Santa Margherita Ligure Cooking Class: Show & 4-Course Meal

Learn to cook, then taste what you've made at a local's table

A private cooking class and meal at a local cook's home in Santa Margherita Ligure, where you watch and participate in preparing a 4-course menu (starter, fresh pasta, main course with side dish, and dessert), then eat together with wine and coffee. The experience runs about two and a half hours and is held in English or Italian. Choose between lunch or dinner at checkout.

The experience

You arrive at a local cook's home in Santa Margherita Ligure and step into a kitchen where the day's meal is already in motion. This is not a restaurant kitchen: it's a private space where a Cesarine host (part of Italy's network of home cooks who open their doors to travelers) teaches you how to make the dishes their family has cooked for generations. You'll see the recipes pulled from handwritten family cookbooks, the kind passed down by Italian grandmothers, and you'll have your hands in the work: preparing the starter, shaping fresh pasta, building the main course with its side dish, finishing the dessert. The show cooking means you're watching technique and learning as you go, not just following instructions from a distance.

Once the cooking is done, you sit down at the same table where the meal was made. A 4-course menu unfolds in front of you: the dishes you just prepared, tasted in the order they were meant to be eaten. Water, a selection of red and white wines from regional cellars, and coffee come with the meal. This is where the cooking class becomes a dinner (or lunch, depending on which option you chose), and where the warmth of Italian hospitality the description promises actually happens: you're eating in someone's home, with someone who chose to share their kitchen and their family's recipes with you.

The experience is built around connection, not performance. Cesarine hosts are passionate about what they cook and welcoming to the people who show up curious. The whole thing takes about two and a half hours. Public transportation runs nearby if you need it, and the activity suits all fitness levels. You're cooking and eating, not hiking or climbing.

What’s included

• Private 4-course meal (seasonal starter, fresh pasta, main course with side dish, dessert).
• show cooking instruction from a local Cesarine host.
• water, selection of regional red and white wines, and coffee.

Options for this experience

2 options

DinnerGuide in English or Italian · Available from 2 Jan 2027

LunchGuide in English or Italian · 12:00lunch

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesMonday and FridayDeparts at 12:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (9 and older) · Child (4 to 8 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Cesarine: Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Book the lunch slot if you have a free afternoon in Santa Margherita Ligure and want to spend it learning rather than watching. Book dinner if you're looking for an evening out that doubles as a cooking lesson. Either way, you're eating what you make in someone's home, not in a restaurant. That's the difference between this and a cooking class that ends when the lesson does.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 8 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What exactly do I cook during the show cooking part?

You prepare a 4-course menu: a seasonal starter, fresh pasta made by hand, a second course with a side dish, and a typical dessert. The host walks you through each one using family recipes from their own cookbooks.

Are the wines included, or do I pay extra for drinks?

Water, wine, and coffee are all included in the price. You get a selection of red and white wines from regional cellars to drink with the meal you've cooked.

Can I choose between lunch and dinner, or is the time fixed?

You pick lunch or dinner when you book. Both follow the same 4-course menu and cooking format. The time of day is the difference.

Do I need cooking experience to join, or is this for beginners too?

The experience suits all levels. You're learning from a local cook in their own kitchen, and the host teaches as you go: no prior skill is required.