COOKING CLASS in Taormina at Chef Massimo HOUSE!!
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Taormina, Italy
- 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The best way to connect with any local culture is through food, and nowhere is this more true than Sicily. With this cooking class, shop for ingredients at the market in Taormina like a local before learning how to prepare a variety of traditional Sicilian dishes with Chef Massimo in his restaurant kitchen. Enjoy the fruits of our labors over lunch afterwards, served with two local wines.
- Take a deep dive into Sicilian cuisine with a hands-on cooking class
- Shop for fresh, seasonal ingredients at the Taormina market
- Make traditional appetizers and first and second courses with a chef
- Sample the dishes you’ve prepared over lunch, paired with local wines
Sample Menu
Main
Catch of the day in the Messina style
with the freshest fish that we will find together on the market, we will cook together a typical local recipe !!
Starter
flowers of zucchini stuffed with ricotta
Starter
stuffed artichokes
Main
fresh pasta
What's Included
- Lunch
- kitchen
- All Fees and Taxes
- Bottled water
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Meals
- apron
- Recipes in English
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Vico Zecca, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
under the Arch of Porta Messina Taormina
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.9:30 am
What To Expect
1
Porta Messina
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Beth_G
A must cooking experience! Massimo is a wealth of knowledge in the marketplace as well as kitchen with a sense of humor to keep you engaged and interacting with fellow chefs!! Not only will you learn new techniques but also mistakes we've all made about blending and modifying your cooking style. Oh, and you will have fun as well! Don't miss out on this adventure!
Reviews
5.0
based on 581 reviews
Susan_D, May 2026
If you are looking for something a little different to do having seen most of the tourist attractions
I would recommend going on this cooking experience. The chef was charming and knowledgeable and there was never a dull moment. We were taken to a local market to buy ingredients and then back to a house with amazing views of the bay to cook traditional Sicilian food. Made our own pasta, and a fish dish along with sauces side dishes and starters. Learnt loads and ended up being served our delicious food on a beautifully laid table outside. There was plenty of wine and lovely company. Turned out to be one of the highlights of our holiday!
Walter_J, May 2026
A great way to get to know the culinary community of Taormina Chef Massimo entertaining guests with stories and food recipes
Robert_G, May 2026
Top three international ‘tour’ events we’ve done. We’ve done 7-8 different cooking classes around the world and Massimo’s is by far the best. Massimo and his team are TOP notch and I highly recommend taking his class.
Cyndi_B, May 2026
Great class from start to finish. The trip to the community market, and butcher shop were off the beaten path and interesting to experience where the locals shop. Chef Massimo’s home and kitchen were a beautiful setting to prepare the meal we enjoyed eating after the preparations. We’ve taken numerous cooking classes in different countries and this definitely excels in terms of information shared about the food, as well as in the number of dishes we prepared. The tomato salad and braised sea bass were our two favorites of the meal, can’t wait to try them at home. Would definitely recommend this class!
Audun_H, Apr 2026
Great experience from start to finish! We learned about selecting ingredients at the market and then how to prepare some classic and delicious recipes. We were seven people in total, and it felt like a family cooking a traditional Sunday lunch in Sicily - with the added bonus of having a staff to clean, serve and make sure everything went well. Highly recommended both as educational and fun!
Ronald_S, Mar 2026
A great learning experience when it comes to shopping for quality meats and produce. It was a fun group thanks to Massimo and we made friends with others in the group. Food was spectacular as well.
Beth_G, Mar 2026
A must cooking experience! Massimo is a wealth of knowledge in the marketplace as well as kitchen with a sense of humor to keep you engaged and interacting with fellow chefs!! Not only will you learn new techniques but also mistakes we've all made about blending and modifying your cooking style. Oh, and you will have fun as well! Don't miss out on this adventure!
John_L, Mar 2026
Loved, loved, loved Chef Massimo. He was extremely the educational and entertaining. Great group experience and deep dive into local food.
Steven_G, Mar 2026
It’s authentic Sicilian style cooking. Very simple and very easy to understand and Massimo is so passionate about his cooking and his wife and mother in law are there to really show you the family part of it.
Brad_W, Mar 2026
We had a killer time with this event and would highly recommend for anyone! Massimo was a great host, the venue is awesome, and the food was even better. Don't miss out!!!
Melina_B, Mar 2026
The experience was so funny, tasty and harmony !
The chief Massimo is plenty of good mood, sense of humor and kindness.
Thanks a lot for your tips and now we can’t wait to receive the receipes for inviting friends ;)
Tracy_c, Mar 2026
We had the most INCREDIBLE time! We learned so much. Everything from how to know which fruits and vegetables to purchase and which fish to purchase and why as well as how to spot the farm raised fish in comparison to wild caught and how to recognize these things on a local menu! We then learned all about traditional Sicilian cuisine and its origins and how to properly prepare these different dishes! The pasta making was wonderful and the sun dried tomato pesto we made was DELICIOUS! Massimo changes the menu for each class to make sure it’s all in season and local which is such a unique and thoughtful approach. He was so energized and personable we enjoyed every single second learning from him!
David_V, Feb 2026
Massimo Is an excellent chef! He had a lot of patience and extremely knowledgeable on local produce and Sicilian foods.
He made the experience fun and educational at the same time. Highly recommend.
Sonya_B, Jan 2026
Chef Massimo was fantastic! Class was educational and lots of fun! We enjoyed the local fresh produce market and private butcher shop stops before cooking. Stunning home to cook in and view is amazing. The food we made was delicious and the best we had in Taormina! We highly recommend this experience!!!
amy_m, Jan 2026
Hands down the best travel tour we’ve ever had. Massimo is not only an amazing chef, but also an excellent teacher. We shopped for our produce and protein and were educated at every step of the way. Massimo’s kitchen is a sight to behold. Amazing views, gorgeous setting and we learned how to cook 3 appetizers, pasta and 2 main courses! So much fun, especially eating our hard work. A+++.
Diane_D, Oct 2025
Massimo was
The best! Shared great info re: buying fresh produce, meat and fish; great cooking instruction! Beautiful class, beautiful setting, excellent food and teaching! Grazie
Assai!
Kathleen_M, Oct 2025
We had so much fun at our cooking class. Massimo is very entertaining but all the while was teaching us so much selecting fresh food and preparing it. This is a must do tour!!
Michael_S, Oct 2025
The views from the chef’s house is an amazingly beautiful setting. Everyone gets involved with the food prep and it’s more than slice this or fold that. It really is hands on. The end result was extraordinarily delicious 5-course meal we all enjoyed together at the end! His staff did all the cleanup behind us.
After the class we walked downhill and rode the cable car back up to Umberto.
The only downside was that the pre-class at the market was too much detail in the lecture, but the chef does know that he talks too much! We would prefer fewer details, but much of it was useful information.
Jackie_V, Oct 2025
Massimo was the best .
We learned so much from buying produce to making pasta and cooking whole fish .
Anonymous, Oct 2025
Chef Massimo was wonderful. So personable. He explained everything in detail and with such a love of cooking. We enjoyed this class very much and would highly recommend it. Not to mention the food was delicious! A wonderful experience!
mara_u, Oct 2025
This experience was a 10/10. Chef Massimo is passionate about Sicilian cuisine and his passion is infectious, this class truly felt like I was preparing a meal for the family with my Sicilian relative! I would definitely do it again! The food, wine, experience and the gorgeous views from the terrace and preparation room, were an excellent way to spend a day in Taormina. Thank you Massimo for a wonderful day. We can’t wait to cook the recipes at home.
David_A, Sep 2025
Outstanding day
Massimo is very knowledgeable and entertaining
The food we made was spectacular
3 staters, a pasta course and 2 main dishes with sides . The class greatly exceeded my expectations.
Carla_S, Sep 2025
Our small group had such a wonderful experience at this cooking class with Chef Messino. The chef was not only talented but also warm, patient, and made the entire session fun and interactive. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, and I learned so many helpful techniques I can now use at home. The ingredients were fresh, the kitchen setup was professional, the views were fabulous and the final dishes were absolutely delicious. I left feeling inspired and confident in the kitchen — highly recommend!
Lexi_W, Sep 2025
While I have never taken a cooking class to compare this, I feel confident saying it’s one of the best experiences out there! Chef Massimo is personable and welcoming. This class was informative and fun. Easily the best meal we had our entire trip. I learned much more than I expected and was fascinated at how we took such simple ingredients and learned to cook them in the right way to highlight the most delicious flavors. An experience I’ll never forget!
CHRISTINE_G, Sep 2025
Very fun day with Chef Massimo! We started by heading to the market to purchase the food, learning interesting facts about different kinds of produce, meats, & fish. Then we went to Chef Massimo’s house to start preparing our meal. There were many variations in Italian cooking that Chef Massimo shared which added great flavors and new ways of preparation. Can’t wait receive the recipes from our class.
Highly recommend this class with Chef Massimo.
Joanne_M, Sep 2025
A wonderful experience with Massimo. From his knowledge of picking our produce meats & fish. A fun experience preparing our food which was delicious. We would highly recommend this tour.
Jane_S, Sep 2025
Unbelievable experience that you should not miss out on we enjoyed everything
Chef Massimo was an expert at his craft very entertaining and engaging directed us in making an amazing meal which we enjoyed on this beautiful terrace. If you asked us the score out of 10 it’s 10+10.
One of our best experiences in Sicily
Felicity_C, Sep 2025
Massimo was awesome. Overall, it was a wonderful experience with even more amazing food. If you really want to learn about Sicilian food and cooking, this one is for you.
David_P, Jul 2025
You have to hike a bit down a lot of steps to get to Chef Massimo’s house from the Messina Gate. Be prepared if it’s hot. But it’s well worth it. Awesome views. Maybe some of the best food we had during our stay in the Taormina area and we helped make it. Massimo is very entertaining and informative.
Doreen_S, Jul 2025
Chef Massimo was fantastic!!! He was vibrant, fun and so knowledgeable. We made about 8 different fishes… all amazing. There were 18 in our group—- all very nice. It was fun filled and learned a lot! Definite must see and great way to kick off your time in Taormina!
From $181.52
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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