Authentic Italian Cooking Class: Hands-On Italian Feast

Learn Italian essentials cookery with Chef Mel


The Happy Chef: Chef Mel
The Happy Chef: Chef Mel
5.0 (5)
Instagram followers 10k followers

3 hours

Class size 1 to 10 (public classes), 8 to 40

  $140 - $155 ($155 per guest when you book for 1+ guests, $140/guest for 4+ guests) (Afterpay available)

In this delightful Italian cooking class, you'll learn to make authentic pasta, gnocchi, rosemary ciabatta, and classic Italian desserts, no stress, just delicious hands-on fun!
Step into the kitchen with Chef Mel, a professional chef and cooking school teacher with over 25 years of experience running successful cooking schools in South Africa and Australia. In this hands-on, beginner-friendly three-hour class, you’ll master traditional Italian favourites in a relaxed, confidence-boosting setting.
Get ready to roll up your sleeves and learn the following cheffy skills:
MENU
  • PASTA: Silky pasta to make agnolotti, /ravioli/tortellini... with delicious seasonal sauces and fillings
  • GNOCCHI: Light, pillowy potato or ricotta gnocchi with seasonal sauces
  • BREAD MAKING: Fragrant rosemary ciabatta from scratch
  • PANNA COTTA: A luscious pistachio or lemon panna cotta
How the class will run:
You’ll work in teams of two, preparing each dish yourselves under Chef Mel’s guidance. Some sauces will be demonstrated by Chef Mel so you can watch and learn, but you’ll take home all the recipes to recreate them confidently at home. Chef Mel will assist you with each step, sharing tips and skills so you leave feeling empowered to cook these dishes again.
Once all the meals have been prepared, you’ll sit down together around to enjoy a beautiful feast of everything you’ve created—celebrating good food, great company and your newfound Italian cooking skills.
Spots fill quickly, so book now and get ready to say ciao bella to fresh, fabulous Italian food made by you! You'll finally have the confidence to enjoy homemade Italian meals for many years to come.
*Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and all other dietary needs can be catered for, but please put this on your booking form.
*If you are requesting to bring a registered care worker, they will need to book in and pay for their spot, as they will be taking up a space as well as enjoying the lesson and the feast of the food we prepare.
What you'll get
  • All ingredients and equipment.
  • Full set of recipes to use for many years to come.
  • Expert tuition from Chef Mel, recipes will be as an eBook.
  • A delicious meal of the dishes prepared.
  • A warm, interactive cooking experience in a relaxed, social setting in Chef Mel's new spot at the commercial kitchen at the Maroochy Community Centre
Knowledge required
Beginner-friendly to advanced. All skill levels welcome.
What to bring
  • Takeaway container for any food you want to take home.
  • Notebook, if you want to take notes.
  • Bring your own soft drinks and water, please
Add-on available for this class
  • Italian Quickies Cookbook ($29)
You can add this when you book (optional).
Suitable for

This class is great for individuals and couples as well as for a date idea, team building activity, Christmas party, birthday or hens party.

Suitable for adults, and kids (minimum 10 years old).

An adult must accompany any attending kids, and must pay for a separate ticket.

This experience would also be a unique gift for her, gift for mum or gift for couples.

Location

Chef Mel 'Happy Chef' Kitchen Studio - Maroochydore Community Centre, Maroochy RSL, George St, Maroochydore QLD

I travel to you!

Your teacher can also travel within 50 kms of Maroochydore, to a venue of your choice for a private class.

Authentic Italian Cooking Class: Hands-On Italian Feast location
Verified reviews



This is one of our newer classes, but here's what guests say about this teacher's other experiences:

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Your teacher

The Happy Chef: Chef Mel
The Happy Chef: Chef Mel

5.0 (5)
Instagram followers 10k followers

I can help YOU become UNSTOPPABLE & KITCHEN CONFIDENT by teaching you CHEFFY SKILLS for life.
Hi! My name is Mel Alafaci. I am the proud founder of Vanilla Zulu cooking school in Brisbane, established 2011. I also founded Gecko Culinary Adventures Cooking School in Durban, South Africa in 2001.
I have been a cooking school teacher since 2001. My passion is food and people, I am a published author and cultural gastronomer...I travel the world and discover cultural food.
I recently created online cooking classes and courses to help level your cooking or cheffy skills. You can do my cooking courses at your own pace, in your kitchen, with me only a message away to help you as you level up your cooking skills and confidence. I am also a published author and have written 13 cookbooks...food is my everything, and teaching is my passion.
I am also excited to announce my new range of online cooking classes through LIVE Zoom sessions...which are perfect to level up the skills YOU want...and these can be amazing team building sessions too!
I also have a range of cookbooks to support your learning. It's so important to learn how to have fun in the kitchen and take all the stress out of learning. All the recipes are tried and tested, perfect for weeknight meals and dinner parties.
It's also perfect if you work in the food industry and need to learn more skills. I have a knife skills course that is FREE when you purchase it, so you can master the fundamentals and boost your confidence.
Perfect for home cooks, foodies and wanna-be foodies, food technology teachers, mining industry, private chefs, private yachts, bed and breakfast or hotel staff, catering staff, students wanting extra help...I guarantee you will increase your cooking skills in the first lesson...and then have the confidence to keep learning.
I also concentrate on food presentation, food matching, and food substitutions. Perfect for various dietaries as I always give gluten-free and vegetarian substitutions where possible.
My courses and cooking classes also covers basic cooking skills, so they are perfect for beginners, intermediate or advanced foodies.
I am always only a message away, and you will have your private learning portal that you can access from your laptop or phone. Along the way, you will receive progress reports and certificates of completion.
If you need a certificate of skills, I also offer a skills assessment so that you can use it for personal development in the workplace...or just to put it on your fridge for your enjoyment...or to show off to family and friends at your next dinner party!
I can't wait to have you as part of my happy tribe.
Here's to happy, delicious cooking...and skills that will last you a lifetime.
Chef Mel

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