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The Cuochepercaso (cooksbychance) cooking school is the result of Valeria Vocaturo's passion for home cooking and her desire to create a stimulating, inviting meeting point in the heart of Italian capital open to all those keen to improve their kitchen skills and express their culinary creativity. Enjoying an excellent location in the Prati district of Rome, Valeria's light-filled kitchen is a decidedly positive place, as positive as the bright orange aprons which participants are invited to wear during lessons.

Pupils are able to choose from an extensive program of courses, with lessons covering all types of cooking; from basic Italian to regional cuisine to special-occasion catering. Deeply interested in the various aspects of food culture, Valeria has founded the "La mia cucina di casa" (my home cooking) cultural association, which aims to encourage interest in the world's various culinary cultures and, at the same time, defend biodiversity and oppose the globalization of foods and flavors. On Mondays, students can attend Cuochepercaso's Gastronomic Literature courses, where interesting books of "cooking and the environment" are presented. On Saturdays, Gastronomic History courses studying the evolution of Roman-Jewish cuisine are held; these include guided tours which introduce participants to a very different Rome.

Between lessons, students compare the best cooking utensils on the market, share the addresses of useful shops, recommend restaurants, and exchange family recipes and money-saving tips. Lessons devoted to baking and the preparation of different types of bread and pizza are always popular, as are those dealing with the various cooking techniques (from steam cooking to frying), and the entertaining "food for stars" lessons, during which Valeria, aided by two astrologists, endeavors to create the dishes most suitable for each sign of the zodiac.

Cuochepercaso
Cooking school
Via Germanico, 197
Roma
Tel. +39 063216620
www.cuochepercaso.it