The Cucinato Studio cooking school, located in the former Big Ragu restaurant, St. Clair and Landsdowne, transports you to Italy at least for a few hours. I had gone to the place in my days living in the St. Clair West Little Italy area.  

It’s a great birthday or special occasion present, and my kids each bought me a ticket. That would cover two classes, or two places in a special dinner. Upcoming classes include Homemade Pizza, Spring in Tuscany, Sicilian Cooking and more.

Most sell out quickly. I selected the Olive Oil Tasting and four-course dinner, so I could invite EMG, my partner. That was two tickets. Well worthwhile…

There were about 20 people there. We were sitting next to an Italian family from Abruzzo, the province due east of Rome and above Puglia, the delightful province we visited in October.  The mamma was a great cook, her figlio (son) said. The first part, the olive oil tasting, was really interesting in that Gaia, who grew the olives in Tuscany and bottled them, showed us the real difference between a good Extra Virgin oil you might find in the store and an artisanal craft version.

First, she poured the commercial but good variety and then her version. One thing we discovered in Italy, at least where we were in Puglia, with its 60 million olive trees, and environs, was that no one went to a store and bought their olio. They either grew olives or had a friend who did so and then took the olives to a press and brought the first pressing home. Of course, you must live in an olive-growing region to enjoy this.

The commercial version looked quite green and tasted nice and smooth, but Gaia’s product was something else altogether. It felt more viscous, thicker and had this peppery finish at the back of the palate and had this ethereal colour, several levels more appealing than the regular product. We dipped bread in it, sniffed it and tasted it plain.

A very appealing and worthwhile experience. We had to buy a bottle for ourselves; we are judicious with its use, certainly not for cooking but for salads and dipping baguettes – delizioso!

Then came the dinner, chef Bruno Di Sarno’s masterpiece. He’s as interesting and entertaining as an instructor as you will find anywhere in Toronto.

Bruno’s culinary journey began in his mother’s kitchen in Naples where from an early age he admired her kitchen skills and love of cooking. To this day she remains his inspiration as one finds out as he cooks.

At 14 Bruno, worked in kitchens and  then studied at one of Italy’s oldest culinary schools, Ippolito Cavalcanti. In 1999 his career led him to London, England, where he worked in a number of Michelin Star restaurants before immigrating to Australia, where he worked as a chef and master pizza maker, and where he met his wife, Elizabeth. By 2009 they moved back to Elizabeth’s home in Canada, where Bruno has worked as a chef, pizza maker, culinary consultant and instructor. Here’s Bruno making pizza;

His fried sage was a revelation especially since we grow it in abundance, dipped in a cold tempura type batter; lovely. Then there was an Italian version of chopped liver, marinated In three kinds of sweet wine — Marsala, Madeira and Port.

A very funny thing about the main course; the night before I had made a braised rabbit dish, with carrots, sage and wine; I loved it but after it was done, Ellen said, “I am not sure I really like rabbit, too many bones.” I only make it about once a year so ok, too bad. But what was the main course? a really delicious roasted rabbit in sage, rosemary and other herbs.

It was served with rapini and garlic and garlic and oil roasted potatoes and a dessert of hazelnut cookies and a kind of flat fruitcake, followed by sweet wine and coffee from that Italian classic, the Moka.

Gaia had made the red wine too. It was really a wonderful evening and I recommend it highly.