Have you ever taken the opportunity to indulge in a cooking class? Maybe you wanted to hone your skills, or maybe you simply were in it for the experience of cooking a new cuisine. This past January, the wonderful world of Zoom came in handy! As sickness spiked across the nation and here in Wichita, we were able to still have our cooking class, and Zoom made it possible … virtually! Six familiar faces enjoyed connecting, learning, and crafting Italian pastas and sauces together with guidance from Kristina Grappo, local owner of Viola’s Pantry.

 

Violia’s Pantry is a quaint little shop located in the same center as The Workroom, located at 150 N. Cleveland. Step inside the shop to get a whiff of what’s cooking! Everything is made fresh and from scratch! You’ll find pasta staples like your traditional spaghetti and fettuccine as well as colorful ravioli filled with delicious homemade ricotta, or other seasonal delicacies.

During our class, we learned a variety of fun things such as technique and ingredient information, but also about Italian food history and tradition. Orecchiette, meaning little ears, was the first pasta we constructed. It hails from Puglia, a region located in the heel of the boot in Italy. Next up, was Malloreddus from the Sicily region, which was a fun one to make because you could use different tools to make patterns, such as a fork or textured glass. Pici was our third and final pasta which resembled a fat spaghetti and is from the Tuscany region. "The browned butter sauce on the pici with Parmesan was sooo good,” commented Lakepoint neighbor, Angie Coady. Others added to the creativity even outside class time with the pastas and sauces that were crafted. “I loved the red Pomodoro sauce and used it to make Shakshuka for a birthday breakfast the next morning! It was delicious,” shares Christine Vermeeren. “I’m looking forward to making more.”

 

"I can’t wait to take a class with Kristina in her shop! I enjoyed the bits of Italian history/culture she shared about the differences in northern and southern Italian food.” – Angie Coady, Lakepoint neighbor

 

“Wow, that was fun, Mom! Can we make pasta every day?” – Carson Sowders (5)

 

Be sure to check out their social media pages to stay up to date on what fresh new pastas and sauces are available for purchase! Thank you, Kristina, for your wonderful hospitality.