Cesarine: Market Tour & Home Cooking Class in Catania

Don’t book this for a market tour

Host was very good and the experience was great, we booked this for the experience of a market tour and we were taken to a supermarket

Response from the operator: Dear Roger,   We are very sorry to read these lines since we always try to do our best in order to provide a great experience for our guests.    The issue is currently being investigated with our Cesarina, My very best wishes,

via Viator

Wet dog and stale smoke avoid like the plague a total rip off

All the images of market tour & cooking class are based around the vibrant fish & meat markets of Sicily. Likewise the indicative recipes were fish & meat dishes yet we saw none of this. We had previously been advised of the time and place to meet our appointed Cesarine and had worked out it was less than 10 minutes from our accommodation in Catania giving ample time for a leisurely breakfast before market tour. On the morning of the event we received a revised place for the meet over 30 minutes away from our base hence no leisurely breakfast. The walk to the location took us through some of the most filthy and run down streets of Catania the pavements were literally covered in dog faeces. We arrived at the designated place and was made to wait in the street, eventually a young man & an older woman came to he door the young man explained his mother did not speak English so he would accompany us for the tour. He then went on to advise that both the fish & meet markets were closed & that we would be visiting a "growers market" instead basically a small fruit & veg market. As the Cesarine did not speak English she told her son to show us around the market while she bought ingredients. Eventually we returned to the Cesarines home & were shown inside to the kitchen & was immediately met with an overpowering smell of stale smoke & wet dog. We then noticed a very large dog in a side room off the kitchen separated by a screen What was more concerning however as the ashtray full of cigarette butts on the kitchen work service. Shortly after arriving at the home the son left us and any further correspondence was via the Google translate app We had specifically requested an English speaking Cesarine trying to communicate via a phone app whilst cooking is just not practical. We prepared three courses both the starter & mains were simply pistachio and ricotta the 1st with bread the main with pasta. The dessert I could only describe as wallpaper paste slightly flavoured with Lemon & yes more pistachio The starter we ate in the kitchen whilst still preparing the main when the main was ready we were moved to the dining room and as soon as the food was served the Cesarine returned to the kitchen turned on the TV a lit another cigarette. The volume on the V drowned out any conversation & the smoke from the cigarette quickly invaded the dining area. As we understand the situation Cesarines are government inspected & registered they need to be licenced to undertake this work. We were told repeatedly by the son that it is highly regulated and they must follow strict hygiene & health & safety guidelines. Not sure how smoking or keeping a large dog in a food prep area complies with these standards When we returned we reported the issues and requested a refund only to be told the Cesarine had already been paid & hence we could not claim any refund The total cost of the day was almost £300 and the cost of ingredients less than £25 best part of the day was leaving the dirty smelly premises & walking back to one of the cleaner areas on Catania

Response from the operator: Dear Claire, We are very sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. It’s clear that the market tour, English communication, and overall environment did not meet your expectations, and we understand how frustrating this must have been. We take hygiene, safety, and guest comfort very seriously, and your feedback about the kitchen and smoke is deeply concerning. We will review this with the Cesarine to ensure these standards are upheld. We regret that this experience was not enjoyable and appreciate you bringing these issues to our attention.

via Viator

The cannoli on top!

This class became a family affair. Chef Gabriela brought her son met us in the city center for the food market. They then drove us to their home where we made wonderful pasta, caponata, and tuna. A nice selection of appetizers were presented with Prosecco. We had wine with lunch and cannolis for desert. The chefs husband took us back to our hotel after our wonderful experience at her warm and welcoming home. I will surely recommend this experience to my friends! Deliciosa!

via Tripadvisor

Excellent cooking & Market shopping experience

Angela and Vittorio were the most amazing hosts of this fabulous experience. They guided us around the bustling and breathtaking market to buy ingredients for the meal we were about to cook. Back at Angela's beautiful and tranquil place, she demonstrated various pasta cooking techniques, and we did our best to copy. It was a laugh. Vittorio translated excellently. Finally, we sat down at the charming table to eat the fruits of our labour. We were truly honoured to spend time with such wonderful people.

via Tripadvisor

Ok

It was fine . We made 2 pastas and bruschetta (which while technically an appetizer I have made before so something more creative for a cooking class would have been better.)

via Viator