TV Chef, restaurateur and author Giancarlo is often referred to as ‘The God Father of Tuscan cookery’. He first came to prominence on the BBC TV series ‘Return To Tuscany’ and has since cooked on TV shows like ‘Market Kitchen’, ‘Sunday Brunch’ , ‘Saturday Kitchen’ and many more. He is the founder and owner of Caldesi in Marylebone, Caldesi in Campagna and La Cucina Caldesi, the cookery school in Marylebone and can regularly be found running the restaurant kitchens and cookery classes sharing his passion of Italian food.
Our Tutors
Meet some of the people behind the scenes
Giancarlo Caldesi
Favorite Italian recipe
Tuscan Wild Boar Ragu
Favorite place
Montepulciano
Katie Caldesi
Katie has immersed herself in Italian cookery since she met Giancarlo over 20 years ago. Together they have written 15 recipe books together most of which are on the food of regional Italy. Her book ‘The Italian Cookery Course’ is one of the most comprehensive cookery books on Italian food and was nominated for a James Beard Award.
Favorite Italian recipe
Roast quail on saffron and Porcini risotto
Favorite place
At her friends Livia & Nello’s farm in Gracciano, Tuscany
Stefano Borella
Stefano has worked in many establishments over his career including “San Lorenzo”, “Savoy Hotel”, “Churchill Hotel”, “Mayfair Hotel”, and presently “Caldesi” restaurants. He has a passion for patisserie and Italian food which comes from his father who was Head Chef at San Lorenzo. He is a former winner of The Awards of Excellence in Pastry in 1997 and a member of The Academy of Culinary Arts. Having been involved with all of the Caldesi’s projects including Katie Caldesi’s cookery books, Stefano has an extensive knowledge and genuine love of Italian food.
Favorite Italian recipe
Osso Buco with risotto milanese
Favorite place
Parma
Visiting Chefs
We are lucky enough to have a regular flow of visiting chefs, all from different walks of life and yet all with the same uniting passion for Italian cuisine, each of them bringing something different to our school.
Ursula Ferrigno
Ursula has been teaching for twenty years up and down the country and abroad. She has written seventeen cookery books, as well as writing for numerous food magazines including Taste Italia, American Gourmet and Olive.
Ursula feels if you love something it is instinctive to share and this is why she relishes teaching so much. She finds pasta making fun to teach as well as real Italian bread with crust and crumb and flavour; and adores nothing better than teaching her students how to make an array of national and regional breads from ciabatta and focaccia to volcanic stromboli.
Favorite Italian recipe
Freshly made papparedelle with mushrooms & truffle
Favorite place
Minori, full of childhood memories
Carmela Sereno Hayes
Carmela is a passionate cookery tutor who specialises in the art of making regional pasta. Carmela is known as a pastaia (specialist pasta maker) and is also an event cookery demonstrator, recipe developer, food writer and author of two beautiful cookery books ‘A Passion for Pasta’ released May 2017 and ‘Southern Italian Family Cooking’ Out Now! Cooking simple, inexpensive, seasonal, flavoursome dishes whilst using good quality seasonal ingredients is her mantra.
Favorite Italian recipe
Lasagna layered with boiled eggs, meat sugo, mozzarella and Parmesan, NO bechamel sauce
Favorite place
Any Italian food mercato really but the Rialto mercato has to be a favourite of mine, I could spend hours walking around
