Aperitivo: The Art of Italian Entertaining

A hands-on cooking class culminating in dinner served with wine.

In a country where the typical cocktail party is called for 7pm, being at least an hour late is a necessary condition for socializing and invitations have a beginning but never an end time, finger food often takes the place of dinner, in imaginative ways that draw from the tradition and trends of the country’s cooking scene. Take a trip with Viola through the hors d’oeuvre of Italy, from the simple to the elaborate, and learn how to entertain as artfully and effortlessly as the Italians do.

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Crostini di robiola, noci e miele al tartufo - Crostini with robiola, walnuts and truffle honey
Necci con la ricotta - Chestnut flour pancakes with sheep ricotta
Cecina con salsiccia cruda - Chickpea flour pancake with raw local sausage
Pizzette di sfoglia - Bite-sized puff pastry pizzas
Crocchette di granchio - Crab cakes
Cimette e polpettine croccanti - Crispy rapi tips and meatballs
Salame al cioccolato - Chocolate salami 

Viola Buitoni, a direct descendant of the famed pasta and chocolate family, hails from Perugia, in the heart of Umbria. She came to the US in 1985 for a business degree, but soon after graduation found herself drawn back into the genetic passion for food. In New York City she started Buitoni & Garretti, a catering kitchen and Italian fine foods shop. Here in San Francisco Viola can be found giving lectures on Italian food traditions and trends and cooking classes in collaboration with the SF Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate. She also teaches "The Italian Kitchen", a monthly workshop at the Cavallo Point Lodge Cooking School; and an ongoing series of food articles and cooking videos for MissionLocal.org, a UC Berkeley's School of Journalism blog based in San Francisco's Mission District where Viola lives.