Sicilian Cooking Class: Palermo Market Tour

Immerse yourself in the flavors of Sicily with daily traditional cooking lessons in Palermo. Explore the local market, learn authentic techniques, and enjoy a 4-course meal with Sicilian wines. Perfect for all cooking levels!

Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Via del Noviziato, 29 - Meet near Porta Carini, the entrance to the fabulous Mercato del Capo. Head into the market to pick up anything we need for the lesson, then we walk to the air-conditioned kitchen to prepare a 4 course meal of seasonal Sicilian dishes, made up of a starter, a pasta dish, a main course and desert. Then we all sit down to enjiy what we have made with a selection of Sicilian wines, then we round things off with some coffee and homemade liquors.
What's Included
  • Market Tour
  • Lunch
  • Cookery Lesson
Meal Options
  • Panelle - freshly fried chick pea fritters, served with a squeeze of lemon, a cornerstone of Palermo street food and a favourite of everyone


  • Arancine al burro - a Palermo market street food classic, saffron flavoured rice balls filled with ham and cheese then breaded and fried

  • Carciofi fritti - fresh artichokes, cleaned then quartered, breaded and fried


  • Pasta fresca con salsa fresca - make your own southern Italian style fresh pasta, we’ll top this with some freshly made tomato sauce

  • Pasta con le sarde - a Palermitan classic, pasta with fresh sardines, wild fennel, saffron, currents and pine nuts, topped with toasted breadcrumbs

  • Involtini di carne - thin meat rolls stuffed with cheese, breadcrumbs, currants and almonds, skewered, breaded and roasted, this is a family favourite in any household

  • Pesce spada panato - slices of delicious swordfish dipped in extra-virgin olive oil and coated with breadcrumbs seasoned with fresh parsley, mint and lemon zest

  • Cannoli - the most famous Sicilian dessert, fried pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cream & garnished with candied orange peel & pistachios from Bronte


  • Cassata - THE Sicilian cake! homemade almond paste & sponge cake stuffed with sweet ricotta cream & decorated with candied fruit, a real treat!

  • Granita di mandorle - a simple and delicious frozen desert made simply with water, sugar and almonds


Additional Information

The Family Pantry of Sicily is a culinary school managed by a family and nestled in the core of Palermo’s historical district. We provide day-to-day market tours and cooking sessions focused on conventional Sicilian recipes.

We congregate in the morning at one of Palermo’s most ancient markets, pick up the necessary ingredients for our dishes, then amble over to our air-conditioned culinary classroom to whip up a four-course Sicilian feast, acquiring the skills and tips essential for replicating the meal when you get back home. Following the session, we’ll relish the fruits of our labor, complemented by a variety of Sicilian wines and finished with homemade spirits and coffee.

We firmly believe that the true representation of Sicilian gastronomy is reflected through the freshness and seasonality of its produce, so we go to great lengths to ensure we consistently present the best of what Sicily can give to our attendees.

This is an entertaining and insightful experience, recommended for culinary enthusiasts of any skill level.

We connect at 10:00 and lessons usually conclude around 15:00.

  • Not recommended for people with severe food allergies, please get in touch to let us know of any dietary requirements.
Location
Orlando
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele Orlando
I will meet you at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele Orlando at the corner with the Unicredit Bank Position: 38°07'11.0"N 13°21'09.1"E The meeting point is a 5 min walk from Teatro Massimo, go to the back of the theatre and walk straight up & to the end of Via Volturno.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(209 Ratings)
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Expedition762729
Aug 17, 2024
The Fabulous Sicilian Pantry - This was a wonderful cooking class. We had so much fun and learned a lot. As soon as I got home I made the pasta and got rave reviews from my family. Michael is so engaging and has a great story on Palermo and Sicily and how he chose it as his home. You will really enjoy this class and include your kids too. We were there with a family with three teens and they really had fun. I would have taken another class if time had permitted.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anna_k
Jul 20, 2024
Love that class - Cooking class was an absolute amazing experience, we had a fantastic time with amazing people and atmosphere. Michael was such a talented chef and he passed on so much informations about sicilian cooking. The meals were delicious
Review provided by Viator
Klintong2024
Jul 13, 2024
Great cooking class experience in Palermo, - This class was great, the host Michael made it very enjoyable and taught the basics of cooking pasta and other dishes. It was well paced and picking the food at the start in the market was good too. 3 course seasonal meal, highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Northstar30318842570
Jul 8, 2024
Unforgettable! Wonderful instruction and amazing meal together, enjoying the food we had prepared. Bravo! - Our second class with Michael (our first was 5 years ago). This time we brought our adult daughter and their partner. Michael and his wonderful assistant/collaborator were engaging, instructive, thorough and funny. In a class of 6 they were attentive to questions, different skill levels, and different degrees of involvement. For us two dishes were repeats but we still learned more about preparing them, and the attention to detail in teaching us new dishes was terrific. Michael was very accommodating when we had to contact him about two of us arriving quite late due to un unforeseen conflict; he integrated us smoothly into the remaining tasks. The highlight,of course, was sitting down to a leisurely meal together, swapping stories and experiences, and enjoying lovely wines and their homemade mandarin liqueur. Food was amazing, and the entire experience unforgettable (again!). We’ll be back!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Betty_f
Jul 7, 2024
Cooking with Michael a Sicilian Delight - Michael was exceptional at sharing his love for cooking and using local produce to make traditional Sicilian dishes. We began in the local market and proceeded to his private kitchen to clean, prepare and assemble the ingredients for a delicious meal that we shared with the eight of us. I learned a lot about how to use knives and a scraper tool correctly. A wonderful experience that was made enjoyable for adults as well as my 13 year old great nephew.
Review provided by Viator
Christie
Jul 3, 2024
Memorable and special Sicilian experience! - Wonderful experience! Great food, warm hospitality from Chef Michael and assistant, Alicia. Learned some new cooking techniques. Very organized, fresh ingredients from the street market, innovative recipes, comfortable setting; could go on and on! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
106harveys
Jul 2, 2024
Not To be Missed - If you have interest in food and wish both to learn more about Sicilian cuisine as well as have hands on experience in cooking this is a must. A real addition to our vacation. Chef is personable, knowledgeable and friendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ewa_p
Jul 1, 2024
Great - The cooking class with Michael and Melissa was an excellent experience, I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys cooking, learning new skills and trying new dishes
Review provided by Viator
Jbenami
Jun 26, 2024
Cooking like a true Sicilian - The day flew by! First we went shopping in the market for fresh, seasonal ingredients. Then to the kitchen to prep our panelle, our homemade pasta dough which we turned into cavetelli, a gorgeous broth of tenarumi and cherry tomatoes that our cavetelli went into, tuna meatballs that were divine, and to end class, a melon granita. Perfect day. Chef Michael is extremely knowledgeable. What I liked most was that we cooked like our Nonnas would cook.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
830daras
Jun 25, 2024
Wonderful Sicilian Cookery Experience - This was hands down the best day of our recent holiday in Palermo. If you are keen to shop, cook and learn a bit about Sicilian cuisine this is a fantastic experience. Book it, you won’t regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 7 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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