Hi from Francesca Maria!

Francesca lives in Bagheria, the 'city of villas', a land kissed by the sun and the sea breeze. Our Cesarina brings Sicilian recipes to the table, rich in contrasts, where sweet is combined with salty, sweet and sour is used a lot and dried fruit is perfect on meat, fish and vegetables. "All this is the result of the cultures that have passed through our land. My cuisine is linked to the traditions of both my area and my family. I only use local products and I hope to be able to pass on to my guests all the passion and love that I put when I cook."

My specialities

Sardine meatballs
Bucatini with sardines
Pasta alla Norma (Sicilian pasta with eggplant, marinara and basi)

Reviews

5.0

91 reviews

: Francesca, thank you for an unforgettable experience. Thank you for opening up your home to us. We had a great time cooking ravioli, fettuccine pasta, and tiramisu. We had many laughs, and great conversation. Thank you Francesca!!
: Favoloso! Molto brava gentile e competente la signora Francesca
: Bellissima esperienza. Ho avuto la possibilita di imparare a fare la pasta fresca e un ottimo tiramisu. Francesca è molto brava e attena a seguirti in tutti i passi della preparazione. Abbiamo poi mangiato insieme quello che ho prepaparto ed era squisito
: [14:17, 25.5.2025] Ayanah Shina: [16:42, 25.5.2025] Nofar Shina: Best cooking class with the lovely Francesca! We booked a cooking class with Francesca, and she made everything super easy from the start—she told us exactly when and where to meet, and even sent us a reminder the day before. When we arrived, she kindly offered us a secure parking spot behind a gate on her property. Francesca welcomed us warmly with an aperitif to start the evening. We also met the other family joining the class—they were lovely, and we all had such a great time together. Unfortunately, we forgot to mention that we’re vegetarians, but Francesca adapted things quickly and kindly. If you have any dietary preferences or restrictions, we definitely recommend letting her know in advance. We made two kinds of pasta and a tiramisu. The menu changes depending on the season, which makes everything even more special. Everything was absolutely delicious—we even got all the recipes and some great local food recommendations! Francesca wanted us to take the leftovers home, which was so thoughtful, but sadly we had to decline since our hotel didn’t have a fridge. (We would have loved to take it with us!) We’d 100% recommend Francesca’s cooking class. She was such a kind and patient host, and explained everything perfectly. Thank you for such a wonderful start to our trip!
: What an amazing time. Our host was warm, friendly and knowledgeable. Had a great time cooking past, learning new techniques and making the perfect tiramisu. No better way to spend a morning/early afternoon!