In addition to piazza Santa Trinita, the Column of Justice and Ferragamo’s shoe museum, along via Tornabuoni you’ll find one of the most professional cooking schools in Florence. Chef Maurizio Pinzani has been teaching and sharing some of the most closely guarded secrets of Tuscan cooking since the 1990s. Over the years, he conveyed his culinary passion to his son Chef Riccardo Pinzani, who seven months ago, decided to renovate and re-launch the school, calling it Dado’s Kitchen. The school has been well received by international foodies of all ages looking to experience real Tuscan cooking.
The school’s method is straightforward: Dado and his brigade of four explain how to prepare Tuscan dishes. It is the same method that Chef Pinzani studied for five years at prestigious Florentine catering school Istituto Aurelio Saffi. ‘The teachers would explain to me how to do something and I would practise it. It’s a “full immersion” in cooking, whereby the individual is the central figure.’ Riccardo’s team are all highly qualified professional chefs, with certificates earned in Italy and abroad. In fact, Dado’s Kitchen is the only cooking school in Florence recognized by both the Association of Florentine Chefs (Associazione Cuochi Fiorentini) and Association of Italian Chefs (Associazione Italiana Cuochi).
Students learn how to make fresh pasta and gnocchi, pizza and gelato, chocolates and desserts, among other things, using the freshest ingredients and to the highest standard. Gluten-free and vegan workshops are available, as is the possibility to learn about and taste fine Tuscan wines. Theory and history of Florentine food is also part of the experience. ‘When I teach people how to make gelato, I explain how it’s actually a Florentine creation. Lots of folks know that ice cream is an Italian product, but it’s important to specify that gelato was actually born here in Florence. The quality is higher here than in Milan, for instance, and Florence has a gelato culture!’
There are two classes a day, one in the morning, when students enjoy a gastronomic tour of Florence’s Central Market, both the new upstairs space and the more authentic downstairs area, heady with its aromas and local produce. ‘We go and buy the ingredients together. I point out to people how to identify the freshest produce and what is in season,’ says Riccardo, or ‘Dado’ as he likes to be called. After the trip to the market, Dado and his students return to the cooking school on the first floor of the historic palazzo with unique views overlooking one of the loveliest and lightest piazzas in Florence for an afternoon at the hobs, all in English.
The afternoons are less commercial with a focus on cooking skills, primarily aimed at those seeking the knowledge needed for a career in the culinary arts. As a fun challenge, students in the morning are responsible for cooking the lunch for those who arrive for the afternoon course, and afternoon attendees make dinner for people. ‘It’s an extra impetus and people get to learn how to cook in large quantities, too,’ says Dado.
Chef Pinzani explains the school’s ethos: ‘We set up this cooking school firstly as something fun but also to spread an awareness of Tuscan and Italian cooking around the world. Most of the people who come to cook with us are American, Mexican or Japanese—we’re very international.’
The approach at Dado’s Kitchen is simple, conveying a love for Tuscan food, teaching theory, technique and practice, and offering recipes that are easy to prepare and delicious at the same time.
