Cooking classes in Bologna with CIBO

While most visitors to Italy are here to see the incredible historical and cultural sights, you also can’t miss out on the culinary experience. If you would like to get a hands-on experience in learning how to prepare pasta, classic sauces, and in general learn more about the cheeses, meats, wine and etc, you might want to check out Culinary Institute of BOlogna (CIBO).

They offer a multitude of cooking classes ranging from a couple of hours to multiple days – basically there is a course for just about anyone who would like to get their hands dirty. Here are some insights to what CIBO is all about by Chef and Owner of CIBO, Dott. Stefano Corvucci.

Q: What is your philosophy about cooking?

A: Although most of the people cook alone, I believe that cooking must be a shared experience. When I am cooking or eating with people I feel happy because it is a way of sharing everything. I am sharing my time, my experience and my knowledge and that is very gratifying. Time spent with good food and good people adds to the quality of our life.

Q: What is your favorite dish to make or eat?

A: I really don’t have a particular favorite dish to create or eat. A dish should always be made from scratch, with the freshest seasonal ingredients. It should be simple, healthy, not prepared with too many ingredients. Everybody should be able to recognize what ingredients it’s made with, or at least, most of them. Food provides comfort and enjoyment and we all should respect and consider it as a “gift.”

Q: What is your style of teaching?

A: My job is to question and then to listen. I view myself as more of a facilitator, imparting knowledge, answering questions and coming up with a plan of what to prepare for a meal but always starting from the student/cook taste and preference. Due to this,  every dish is always different as it reflects the cook’s touch. I guess this is the most important part of what I teach. My students are “guests” and they learn by doing.

I am not like many egomaniacal chefs that feel they are the artists and everyone should just WRITE down their recipes and blindly follow like sheep. No, rather in the end it is the people, the customers, the guests that determine what is good to eat.

Of course, my job is to teach skills and impart knowledge about specific ingredients and how to combine, mix or blend those ingredients into a wholesome, flavorful dish. But always starting from the people’s taste. As we say at CIBO. “We don’t teach recipes, you learn techniques!”

Q: What is the goal of your classes?

A: Our wish is to work together, have fun, learn cooking skills, breaking bread together, socialize and  sharing quality time together. The goal is for our students to leave with the knowledge that they can return home to wherever they live and duplicate what they made at the school.  When our students return home they use the techniques they learned at CIBO to adapt ingredients and can generalize what they learned to create new dishes.

Based in Bologna, CIBO also has classes that highlight food from the Emilia-Romagna region and we love their full day classes, where you’ll learn to prepare a variety of typical dishes that include breakfast, lunch and dinner! If you find this tantalizing, then head over to their site to discover what other delicious classes you can delve into.