The Gritti Epicurean School

Chef Franco was talented and fun. We did the class with the Rialto market tour and it was the most authentic part of our trip to Italy. It was fun to walk through the city and see Franco saying hi to all his friends. Then having a quick breakfast with the locals and hearing Franco chat. Then shopping in the market, again with the local owner and chefs. Learning about what was fresh, what was the best and worst that day in the market. When Franco saw that my wife had an aversion to the thought of eating a local shrimp that was still moving, he pivoted the menu to something that she would be comfortable eating. Then in the kitchen, made sure we prepped the shrimp away from her! So kind and thoughtful. Oh, and what we learned about cooking? Awesome, so much. And the food and wine at dinner? Awesome. And Franco's genuine smile. The best.

Cooking with Chef Franco in Venice was the highlight of our trip. By far one of the best meals I have ever had and now I can go home to try and make on my own. Chef Franco is excellent. Fantastic experience and highly recommend!

We have taken many cooking classes all over the world and this class was at a whole different level. Our instructor, Chef Franco, is one of the chefs at the Gritti Palace and the meal we prepared together was fancy restaurant style cooking. We met him at 9:15 am and headed off to the Rialto market where Chef Franco carefully chose a variety of fish and seafood, incorporating things we like. We then stopped at the famous ciccheti bar Al Arco for a delicious mid morning snack and glass of wine. Then back to the gorgeous cooking school kitchen to prepare our 5 course meal. ( we later discovered the kitchen is featured in Stanley Tucci’s Venice episode, as is Al Arco). We were lucky to be the only ones signed up for the class that day so it was a private lesson. We enjoyed our leisurely meal, with delicious wines paired by the sommelier and did not say our goodbyes until nearly 4 pm. The experience is not cheap but it is great value. We absolutely loved it and recommend it highly.

We had a great experience with Chef Franco. He took us to the market to pick fresh ingredients, then he took us through the process to prepare a starter, main, and dessert. At the end, we got to eat a delicious meal with wonderful wines paired to our courses by the great somelier, Sandro

Eine ganz absolut tolle und authentische Erfahrung! Mit grosser Professionalität lehrt man die venezianische Küche und ihre Spezialitäten herstellen. Sehr sympathisch der Executive Chef Daniele Turco. Wir hatten sogar die Ehre, neben ihm am Herd zu stehen. Grazie mille!