On our Heart of Italy Tour, one of our highlights is spending an afternoon with Chef Alain in a beautiful villa in the Tuscan countryside learning his tricks to making different types of authentic handmade pasta, sauces, appetizers, and — our favorite — tiramisu.

We roll and cut the pasta dough, simmer fragrant tomato and meat sauces on the stove, and wait impatiently for our tiramisu to set in the fridge. By the time we’re finished, Chef Alain is everyone’s new best friend, we’re full to the BRIM, and are ready to take home our new culinary skills and Italian recipes to impress friends and family.

Pasta class in Italy with Chef Alain on our Heart of Italy Tour

In Chef Alain’s normal life, he’s an executive chef in a newly-opened restaurant in his hometown in Tuscany. The restaurant had been open for one month before Italy went on complete lockdown, and he had been super busy with the restaurant opening: testing and refining the menu, and training employees.

“COVID affected my professional life in the most brutal way,” he says. “All restaurants and bars were shut down out of the blue. Without any warning, we were asked to close immediately and stay home. Being forced home against our will, without being allowed to leave…it was a complete loss of freedom.”

Despite having no way to work or earn income, he stayed positive and took advantage of the situation as much as possible. “I spent all of my time playing with my 2-year-old daughter, Blue, gardening, reading books—all things that I normally do when on holiday. And that’s the secret,” he continues. “I decided to look at this time as an extra holiday. This way my mood has always been up. When I start work again, I won't have all of this time to spend with Blue, so trying to remember to enjoy every second.”

What Chef Alain cooking classes look like now! — What Chef Alain cooking classes look like now

He had never taught online cooking classes before, but he immediately came on board when Annie approached him. He says, “Joining the cooking classes for me was more than just having a job with which I could sustain my family, but it also gave me the things I love the most: being with people and cooking.”

And we’re always happy to see Chef Alain’s smiling face on the other side of our Zoom— sometimes we even get to see glimpses of his thriving herb garden out back, or his two pups always circling his feet as he teaches, waiting for snacks to fall.

He’s sure to remind us that no matter what happens in class, “it’s only pasta.”

Check out his upcoming classes and save your spot with him while you can!