Small Group Market tour and Cooking class in Lecce

This cooking class was so unexpected in all of the best ways. From the moment we arrived to the meetup spot (this gorgeous cafe in Leece), to us getting to know each other as we walked around the local market, to the tour of the surrounding area (including this amazinggggg bakery that I can still smell when I think of it) and getting to know the genuine history and culture of Lucia's home... And that was only the START!!! All before we even arrived to her beautiful home for our cooking class! It was such a beautiful introduction and made us more excited for what was to come. Once we arrived to her home and began cooking she was so patient, kind, helpful, and NON judgemental - I felt 1000% comfortable and supported and honestly encouraged the entire time! I learned how to make two types of beautiful pasta (orecchiette and macaroni) but also the most amazingggggg tiramisu! I went into this class not knowing we were going to make tiramisu and honestly, was not excited when I found out because I'm not a fan of it at all but when I say.. we learned to make it the RIGHT way - I mean it. I left her home feeling confident in my new cooking abilities and loving a dessert I walked into the room hating. She set the table and we had a lovely local wine, some super yummy appetizers that were local to the area (my fav were these potato sticks - similar to hush puppy type of texture but not spicy soooo good!!) followed by the pasta we made ourselves and dessert! We spent the entire time laughing, bonding, talking - building a genuine connection! No kidding like our souls had all met before. It really felt like we (Lucia our host, Paolo our translator, my brother and myself) knew each other for years!! The most amazing moment of the entire experience that I will never forget is when they serenated us with a song of their culture, a freedom song of sorts, it was so beautiful that it genuinely brought my brother and I to tears. Not cute tears, but full on ugly crying. Having them open their doors to their culture and share something so intimate with us was amazing and we felt honored. It was something out of a movie. If you're looking for an experience that will move you from start to finish and to be hosted by someone who's heart shows through their actions and their cooking, I could not recommend Lucia's AMAZING cooking class enough. You will leave with your stomach and your heart full and memories that will last a lifetime.