Italy by Ingredient: Early Autumn Vegetables - In Person

A hands-on in-person cooking class. This class is limited to 12 students. Review our registration and cancellation policies here. Masks are welcome.

Join Viola as she delves deep into her favorite vegetarian dishes from her new cookbook Italy by Ingredient: Artisanal Foods / Modern Recipes. With her Italian flair for celebrating truly seasonal, fleeting produce, Viola will teach you how to make the simple seem special and transform a small basket of vegetables into a feast for a crowd. We will step outside the box and reframe vegetables as protagonists of the table. Attendees will come away with cross-seasonal techniques for easy-to-make show stoppers (think holidays!), and the secret to deepening the flavor of pasta sauce using starchy water. To top off the evening on a sweet note, the secret to a quick Italian style trifle. 

Viola's cookbook will be available for purchase throughout the class. 

MENU

Ziti piccanti ai capperi, melanzane e menta -- Spicy ziti with eggplant, capers, and mint

Corona di riso alla zucca e Monte Veronese -- Rice crown with pumpkin and Monte Veronese cheese

Sformatini di scarola e pinoli al pecorino romano -- scarole and pine nuts tiny flans with pecorino romano 

Sfogliata di mozzarella e peperoni -- Peppers and mozzarella flaky tart

Trifle di ricotta montata al miele con amaretti, pesche e vino dolce -- Whipped honeyed ricotta trifle with amaretti, peaches, and dessert wine

This menu contains the following common allergens: Egg, Tree Nuts, 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, is due out in 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, son, and tiny dog.

_{Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux}