Online Personal Chefs Bring World Cuisine Into Your Home
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NEW YORK (CBSMiami) - Taking cooking classes when traveling is an excellent way to learn how to make authentic dishes from around the world.
Now there's a new way to master the skills to make those iconic dishes without leaving your kitchen.
Alex Martucci and Edgar Hernandez are learning to cook with a real Italian chef in their tiny apartment. But there aren't too many cooks in this kitchen. That's because Chef Paola Martinenghi is in Italy, instructing them via Skype.
"It's super easy, cause you can tell her to stop and then figure out what you're doing wrong or what you might need," said Martucci.
The lesson is through The Chef and the Dish, a fresh approach to cooking classes that delivers chefs from other parts of the U.S. and world to your home.
"You feel as if you've actually transported to a different part of the world," said Jenn Nicken, founder of The Chef and the Dish.
Nicken said in developing program she wanted to bring the same authentic culinary experiences she had while traveling to people who couldn't .
"That doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to taste some of the world's most iconic dishes the way they're supposed to be tasted," she said.
The chefs are chosen both for their abiltiy to cook and teach. Martinenghi, who also gives lessons in person, says she loves the exposure to people from all over.
"The Chef and the Dish allowed me to be an Italian ambassador, very easily around the world through skype. It's so cool," said Martinenghi.
You can shop for a chef and their signature dishes on the website. Lessons start with discussion about the instructor's home cuisine and sometimes a little toast .
Then it's time to get cooking. After 2 or 3 hours, you've added a few tasty dishes to your menu.
"To spend a couple hours together in our kitchen with a chef from Italy, without having to go to Italy and learning how to cook. It was awesome," said Martuccci.
Classes are not cheap, however, they start at $300. But some who hae signed up did so with family and friend to take them together.