learn the art of making pasta

Learn how to make different shapes of pasta including potato gnocchi (and gnocchi di zucca…pumpkin gnocchi…in the autumn), tajarin (Piedmont’s traditional egg-yolk pasta that is similar to spaghetti), ravioli al plin (traditional small ravioli with the dough pinched to seal in different selections such as vegetables, cheese, and meats) with talented local chefs who share their professional knowledge and tips. Included you will receive written instructions to remember all the variations that you have learned during the cooking class. You will be able to take these skills home and wow your friends with your own homemade pastas.  Afterwards we sit down to a lunch or dinner eating all the food that we have made together and pairing different wines to match the different flavor profiles with each dish. We have heard many fantastic comments from guests and we look forward to welcoming you to share this wonderful in depth and local experience.

All photographs copyright 2020, Clay McLachlan

enjoy a delicious feast of antipasti, pizza, and secondi at Villa san LORENzo using local ingredients cooked in the wood fired pizza oven

Enjoy a private pizza party at Villa San Lorenzo.  Partake in the pizza making from start to finish or just eat and relax!  Clay has studied the fine art of pizza making developed in Naples.  Pizza nights are an ideal way to kick off your stay at Villa San Lorenzo.

We use organic flour, grown and milled locally in Piedmont, Italy.  The process begins with our own sourdough starter and takes approximately forty-eight hours to complete the rise before we bake them in our wood fired brick oven.  Pizzas included traditional margherita DOP, marinara, homemade pesto, local prosciutto, focaccia with rosemary,  and fresh farm eggs and black truffles.  Buon appetito!

All photographs copyright 2020, Clay Mclachlan www.claymclachlan.com

take a guided tour with your wine glass as we explore piedmont's legendary wines while relaxing in the comfort of your villa

Piedmont is well known for its famous wines. Clay’s love of wine and work as a food and wine photographer has led him to spend the past twenty years exploring the wine regions of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and India.  This knowledge led him here to Piedmont where he as been cultivating lifelong friendships for more than a decade with local Piemontese wine producers.  Let us introduce you to some of the most interesting and innovative wines and wine producers from the Langhe including Barolo, Barbaresco, Alta Langa, and Dogliani, as well as the Roero, Alto Piemonte, Asti, Monferrato, and the Colli Tortonesi wine regions that are all found within the borders of Piedmont. 

All photographs copyright 2020, Clay McLachlan.  www.claymclachlan.com

learn how to make your own sourdough starter and DIFFERENT breads using local artisanal flours that you can find back home

Learn how to make your own naturally leavened bread.   Use ancient grains and create from scratch a sourdough starter. You will never have to buy bread again. 

Clay has been perfecting his bread making skills for five years years. He wrote and photographed about his experiences as a baker for Edible Marin and Wine Country.  He has worked hard to create his own pasta madre or sourdough starter, an active yeast created simply from mixing flour and water.  Since living in Piedmont, he has focused on sourcing his ingredients from local producers and is thrilled to share his discoveries with fellow bread lovers.   Einkorn, or Monococo in Italian, wheat is grown and milled a the nearby organic farm, La Ghiandaia, in Bonvicino.  Clay recently published a book with Clarkson Potter and Jovial Foods using this wonderful ancient grain that has never been modified and is absolutely delicious and low in gluten for those whom are gluten sensitive.

hands on chocolate making class with a master chocolatier

Spend the morning learning how to temper chocolate and then how to make unique specialty chocolates with an extremely talented chocolate maker, Eugenio Truffa, who has more than thirty-years of experience.  We will visit the workshop at Pasticceria Truffa and see how everything is made and then have a huge sampling of all their delicious goodies at the shop in Bossolasco.