Tutore - Italian Cooking School
Cooking class · Lincoln Park ·
Hands-on Italian cooking classes with acclaimed chefs
Information
2349 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 Get directions
Hands-on Italian cooking classes with acclaimed chefs
2349 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 Get directions
"Opened in April 2023 in Avondale, the school quickly found its niche teaching Italian cuisine beyond red-sauce Italian-American fare, with packed weekend classes and frequent collaborations with visiting chefs such as John Manion of Brasero and El Che. It was founded by veteran Chicago chef Dean Zanella (whose résumé includes 312 Chicago and Rhapsody) and chef James De Marte—whose previous restaurant, Pisolino, had pivoted to a market during the pandemic—and joined by pastry chef Mollie Mettelka. Despite strong demand and healthy finances (“my accountant asks if we’re printing money”), the owners decided to close because Zanella wants more time with his young twin daughters and could not sustain the weekend coverage the business required. The operation will exit by the end of June to allow a new operator to set up by July 1; followers are advised to monitor the website and Instagram for flash sales, last-minute classes and products, and Mettelka has plans for the space with more details expected in the coming weeks." - Ashok Selvam
"Two veteran chefs — one a longtime neighborhood restaurateur and the other recently helming a high-profile steakhouse kitchen — are opening a hands-on cooking school in Avondale inside a former restaurant space. The program draws on roughly 80 years of combined restaurant experience and aims to preserve family Italian cooking traditions by teaching approachable techniques (the first classes focus on gnocchi and risotto, with weekend sessions on slow-braising meats). Weekend and weeknight offerings will include both recreational courses and continuing-education-style nights for working chefs (a charcuterie class is planned), instructors drawn from well-known local kitchens, and discounted imported olive oils and vinegars and other ingredients sourced through a local grocery partner. The school emphasizes cooking big Italian feasts with friends and family and opens with class registration already available and a planned launch date of April 27." - Ashok Selvam
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