“ Market to Table is a unique insight into Rome. I have been to the Eternal City many times, but this class was an unforgettable highlight I will be eternally grateful for. ”
Rome is a city that draws tourists from R around the globe like few others. While many travellers arrive armed with lists of must-visit historical sites, I have come to see its markets, and cook local produce guided by three remarkable women. Rome’s ‘Market to Table’ program is the brainchild of Alice Adams Carosi, Rachel Roddy and Carla Tomasi (above). It’s a hands-on experience where these three aficionados, bursting with knowledge about the history of the Roman table, shed light on the diversity of the Italian cucina through the lens of seasonal produce.
Celebrated author Rachel Roddy has written three Italian cookbooks, including the insightful A to Z of Pasta. Not only is she one of the best food writers of our time, she’s also a brilliant cook.
Italian chef, baker and teacher Carla Tomasi has an encyclopedic knowledge of food. A trailblazer of London’s Soho in the 1980s at her restaurant Frith’s, she later moved back to Rome, establishing an extraordinary kitchen garden in Ostia Antica. She has been dubbed ‘the vegetable whisperer’.
Alice Adam Carosi’s eye for detail envelops all these remarkable skills. An Australian living la dolce vita, she is a cook, writer and food stylist who hosts the cooking classes in her Latteria Studio.
has evolved around smallholdings and markets over centuries. A plethora of neighbourhood markets define Rome’s culinary landscape, but our day is to focus on the San Giovanni di Dio market in Monteverde Nuovo. The class assembles at a bar for an espresso; we’re an eclectic bunch of food-focused travellers. We head into the market, crammed with more than 100 vendors, each stall a riot of colour and movement. Globe artichokes, and cavolo nero bring vibrant greens;
