A trip to Sicily wouldn’t be complete without discovering Palermo, the culinary Mecca of this Italian island! Get to know local host Fulvio who hosts a market tour of Palermo and a Sicilian cooking class using the best local produce.
Tell us about yourself and your foodie story. How did you get into cooking?
I’m Fulvio, I’m from Palermo and I have been living here most of my life, except for a short time that I spent in Great Britain. I have always been in love with Sicilian cuisine and Palermo in particular. My mother passed down this passion to me, and when I was little I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen with her. I am also a local guide and I do street food walking tours in Palermo, a city that ranked number five in the world for the best street food. In fact, Anthony Bourdain used to say that the street food in Palermo is the absolute best!
When and why did you start hosting with Eatwith?
I started hosting with Eatwith about two years ago. I was looking for something that could change my lifestyle, and when I had the chance to enter the world of social dining while utilizing my local knowledge and passion for food, I fell in love with it right away!
Who is your foodie inspiration and why?
My mother is the one who passed on her passion for Sicilian cuisine to me. I learned everything from her and I try to express this love in the dishes that I prepare for my guests. Also, the Italian chef that inspires me the most is Cannavacciuolo, especially for the simplicity and authenticity of his cooking.
What is your favorite cuisine and why?
I cook mainly Sicilian food because it’s my favorite cuisine. I love it because it’s perfect for the Mediterranean diet, because it’s seasonal (we cook only what’s fresh from the market) and because the flavors are always very intense. For example, one of my favorite winter dishes is pasta with cabbage and toasted breadcrumbs. This ingredient was invented in Sicily as a cheese substitute since in ancient times many people couldn’t buy cheese. So we invented toasted breadcrumbs instead!
Tell us about your Eatwith experience. What can guests expect?
One of the most exciting things about my events is never knowing who I’m going to meet! When I do food tours I always say to my guests that Palermo is a culinary Mecca and that they’re going to get to taste street food that is a part of the history of Palermo. And I always tell them anecdotes and stories about the city so that they can get to know it better. As for my cooking class, I really love making people feel relaxed and at home, and I think that this is one of the things that makes my events truly unique.
If you could host a special guest (dead or alive), who would you invite to your table?
Music is an integral part of my events and I make my selection according to the musical tastes of my guests. If I could invite a special guest to dinner I think I would invite Angus Young from AC/DC because he’s my idol and I’d really love to have dinner with him!
What do you want people to take away from your Eatwith experiences?
As I often say to my guests, I like to think that after being in Palermo they remember not only the splendid city but also Fulvio, for the good time that we spent together and for all the delicious food we sampled!
If you’re traveling to Palermo, be sure to check out all of Fulvio’s Eatwith experiences here!
Yesterday, July 16, 2019, my wife and I went to Fluvio’s cooking class and it was better than fantastico! We live in the states, but my family is from Sciacca. So I grew up on Sicilian cuisine. My mom was a very good cook. I am spoiled when it comes to eating good Sicilian food. So my wife and I attend Fulvio’s cooking class and it was amazing. We made tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes bought that morning at the market. We made eggplant two different ways. One we diced and fried that went with the fresh pasta and homemade tomato sauce. The other eggplant was served eggplant ala Fulvio. Fantastico. We made tiramisu. We fried some fresh horse meat (first time eating horse meat), fried potatoes with rosemary, and we drank wonderful wine. By the end of the class, we were life long friends. Fulvio speaks very good English and his music selection was wonderful. His assistant, Luca, was a wonderful man. My wife and I left Fulvio’s house with full bellies and big smiles. All in all a great day and highly recommended. Ciao.
We recently participated in an online cooking class with Fulvio and two other couples from Canada.
Fulvio taught us how to make four delicious courses: legume and lentil soup, baked agnelli pasta with ragu siciliano, sea bass with rosemary potatoes and Tiramisu. We chatted the week before about ingredients.
We not only had fun with everyone but we sat down after and enjoyed our virtual dinner with our friends. We all have lots of delicious leftovers to share with our kids.
We would highly recommend Fulvio. He is patient and organized … and a big music fan.
It was fun to dress up and have a dinner party during these crazy Covid times.
We will do this again for sure. 👍
Ciao for now… stay safe … and Merry Christmas! 😊