! 💪🏻❤️❤️

So much fun learning the recipes and cooking tips for a four-course meal. . . and it was delicious!!

It was truly a fun experience and the food we learned to prepare was delicious. I would recommend this class to all visiting Florence.

We did this for our last night in Florence and we are so glad we did! It was a lot of fun, the staff were really pleasant, and our instructor was really sweet, funny, and taught us some cool new things. We made 3 different pastas, and panna cotta for dessert. The food came out delicious and we got the recipes to make at home. 100% recommend .

Well designed lesson, a lot of hand on experience, professional and friendly chef instructor, easy location, also lucky with a warm group of classmates. A lot of fun.

It was such a cool morning/afternoon. We had the best chief cook ever. It was a lot of fun, we learned a lot and we created amazing fresh Pasta. I'll come again!!! Even with kids, it's amazing. We loved the chief cook.

Enjoyed making the 3 types of noodles or pasta. The sauces were also very good.

The 4 of us had a great time. The chefs kept it rolling, and well-organized, Thanks for a fun evening. Great price for extra bottles of wine!!!

The class was a ton of fun! We had a small group of 8 people and got to know each other throughout the class. Greta was our teacher and she was great! The best part was that the food turned out delicious :) also had options for those with dietary restrictions.

This cooking class was awesome. You are in groups of 6, so if you are in a bigger group than that you will need to split into smaller groups for the cooking, but you can come back at the end to eat together. Instructions are clear and easy to follow & the dishes tasted amazing. We loved being able to take the recipes home with us at the end also. Really good value for your money! Highly recommend.

Great fun. Greta was wonderful. We were the last to leave because I had such fun with our dinner mates. I would definitely do the class again. Highly recommend!

We really enjoyed our experience, the market tour was really nice and the lesson was very well explained and super fun!! We recommend this activity!! We prepared bruschetta, pasta, turkey, and tiramisu.

It was delicious

We loved the experience and have already recommended it to friends

This was one of the best meals we had during a 2 week trip in Italy, and we cooked it ourselves! Francesco is a wonderful and entertaining host. We are grouped 6 people to a station which was fun to interact with others. The menu was delicious and we learned so much about Tuscan cooking and cooking in general! It is truly hands on, not just you watching over the shoulder of someone. This is a must when in Florence.

Good fun class, wish I did more of the sauce cooking rather than jst chopping, but all in all I enjoyed it.

Stefano was the best instructor and the class was so much fun. It was the absolute most delicious pasta I have ever eaten!

I had a wonderful time at the cooking class, we were able to make three types of pasta and a panecotta. Everyone was involved and it was great fun, our cooking tasted great too!!

Very nice cooking class with very friendly instructors. Only "disadvantage" is that the food is that good, that you will just eat too much and go home with stomach ache ;)

Great class

We had a great time with our chef. He was entertaining and helpful, and the pasta turned out great. We’ll easily be able to use the things we learned once we get home. Would definitely recommend!

Our two chefs lead us through the process of making 6 Italian specialties Pesto, eggplant ragu, panna cotta, ravioli with spinach ricotta, fettuccini and gnocchi I learned so much and even complete novices in our group enjoyed it

Excellent class. Teachers were nice, helpful, and patient. Food we made ended up being delicious. Wine was good too. I would have liked to had a hand at all the components of the dishes that were made, but understandable not possible as we'd end up with too much food. Nevertheless, great experience! Making the fettuccini and ravioli was fun.

The chefs were so lovely!--patient, knowledgeable, friendly, and encouraging. We were the only vegetarians so they substituted one of the sauces with a delicious truffle option. They created a fun, teamwork atmosphere and made everything really accessible. My partner and I can't wait to buy our own pasta press and try all the recipes at home!

A must do when in Florence. Super friendly team and the cooking experience was informative and fun. Very much enjoyed every moment of it and the finished product was delicious. Would definitely recommend to others.

The class was very organized and the facility was very clean. The recipes were easy to follow. The instructor did a great job showing us what to do and made sure to spend time with each group. Eating all the food we made at the end of the class was amazing - we look forward to making more of the pasta when we go home.

We had a wonderful time, lots of fun and very good food. Easy explanation, perfect timing and very good recipes. We would definitely recommend the class. We were a little bit sad that we couldn’t take the leftovers - so maybe encourage the participants of the class taking their Tupperware, so that they can enjoy the meal again ;)

very friendly and fluent chef

The chef was knowledgeable and interesting. Food was great We learnt some techniques and experienced local cooking and cuisine.

The cooking class fulfilled our expectations and maybe even beyond that. Stefano (the chef) introduced us to making fresh pasta (the Italian way), he learned us nice tricks, explained it in an easy way (and in excellent English!) and we felt like we could ask anything to master our cooking skills to impress people at home! We highly recommend this cooking class!

Francesco was great, very friendly and knowledgeable! We learned a lot and cooked delicious dishes! Highly recommended, great value too!

So much fun and easy to follow instructions. Cooking is so fun now with these new skills.

What a great class! We had such a nice time preparing the dishes and interacting with a great group of participants. Chef Luca was lovely and very knowledgeable. The best part was eating the food we prepared and sharing it with new friends over bottles of Chianti!

The class was fun, the instruction was good and the food was great.

The class was so much fun! The teachers were very helpful, kind, and funny. Great activity while visiting Florence!

The whole class was a lot of fun and very informative! Walter our teacher was amazing! And the food we made was so good!

Walter was awesome. Great food, great instructions, highly recommend!

This was a great class for someone new to cooking for all ages. We made a delicious meal and received tips from the chef along the way. You work in groups on the same station, rather than prepare your own dishes individually, which was different than what I expected. Overall a good experience!

Made a variety of dishes (tiramisu for dessert was amazing) and then got to eat a large amount of food coupled with a decent amount of wine. Had a lovely evening making new friends.

The class was great! I booked this the morning of and I was nervous at first because it was so last minute but it was the best desision ever! The food was delicious, and the instructor was very knowledgeable and friendly. I’ve never taken a cooking class before and it was exactly how I pictured it to be! There were many people at our table (7 people including myslef) but our instructor made sure everyone took turns and got to participate. Very hands on which I loved. We also got a cook book to go home with!

The class was big in size which i thought wasnt going to be a great experience but with the awesome teachers, they really showed an awesome experience, it was very involved, myself and my wife had a great time. It was also great to meet the other students. Highly recommend this course

It was a lovely course to do especially to really get a feel of pasta making but the class size is very big. This meant some of the class is dictated by the mass - some of ours had to suddenly leave so our class finished in a rush so you couldn’t fully absorb the entire cooking process and the meal was served in a rush. Albeit that wasn’t the fault of the staff completely and they’re all very friendly and knowledgable and spoke multiple languages clearly making it fun as well!

This day out was a great find. Francesco was lovely and easy to talk to, and made the day so much more enjoyable. The Market was great to visit and the cooking class great. Would recommend for anyone.

We had a wonderful experience

Luca was a great teacher. I enjoyed meeting all the other students

The class was great. The instructors were knowledgeable and personable.

The other participants didn’t show so we ended up with a personal class just us and the chef! Gave a tour of the Florence market which is massive and so cool, has a lot to show so it was nice to have explanations. Also did multiple tastings throughout the tour and were able to stop to buy products. Then the class was so fun, we made a 4 course meal and it was delicious. The recipes weren’t insanely difficult either so definitely things we could make at home on our own. Also got the recipes to bring home with us. Would definitely recommend!

Luca was a great teacher... He made the class fun and interesting. We met some lovely people in the class and made some delicious food. Then had a lovely dinner at the end with some delicious wine! Would definitely recommend this class!

Great experience! Enjoyed the market visit & tastings. Class was fun & educational & the food was delicious!

So Fun!! Great experience, knowledgeable instructor, and a great way to explore a little of Florence's city and culture. Going to the market was a great in addition to cooking the four course Italian meal. Walter our instructor was also excellent!

My daughter and I were lucky to have our class taught by Walter. We had a wonderful time preparing a four course meal, and had so much fun in the process. A highlight of our stay in Florence!

Amazing and insightful. We were able to make four pasta dishes from scratch. For all my life, I have only eaten packed pasta noodles, but thanks to this interactive and hands on class, I was able to kneed my own dough, mixed the ingredients and make my first ever pasta. The staff were accommodating, they were also funny. There were only 4 of us during the class, which also made it intimate yet interactive. We also had wine tasting and the chef taught us the right wine if paired with specific pasta. The kitchen was clean and organized. At the end of the class, they gave us the recipes to share back home.

Walter was our teacher and did a great job. There was lots to learn and lots to eat. We enjoyed red wine with our filling meal. I would do this again.

Walter was excellent! We had a wonderful night, learned a lot, and ate a delicious meal with wine. We couldn’t ask for anything more!

The food was fantastic. This is one cooking class from which we will actually try the recipes possibly again and again. Walter was patient, talented and easy to learn from. I will and have already recommended the school to friends and acquaintances.

Walter was very nice and did a great job. And so did his fellow employee there.

Very informative, great directions from chef, delicious food. Loved it

Really enjoyed our cooking class! There were only 5 of us meaning the chef could give everyone more attention. All the personnel were very welcoming and kind, answered all our questions and gave lots of useful tips like how to use the knife more efficiently, separate eggs, etc. And of course, we learned a couple of new exciting local recipes. Recommend to everyone for spending a beautiful evening here!

Very nice cooking class. the chef and the others was very good at explaining and included everyone. Good plain homemade food. No extravagance

Excellent class and delicious food. Adella did an excellent job!

i would recommend to friends.

My family (husband, 18 and 17 year old girls, and myself) loved this cooking class. It was a great way to experience Florence! The food was excellent, and the teacher was very informative and a lot of fun! We thoroughly enjoyed our authentic Italian dinner!

So much fun , very friendly and informative . Thankyou x

We had a cooking class with Francesco, who was absolutely the best. The cooking class was small and intimate, my family of four plus one other person. We started the day going to the market (about a 10 min walk from the actual cooking class location), and learned about the different markets, vendors and fresh products from Francesco. We threw some tough questions at him as both my mother and I are long time cooks, and he answered all with ease. The trip to the market did not feel staged or touristy at all. While at the market Francesco asked us what we wanted to eat and, on the fly, created a menu based on what looked good and what we wanted. We then went back to the cooking school and had an excellent time learning not only recipe techniques but also actual cooking techniques, some of which were even new to my mom who has been cooking Italian food for 50+ years. I will never peel garlic the same way again! At first, the men were concerned there wouldn't be enough food, but there was SO MUCH FOOD that some of us couldn't finish it and all of it was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. I would definitely recommend this class for anyone who is either a beginner or experienced home cook. If you're looking for a personalized, intimate class with your group while traveling, I would definitely recommend. Francesco is insanely talented and also laid back, making the experience seamless! In comparison to the cooking class at Mercato Centrale, this is by far much better due to the intimacy and authentic nature.

Francesco was such a attentive instructor. He took his time to explain the why behind so many of the steps in the cooking course. Such as why salt the water, why use unsalted butter, why always is nutmeg in pasta filling, why slice instead of chop a vegetable, and many more. He was patient, encouraging, funny, and even helped me with my Italian pronounciations.

Francesco and his team were fantastic tonight. Francesco is a true chef, knows everything about cooking, food and chemistry, and is funny to boot! The four course meal was unique with foods that can be made at home with an exciting twist. Would happily recommend to anyone. Thank you!

Cooking with Francesco was fun and I learned a lot! Francesco and his team were very professional and the 4 course meal we made was delicious. I did this class with my mom (mother-daughter Italy trip) and we had a great time with the group (and I usually hate cooking).

Francesca was so professional and yet down to earth, funny and personable. The information he shared was really good. The experience was hands on, fun and the time flew by. We had such a good time and the only disappointing thing about it was that we only did one.

Learned how to make a vegetable flan, ravioli, beef dish, and panna cotta! We explored the local market to get our ingredients before cooking. Loved our instructor and had a blast!

Class was a lot of fun and very instructive

This was the perfect activity in Florence! We loved the cooking class and wine pairing!

We loved our “class” with Adella. (We were the only people so we had a 1:1 session.) The recipes were delicious and easy enough to make at home. I’d definitely recommend this class to anyone looking for something different for dinner!

Our instructor was great. Knife technique, pasta making, three sauces, delicious and informative. Very good!

My mother and I enjoyed this class so much! We had tons of fun while learning authentic Italian sauces with a few french side dishes. I wouldnt even question or hesitate to take this class! It’s a must and an abosolte treat!

Francesco is great! The food was delicious, I learned a bunch of new kitchen techniques, and the whole atmosphere was fantastic. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a unique experience in Florence!

The class was well run. The food we prepared was amazing and flavourful. We enjoyed this class.

I recommend this class. Lots to learn. Lots of hands on. The flavour of the food at the end was amazing. Well organised and friendly. Thank you Ben.

The class was very informative yet fun. Chef Walter & his assistant were great.

Its all about the people, and the instructor was just loads of fun, and very knowledgeable in his profession which he takes pride in, shares his knowledge but makes it a whole load of fun

Such a great experience that brought people together from all over the 🌎

Francesco was so much fun! My husband and I had a fabulous time. We booked this class online the night before the class and had no idea what to expect. We were a little confused on where we were actually supposed to go, so a little more signage and crystal clear direction would have been helpful for those of us who are directionally challenged. However, once we got there we had a blast. Francesco was funny and taught us so much that we would have never known had we not taken a cooking class. It was honestly the perfect thing for us to do while we were in Florence and ended up being a rainy night so it worked well that we had an indoor activity for the night. The food we made was amazing and we learned how to make our own pasta (super easy btw) and learned all kinds of tips and tricks to make cooking amazing Italian meals even easier. Do not hesitate to book this experience. You will have a great time.