Francesca Maria
Cesarina from 2021My speciality: Bucatini with sardines
I live in: Palermo
Spoken languages: Italian and English
Good to know
I offer vegetarian alternatives
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)
Experiences
Reviews
5.0
29 reviews
- We decided before our trip to Palermo that we wanted to experience a Sicilian cookery class. I looked online at a few but Francesca's really stood out as traditional, homely, fun and welcoming. She didn't disappoint. We made fresh pasta together, she showed us around her garden and we ate. The pasta was delicious. She showed us how to cook with simple ingredients and make a couple of traditional Sicilian pasta dishes, we will definitely be making at home! Without doubt, this was the highlight of our holiday, and when we return to Palermo again, we will return to make different dishes. Grazie mille!!
- My husband and I had such a lovely dining experience with Francesca. This was the first time we’ve ever done an experience like this and I would recommend it to everyone! The food was absolutely amazing, best of the whole weekend spent in Paloma. It was also so nice to talk with Francesca and learn more about her and Sicily and the local foods. She was so helpful and welcoming and I hope we get the chance to go back and do this again with friends!
- Francesca was the perfect teacher to learn how to make pasta. It was a special experience for us and we can definitely recommend the course. We had a lot of fun and good conversations. Francesca is a lovely person, so we felt always comfortable.
- All the dishes were very, very delicious. You can find that Francesca has put a lot of thought into making sure the guests enjoyed the appetizer, main course, and dessert. She provided us with warm and considerate hospitality. we enjoyed local cuisine, experience cooking, and have a meal while talking about various things with her. All of them will be good memories. I think it was truly a “special experience”. Especially recommended for people traveling alone. When you feel unsatisfied with eating alone, I think it's a great experience to have Francesca's home-cooked food while feeling like you're in a warm home. I highly recommend her for traveling with children. I think it's a better experience for both parents and children to cook food together and talk while eating, rather than yelling "sit down and eat!" at a restaurant. My advice to those who are unsure about what to eat because they have picky eaters is that you can request in advance from Francesca what you cannot eat or what you would like to eat.
- Francesca was amazing! Such a good teacher. Patient, kind, wonderful. She taught us so much and shared so many stories with us. Would recommend to anyone visiting.
Hannah & Nathan - April 2024
Rachel - April 2024
Eva - March 2024
Migee and Ken - January 2024
Erica - December 2023