Tutore, an Italian cooking school, has opened in Chicago. Founded by Dean Zanella and James De Marte, two acclaimed chefs with over 75 years of experience in the culinary industry, Tutore offers a rotating, weekly class schedule on Thursday through Sunday. All classes are open to the public and range from basic techniques and tips to recipe-specific and ingredient-focused classes for any skill level. Acclaimed local chefs regularly come in for collaborations. All classes are BYOB. Snacks are provided. Private events are welcome.
Chef Zanella tells Appetito about the mission for Tutore, which opened earlier this year:
"In general, Americans do not know how to cook and are intimidated by the thought of making good food because we do not have the culinary traditions like they do in Europe, and specifically Italy, but I think we are slowly headed in the right direction. Many people I talk to want to cook better and are interested in learning but do not know where to start. So we decided to help people cook better, and our goal at Tutore is to not just teach people a few Italian recipes but rather the proper culinary techniques that Italian cooking implements. By learning these skills, they will realize how easy and fun cooking can be and then they will enjoy being in a kitchen making beautiful risottos and gnocchi which seem so difficult to most people. Like La Cucina della Nonna, we want to pass on our knowledge and secrets that will allow people to recreate the true flavors of Italy."
A complete list of courses can be found here. Updates and photos are available on their Instagram account.
For a taste of their recipes, Tutore has shared with Appetito a hearty autumn Wild Mushroom Ragu recommended to be paired with homemade Ricotta Cavatelli.
