Lezione di Cucina
Ubud

Prior to attending the course, Tresna provided clear communication on what will be covered, timings, google map’s location code and preparation instructions for the day. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by Adi, Frances and their lovely team of sous-chefs with a refreshing Ginger and Cinnamon cold drink. The workstations were nicely laid out with a chopping knife, board, apron and towel and a sticky name tag. The class sizes are intimate - ours was 8 - which meant both Frances and Adi could assist all participants. Before we started cooking, we were invited to pick some of the ingredients from the garden adjacent to the cooking school. Here we learnt how Adi and Frances carefully grow their fruit, vegetables and herbs to ensure that the cooking school, and the surrounding houses in the village have the freshest ingredients. The garden is filled with everything from Durian to jackfruit, ginger, galangal, turmeric, moringa to vanilla pods and their own coconut trees. There were about 4-5 sous chefs - an incredible team who were instrumental behind the scenes to pick and prepare the ingredients which we needed for class - this ensured we had the freshest ingredients, and we were able to cook a number of dishes in a short space of time. They even had time to make us some tempeh and sambal nibbles as we cooked. Once we picked these fresh ingredients, Adi taught us some useful knife skills and how to prepare different vegetables and herbs. In total, we cooked 8 dishes and 2 pastes with a few snack breaks. Along the way, Frances and Adi gave us hand tips on how to adapt recipes for similar ingredients which would be available in our home countries. They were also careful to include each participant in the cooking process, be it either pulling a salad together or preparing a curry. Overall, it was a fantastic experience in traditional Balinese cuisine typically cooked at home and during ceremonies with the freshest ingredients. After class, we feasted on all the food we had made and it truly felt like we were having lunch with our family. At lunch, Frances shared some fascinating stories about her life journey so far, some of which were very moving. Tresna (who also offer non-veg classes) was one of the few who offered vegan classes that we came across that did not use the terms vegan and vegetarian interchangeably which due to our dietary requirements was truly appreciated. We didn't know what to expect going in, other than just a cooking class. We however walked away with incredible memories and a true appreciation for Balinese food and culture. We learnt that Tresna means "love" in Balinese and witnessing what Adi and Frances have created and accomplished so far on their life's work, we can see that they act purely out of love and have the biggest hearts. We would thoroughly recommend joining this class, and we wish Adi and Frances every success in their endeavours.

Adi and Frances deliver an authentic experience, complete with an informative garden tour, hands on prep and cooking, and a spectacular vegan meal. The kitchen is spotless, modern and comfortable. The vibe is warm and soulful. Highly recommend this unique Balinese experience.

Ketut’s cooking class was a fantastic experience. The food we made was delicious and they give you the recipes to take home. Staff were awesome and made the experience so much more enjoyable. It is hands on with the prep but with some of the dishes they cook the food for you while you make the dish, which we liked as we didn’t want to spend the whole day cooking and just wanted to eat the food once we started to smell it!

We had an amazing day shown round all the rice fields the class was set in the most perfect setting imaginable, we would highly recommend this cooking class to everyone ! Thank you for a fantastic day.

The whole experience was just great, from the beginning of going to rice fields and the farmers market to the class itself it was just amazing. Wayan was a great teacher and the food we made was delicious. The whole thing was super well organised too.

Everything was well organized, the staff was super friendly and funny! There was tons of food we cooked and ate all together! Highly recommended!

Amazing!!!! Everything was so fantastic, I never thought cooking could be so much fun. The whole experience was so great, the food, the atmosphere, our wonderful teacher Nyoman and his village. The class is held in his home surrounded by his 42 family members. Nyoman not only taught us traditional Balinese cooking but taught us about the Balinese culture, the health benefits of the fruit and vegetables and the balance of life. Nyoman’s uncle ‘Wayan’ was also a wealth of knowledge, he taught us the zen of life. I would have to say in all the years I have been coming to Bali, this cooking class was the best thing I have done, I loved every minute of it, this class needs to be on everyone’s ‘To do list’.

The class was so much fun! Me and my girlfriend really enjoyed it. Plus all the people are so friendly and happy for everyone to be there. Definitely would recommend giving it a go!

This was an experience we will never forget. There was a lot of explaining about the food, vegetables, herbs an also the daily living in a compound. We cooked 9 dishes. We can hardly recomend this cooking class.

The class was incredibly well organised and run. The drivers and teachers were lovely! We worked in pairs to prepare the ingredients for cooking. The teachers were patient and demonstrated and directed all that was required. The food was beautiful. I couldn’t recommend this class more. A must do for your Ubud trip!

The care the chefs gave us was great. They taught not just the recipie but more efficient ways to cook - such as knife handling, and techniques for the mortar and pestel. I also really appreciated their comments on western substitutions for plants and flavours - it can be difficult to duplicate food without that guidance!