FROM MY TABLE UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN TO YOURS

COOKING SCHOOL IN POPPI

May 18, 2023

FORGIVE the tardiness!!

Truth be told… I had written an EN ROUTE the day I left Poppi and was ready to hit publish when I received this notice – “post too long.” Hmmm. Story of my life. I’ve cute it WAY back and will save the stories of the people I met, the best day of my life, and the budding (insert Italian flirty winks) romance for another future EN ROUTE…

For now.. here’s POPPI!

WILL TRAVEL FOR FOOD

Some 4+ hours, a missed train, a new friend, a few language mishaps, and would you believe it… even a local mistaking ME for one of her own (must be my habitual double fisting of espresso and fizzy water that makes me appear Italiano)… I arrived!

Waiting on the platform was a man emphatically waiving me down – MY RIDE! He didn’t speak a word of English (a lot like my Italian at the moment), except one. He said his, “hi,” and I said mine, “bonjourno.” With that, we hopped into his white Fiat and were off to Tuscookany Cooking School at Casa Ombuto.

My dream was coming true. Cooking in Tuscany.

Pulling up I was greeted by Claudia – our concierge extraordinaire - who I became fond of instantly. Her smile was contagious and her willingness to be patient as I second guessed ummm every Italian word I uttered. She was incredible.

Claudia walked me through my new homes for the week: my room, the “gymnasium” (a small wooden hut that held a sauna and steam room. Have I died and gone to heaven?! Both? For moi? To use anytime I wanted?! Uh oh. Pretty sure I was going to become better friends with these rooms than I would my rolling pin and clever – the real reason I had booked a cooking school Italy. Oh well! I was willing to take the risk).

Next – the Kitchen. Ah! The kitchen! We had clean knives for days, cutting boards galore, an outside stone oven, and wait for it... wait for it… ingredients that came literally out of the front door. I could cry. I was so excited. Enter Alice (pronounced Alicia). Our glamorous Head Chef.

This place was quickly becoming one of my favorite places on earth.

GREEN GNOCCHI AND GREEN LIGHTS

After clicking every link on the world wide web - I landed on this PERFECT school’s website. Sigh. The school was “sold out” until July. Tapping into my green-light kind of faith. I sent an email asking if they happened to have any availability in May. I had found the quintessential cooking experience (located in the hills of Tuscany with a pun as it’s title. I mean!) that I wanted to have and was SURE the universe would work this out for me! Obviously you know the outcome. It did! They had ONE place available on the VERY day I wanted. Green light!!!

I would be with nine others in their private group and since I couldn’t stay in the main house due to their full occupancy — Tuscookany would accommodate me by offering a room in their brand new owner’s villa with my private entrance and terrace. What?! Accommodate me? Like… make up for something I’m missing out on? Ha! Greenest of green lights! Yep. I’ll let you accommodate me, Claudia. But warning, I may not leave.

My private group - was nine ladies all in their 60/70s, all connected by Trisha (their leader), and all Minnesotans who were making the yummiest green gnocchi + rosemary focacci, and sharing the funniest jokes all the live long week.

HERB APPEAL IN THE CLASSROOM

Since all my restaurant reviews this week will be based on a kitchen in which I made (or had a hand in making) most everything. I have to say, It’s a FIVE STAR, NEXT LEVEL, FILL ME UP AND ROLL ME HOME kind of goodness!

Not biased at all.

TYPICAL DAY IN THE KITCHEN:

8:30-10 / breakfast. Massive spread of WHATEVER you want including eggs on request, any way you’d like them. Soft scrambled for me per favore!

10:30 / class begins. We meet, go through each recipe we’ll make from the chosen Mediterranean cuisines (6-10 on average), then divide up into groups. My favorite partner was Liz. She was convinced that I was a master chef - so naturally - I always wanted to work with her!

1:30 / lunch is served. When it's nice out (which has been next to every day / 65°and sunny) we dine al fresco under a long table and canopy overlooking green dandelion covered hills. Lunch is always self served here. That goes for the vino too — which tends to disappear faster in the afternoons. And just before siesta! Wild, no?

BREAK / time to showering (late dinner parties every night yield little desire to rise early to freshen for the group), laundry (to wash tomato stains before they set), making espresso (to wake up), sauna + steam (to sweat out the wine (hand raised high for this one!)), siesta (to sleep off the extra pour of wine), pouring another glass (to enjoy life).

3/3:15 / class begins round due. We prepare dinner.

5:30 / MANDATORY coffee break. This has become all of our favorite part of the day. We rush to get our dishes perfect (I’ve been living to hear Chef Alice walk by my station with a “perfecto AC” or “brava AC.” (Happens a lot — I’m just sayin)).

This is really an apéritif break. Before our night job continues (heating, preparing, last minute plate design, and serving), we take a break and down a yummy chilled glass of vino paired with a perfectly charred focaccia straight out of the stone oven, or crepes, or fried squash blossoms, or anything we can get our hands on.

Then, back to work…

8 or 9 / dinner is served.

Each night, after Chef Alice lets us have a small break, where we get dolled up (code for change into our stretchy pants for another four course dinner), we walk into the most beautifully styled tablescape. Three glasses for wine (why not?!) and one for acqu frinzze (which they have on tap here. Another DREAM of mine!)

We are always served a “special wine” for each course. A server, Monica or Marta, comes to fill our glasses before we all raise them to toast one another on a job well done. (I prepared octopus one night and found an undigested fish in its belly!)

As each dish is brought out, Alice gives a bit of a definition on either history, or how to eat it, or what it goes best with (ALWAYS vino). And then, as if we didn’t do it minutes ago (any reason for another sip of the “special wine”), we all raise our glasses again and toast the person who made said dish.

This goes on for hours. It’s scrumptious! That goes for both the meal and the energy around the table. Then.. dessert.. “my favorite right now” (a little nod to my Firenze EN ROUTE last week) is served with umpteen digestivos. ANY type that you can imagine. Ten types of Amaretto, six homemade types of Limoncello, Vin Santo (my all time favorite!) and MORE.

It was always amazing to me that we were FULL before dinner even started – I mean, our coffee breaks! – yet we all managed to clean our plates one by one. Why not?!

11 / flashlight on and a short stroll over to my private room in the owner’s villa.

This was my LONGEST EN ROUTE yet.. and wild enough I could have gone on for 2,000 more words!

If you couldn’t read through the lines — LOVED IT HERE and requested a permanent residence. After all, I could be of help. I’ve had professional training (ahem, BibOn — obviously), and have had a lifetime of practice in the lounging department. Taking a sauna and steam before my espresso everyday would be no trouble for me at all. I assured them! We’ll see what they say… verdict is still out.

Until then… I’m leaving you with a PICTURE BOOK of a few highlights before I meet the ladies for our final dinner.

Tomorrow a car will take me to Arezzo at 5am for a speed train EN ROUTE to Milano.

ADDRESS BOOK

TUSCOOKANY // COOKING SCHOOL // Casa Ombuto, Larniano 21, 52014
VILLA LA RIPA // WINE TASTING // Villa La Ripa Srl - Loc. Antria, 38 - Arezzo
MONTEMERCOLE // SHEEP AND COW FARM // via Guadagnoli, 57 ad Arezzo
RAVAGNI // OLIVE OIL // Via Ravagni 4 52031 Anghiari