The Italian Way with Vegetables: Eggplant

A hands-on in-person cooking class. This class is limited to 14 students. Review our registration and cancellation policies here. 

The fall installment of Viola's vegetable fun sees eggplant as protagonists. Contrary to common perception, eggplants last well into the fall and are as tasty in the company of late summer tomatoes and basil, as it is matched with autumn’s wild mushrooms and bay leaves. The menu will span the seasonality of eggplant, and it will include Viola's mom room-silencing parmigiana as well as dishes easy enough for a weekday meal. If available, we will use different varieties of eggplants and learn how to select and process them for the intended use.

MENU

Crespelle di melanzane e funghi al profumo di alloro—Bay-scented crepes with eggplant and mushroom

Parmigiana alle melanzane della mamma—My mother's room-silencing parmigiana

Involtini di melanzane e pecorino fresco al profumo di limone e menta—Lemon and mint-scented eggplant rolls with fresh pecorino

Melanzane infornate alle erbe—Roasted eggplants with herbs

This menu contains the following common allergens: Egg, Dairy, Wheat. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to cook along, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket.

Let’s Cook Together! 

Viola Buitoni, chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. With stories and knowledge from six generations, her dishes cross the best of California agriculture with the finest Italian food imports. After moving to the US to attend NYU, Viola started Buitoni & Garretti, a catering kitchen and Italian fine foods shop in New York City. She later moved to San Francisco where she began lecturing and teaching Italian food tradition workshops at the SF Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate. She teaches Italian cooking remotely for Boston-based Milk Street, and in person for 18 Reasons and The Civic Kitchen in San Francisco. She leads immersive foraging and cooking workshops in off-the-beaten-path Italy. She has contributed to La Cucina Italiana US and to italysegreta.com. Her opera prima, Italy by Ingredient, released in the Fall 2023 (Rizzoli). In 2020, the President of the Italian Republic awarded her the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia for her work to further the culture and business of Italian food. She lives in SF’s Mission District with her husband and tiny dog, while her son is away at college.