A Taste of Italy – No Passport Required!
🍝 Buon appetito! Get ready to roll up your sleeves and take a delicious journey through the heart of Italy—right here in Knoxville! Join Chef John Alunni for a fun, interactive Italian cooking experience where you’ll discover the secrets behind fresh handmade pasta, classic Italian sauces, rustic breads, and irresistible desserts. This isn’t a class where you simply watch the chef cook—you’ll be in the kitchen, hands-on, creating your own Italian feast from scratch. Chef John will share his favorite techniques, chef secrets, and plenty of tips to help you recreate these dishes at home. From silky semolina pasta dough to perfectly shaped ravioli and rich, flavorful sauces, you’ll experience why fresh pasta made by hand is in a league of its own. And, of course, no Italian feast would be complete without a little dolce to finish!
🍝 What’s Cooking?
🧀 Chef John’s Four-Cheese Ravioli
Delicate handmade ravioli filled with a luxurious blend of four cheeses, served with a rich brown butter and fragrant sage sauce. Buttery, creamy, and absolutely irresistible.
🍄 Cousin Marie’s Rigatoni
Hearty rigatoni tossed with savory Italian sausage, tender zucchini, and wild mushrooms in a rich and creamy Alfredo sauce. A comforting Italian classic with plenty of flavor in every bite.
🥓 Cousin Clay’s Angel Hair Carbonara
Silky angel hair pasta tossed in a traditional creamy egg and Parmesan sauce with savory pancetta, creating the perfect balance of richness, saltiness, and silky texture.
đź«“ Chef John’s Homemade Focaccia
Learn the secrets to making light, airy, golden focaccia with a crisp, flavorful crust. Perfect for dipping, dunking, and soaking up every last drop of your Italian sauces!
🍋 Nonna’s Lemon Ricotta Cake with Lemon Curd & Almonds
A wonderfully moist Italian-style cake made with creamy ricotta, bright lemon, and toasted almonds served with a delicious lemon curd. Light, delicate, and the perfect sweet ending to our Italian feast.
👨‍🍳 What You’ll Learn
✨ How to make fresh pasta dough from scratch
✨ Techniques for rolling, cutting, and shaping pasta
✨ How to make restaurant-quality Italian sauces
✨ The secrets to perfect ravioli
✨ Tips for making light, airy focaccia
✨ Classic Italian cooking techniques you can use at home
✨ How to create an authentic Italian dessert
🍷 Cocktail Special
🍸 Prosecco Negroni
A sparkling twist on the classic Negroni, combining the bold flavors of the traditional cocktail with bright, bubbly Prosecco.
Available for purchase during class.
👨‍🍳 Your Italian Culinary Guide
Chef John Alunni
With decades of professional culinary experience, Chef John brings his passion for food, family recipes, teaching, and Italian-inspired cooking to this fun and interactive experience.
🔥 Class Format
Demonstration + Hands-On
Watch Chef John demonstrate the techniques, then get in the kitchen and put them into practice yourself! You’ll cook, create, laugh, learn, and—most importantly—sit down and enjoy the delicious meal you’ve made.