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"I must say the afternoon we spent with you and Tita was certainly a highlight."

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What they're saying about us...

Below you will find articles and reviews of our cooking school in Umbria as well as comments from clients who have taken our cooking classes and those who have dined with us at Tita's house near Perugia or had a dinner catered at a villa rental.

The following are recent comments from clients of our Italian cooking classes in Umbria in 2014.

Nonie and Tita,

I think it was early October, two years ago that we visited you. We were with 3 other couples on a month long trip to Europe. We were lucky enough to attended a private cooking class at Umbriacooks4u. What an experience, definitely one to remember. We each took active part in each part of the meal preparation, learning and enjoying. Wonderful food, great company, great teachers. Nonie and Tita are a wonderful team. It took two years to write a review, so why do it now? Because in hindsight, this event was so much fun and so memorable, that I want others to know. I would do it again without reservation.

Thank you

Bill Morehead
(with Janell Morehead, John & Jan Kinar, Pat & John Thiesenhusen, Randy & Sandy Harrison.)

For my husbands 60th birthday, I booked this class along with 4 friends traveling with us.

"My husband cooks a lot of Italian dishes, so I wasn't sure if this would be too easy for him. The other husbands don't cook at all and I hoped they weren't bored. It was better than expected......perfect for all of us!

First of all, Nonie kept in touch as the class date neared. It was very easy to coordinate details and figure out how we were going to get to the class.

The class is held in Tita's (the Chef) home. She is not a professional chef by schooling but I would say is a professional chef by experience. I think her experience level is perfect for people who like to cook food that you are actually able to make without fancy gadgets, etc. But she does step it up with new ideas and things about the foods that I would have never known.

The chef has a professional kitchen set up in her home which allows you to experience a home environment, yet the tools and space for a group of people to work.

We were picked up at the minirail train station and delivered to her beautiful home that sits up in the hillside area overlooking Umbria. All arrangements were handled with Nonie. Nonie assists Tita and speaks perfect English. So she is able to interpret the directions from Tita or answer any questions you may have.

NINE items to learn to cook in just a few hours? Wow.....I didn't think we could do it. They get you involved right away and are very organized. You jump right in because they make it easy and fun.

We each had a station or a team. We all were a part of making EACH item.......so we all learned all the recipes. It was not too easy for my husband, nor was it too hard for anyone else. It is completely hands on. And most of all it was interactive and FUN!

Sure enough, we made flatbread appetizers, soup, pasta with fresh tomatoes, parmesan cheese baskets, veal al Allora, baked broccoli stampini, and an amazing tartini...melting chocolate dessert. Hors d'oeuvres, First Course, Second Course, and Dessert.

We are all ready to make an entire Italian meal within a couple of hours from scratch! Mangia!

And we did Mangia.........Both Tita and Nonie served us each of the courses while we enjoyed a wine tasting with the different courses. We had so much to eat, we almost all forgot about the actual meat course. But we did not forget about the dessert!

The food was delicious.....probably one of our favorite meals during our entire time in Italy. And now we all know how to make it on our own. We left with full bellies, smiles on our faces, lots of pictures, a copy of all the recipes, and most of all, the memories of a great experience.

Thank you Tita and Nonie! We had a fabulous time and will never forget you!"
Lisa Salvia:
Erie. Pennsylvania

My family--two kids, ages 11 and 13, my husband and I--have just returned from travelling throughout Italy for 3 weeks and this experience was absolutely a highlight of the trip! Starting with a steep drive up to Tita's lovely hilltop home (overlooking the Umbrian valley and Perugia) and ending with a lively discussion around the table, sharing the food we had just made together, this was a day my kids are still ranking as 'top five" things they did in Italy. During our time we learned to make many Umbrian dishes (Tita's pie being the favourite of the day) with Tita's guidance and Noni's clear instructions. Noni also provided us with lots of information about Umbrian cooking in general and why certain ingredients are used there versus in other regions of Italy. The kids really enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the day and are anxious to try some of the recipes here at home. I would HIGHLY recommend this as part of a trip to Umbria. I would caution though that it is best for kids who are independent and able to pay attention and focus--maybe ages 8 and up.

Margaretta Hanna
Toronto Canada

With a large family group - we were 9 people - we had a great afternoon together with Nonie and Tita. Good fun to cook together and a lot of good background for the recipes. Torta al Testo, Torta Rustica and introduction to the Umbrian ways of using local ingredients - and at the end a great dinner with good wine. It doesn't get much better in my book! Clearly recommendable! We have alreday used the recipes and inspiration several times.

Anders
Vaeloese, Denmark

We’ve returned from a fantastic trip to Italy and are now settling back in to work, etc. here in the United States. While we enjoyed Rome, Venice, and Civita, our week in Umbria was truly spectacular thanks in part to Nonie, Tita, and the crew! The 50th Anniversary dinner you catered for my in-laws was a wonderful experience, and your professionalism, punctuality, and warm demeanor all accented what was a thoughtfully constructed and superb menu. We most certainly and wholeheartedly recommend Umbria Cooks 4 You! Looking forward to a return trip,

Sincerely, Sean Moore
Seattle Washington

Our last Perugia cooking lesson with Tita and Nonie in 2006 was pizza-oriented, and involved Tita's father, the oven master. It was a marvellous session, but we decided this year to expand our Umbrian cooking skills.Good decision. We started with a staple: torta (a flatbread) al testo (the griddle) which was great fun to make, and after splitting, allows for endless stuffings. Cheese of many sorts; greens, like arugula; sliced sausage, prosciutto. Excellent for snacks, antipasti, or even a meal. We then progressed through the making of several other courses, with much hands-on time, accompanied by snacks and wine. A dinner with Tita and Nonie, the fruits of our labour (and more wine), and lively talk of the Italian tax system was a great finale to an Umbrian cooking afternoon.
Dick Browne of Nanaimo, Canada

Comments 2013

Tita and Noni are excellent teachers, and great cooks. We loved Noni's no-nonsense approach, and Tita's patient good humour....a great combination. We learned some useful techniques, drank some fine wine, and dined on the delicious fruits of our labours, all the while enjoying the lively conversation that accompanied both the lesson and the meal. We can't wait to try out...
Christine Whitelaw from Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments 2013

Hi Nonie
just a quick email to say thanks again to you and Tita for a great day on Friday. We really had a good time.

Also, attached are 3 photos which you might want to forward on to Connie and Rolando. We don't have their email.

I have an Italian lesson tomorrow morning and I hope I've improved. At least I now know what the Italian for to beat, to whisk and to roast is!!

Our very best wishes to you both and we will recommend you to anybody we know who will be staying in your area and wants a really great cookery lesson together with a good few laughs! Ciao
Sue & Ian

The combination of Tita, an Italian teaching some of her old family recipes and some new ones, and Noni, a New Yorker transplanted to Italy in the 1970s, is a winning one! Our group of six spent a very enjoyable and informative afternoon and dinner at Tita's house, where the classes are held. Noni has lived in Italy so long she seems more Italian than American, but her ability to explain everything in English so well is part of what makes this class really enjoyable and accessible. And both of them are so willing to entertain any questions about Italy or Italian cooking.

But that's the bland yet complimentary (and accurate) way to describe the cooking class. Let me tell you about the effect this class has had on my life! I am a wife, mother, lawyer, gardener, friend, cyclist, photographer -- but not so much of a cook. My husband is the chef in the family. He was really keen on taking the class. I went along, because I'd organized it. But since we took Noni & Tita's cooking class and were taught how to cook eight dishes - from appetizers (antipasti) to dessert - I personally (YES, ME!) have prepared five of them. More than once! The recipes I have prepared all pass my tests:

1. Is the recipe relatively fail-safe, in that it's likely to turn out well?
2. Is the recipe not too time-consuming to prepare?
3. Is the finished product very tasty and a little different from the normal boring food we would usually eat?
Check, check and check!

Thanks, Tita and Noni! To take a cooking class where we learn how to prepare real dishes that we can cook in our family on an everyday basis - that's awesome! Maybe I will add at least "cook", if not "chef", to my list of roles...

Sarah Pike
Canada

Noni and Tito are fabulous! We cooked numerous courses and dishes....all of which were true Umbrian cuisine. The food they supplied us with was delicious and so fresh. They are great teachers and very helpful. After we were done preparing everything they added the finishing touches they served us each course and cleaned up the entire kitchen. Worth every penny. A true MUST DO!

Lindsay Crabtree
Boston, Massachusetts

Comments 2013

In April, 2014, my wife, Betty, and I together with 11 other friends from New Jersey spent a fabulous week at the beautiful Villa Collina in Monticello, near Todi. We were interested in having a cooking lesson at the Villa and were very lucky to be recommended to Tita and Nonie, the lovely owners of Umbriacooks4u and wound up spending a memorable and fun-filled night!! 9 of our group took part in making local food dishes that would be part of the spectacular four-course meal that we later sat and enjoyed with delicious Umbrian wine included in our feast. The hands-on lesson was overseen by Tita's professional eye and livened with Nonie's New York wit. Everyone was engaged and had a ball. The night ended with a great dessert and good-night hugs with our new friends. Despite a lot of local wine and laughter that night , I've even managed to cook a few of the recipes since we returned home. Tita and Nonie were true ambassadors for the culture and warmth of the Italian people. Our night with these great gals was truly the highlight of our Umbrian visit. We'll be back!!

Larry O'Rouke
Allenhurst, New Jersey

I really enjoyed this cooking class. I have participated in a few different kinds of cooking classes and this one was excellent. Nothing is too "serious"- but that is part of the charm. You will not be making anything extremely complicated, all the recipes are approachable and I think I will be able to replicate at home. Both Tita and Nonie were very sweet. Not only was the lesson fun, but sitting down to eat with Nonie after was an absolute pleasure. Highly recommend!

Nicole Cheifetz
Miami Florida

This was the first time we had been to a cooking class and we were not quite sure what to expect. However as soon as we arrived we felt perfectly at home, relaxed and quickly got into the swing of things. The class was planned to perfection which was great but what really impressed us was the double act..that is Nonie and Tita. They were just wonderful....Nonie with her very amusing running commentary and Tita with her cooking skills.

It was a most comfortable way to learn how to make some very tasty Italian food( and then have it served to us in the lovely Italian home) Many thanks to you both.

Beryl and Carlo Cabrelli
Norway

Amazing stuff at Umbria Cooks4U. Tita and Nonie, were helpful and accommodating, with our big group, Tita's house in the countryside (where the class is held) is an Italian dream come true, and the classes were fun, easy to understand and informative. After cooking we opened a nice bottle of red wine in the sunny garden, and then moved on to eat an amazing home made meal!

Enjoyed it so much that I made it a point to write my first trip-advisor review just to let you know of this place!

Thomas Bugejar
Marsascala Malta