Join Deborah Hansen, Sommelier and Sherry Master, for an eye-opening Sherry Tasting at Dave’s Fresh Pasta.
In collaboration with Valdespino Sherries, Deborah brings her passion and chef skills (she’ll show you how to make an authentic tortilla española during the class!) at a too-good-to-pass-up price. Taste four sherries by Valdespino paired with light tapas for just $30!

Lourdes Smith is a renowned cheese maker with a rich history in the industry. She comes from a long line of cheese makers and perfected her craft for over a decade. Lourdes's passion for cheese making began at a young age, after watching her grandfather pull and stretch the warm curds. Over the years, she has honed her skills and developed unique techniques that have earned her numerous awards and recognition in the cheese making community, as well as supplying all the mozzarella for Dave's Fresh Pasta back in the day. Lourdes's commitment to quality and traditional methods sets her apart. Her dedication to preserving cheese making traditions and her innovative approach to flavor profiles made Lourdes Smith unique in the industry. 

Learn to make fresh egg pasta at home with ease. This is a hands-on pasta making class where you will learn basic dough technique, cutting pasta, and quick ravioli making.  Taste your fresh pasta creations paired with samples from the wine room and take home your handmade bundle of fresh pasta!

If you have ever dreamed about cooking in a professional kitchen with an experienced chef this class is for you!  We are having a dinner party in Dave's kitchen and we want you to not only attend as a guest, but also prepare the meal.  The most hands-on of all our classes, you will be divided into small groups each responsible for a course that will be served at the end of the night.  Chef Jason will set the menu, provide the recipes and direction but the class will serve as the kitchen crew.  Chef Jason will set the menu using a selection of his favorite recipes, and according to what we have fresh in the shop that day!

No other nation can claim more of a historical influence on western cuisine than Greece.  Known for the highest quality olives, cheeses and wine, Greece has always been a culinary forerunner to what we today define as Mediterranean cuisine.  In this class, we will prepare some of the more popular examples of traditional Greek foods.  Stuffed grape leaves, souvlaki, tzatziki, and fragrant slow cooked lamb will be on the menu along with some terrific Greek wines.

Everything you ever wanted to know about stuffed pasta making!  If you have taken our pasta making or sauce making classes, this is the logical next step.  Possibilities for pasta fillings are endless, here at the shop we are always coming up with new ideas to fill a ravioli!  You will learn the secret to a perfect "ravioli dough" and how to make delicious, flavorful fillings from fresh, seasonal ingredients.  We will make a few easy sauces to pair with your filled pastas, then taste it all with some great wines from our wine shop shelves.

When discussing the most iconic pasta dishes of Italy, this traditional “ragu” of Bologna is among the best. Slow braised beef and pork along with a “sofrito” of aromatic vegetables make up the body of this rich and wonderful pasta sauce. Flavored with herbs and lots of red wine and then finished with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese it has been a staple of comfort food to people from around the world. In this class we will demonstrate its preparation. We will also be making the fettuccine used in the dish by hand. The class will mix, knead, roll and cut fresh pasta to pair alongside this truly delicious sauce.

Come see how the sausage is made. In this class we will focus on a few key techniques and recipes to execute this traditional southern Italian staple. We will make the pasta from scratch and by hand, using durum wheat. The class will also be making fresh pork sausage. From the best way to grind pork shoulder to the perfect ratio of seasoning and tips on natural casings, you will get a chance to see it start to finish. Broccoli di Rapa is a slightly bitter green vegetable that when paired with sausage, lots of fresh garlic, and white wine makes a great dish.

Let’s talk about hand shaped pasta. Handmade, from scratch, no machine needed. Southern Italy’s Cavatelli is one of our favorites. We are making the dough from scratch . These “little hollows” are made with a simple mixture of all durum wheat and water. We will look at a few different methods for shaping and forming these pasta gems. Then we will make a classic Vodka Sauce. A little creamy and spicy- it creates the perfect foil for the Cavatelli. 

 If you are looking to up your spaghetti and meatballs game this is the class for you! We will begin by dialing in on what makes a great meatball. Moisture, texture, and flavor. The choice of meats, and the proper amount of bread and cheese to make the meatball you have always wanted to make. We will also be crafting some of the finest spaghetti from scratch using durum and semolina flours and great local eggs. The use of true San Marzano tomatoes to make a standout marinara sauce. Please come to this class, it could be a game changer for your home cooking skills!

Join us for a hands-on pizza-making class where you'll learn how to take your homemade pies to the next level. We'll dive into the game-changing magic of the Baking Steel.

Chef Jason will guide you through crafting the perfect pizza dough, using flavorful San Marzano tomatoes for a classic sauce, and whipping up a decadent black pepper cream sauce that’s always a crowd favorite. We’ll also explore how to make delicious Sicilian-style “grandma” slices, and talk about why cheese selection (and the right toppings) can make or break your pie.

To top it all off, the Wine Room has a curated lineup of our favorite pizza wines—perfect pairings for every slice you create. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned home cook, you'll leave with new skills, full bellies, and a serious love for homemade pizza.

Spend an evening in the kitchen with Chef Jason exploring the world of pasta sauces broken down into three types: olive oil, tomato, and cream.  Jason will demonstrate techniques and give you tips and ideas you can use for everyday or special occasion meals.  Throughout the class, you will sample the sauces with our fresh pasta and wines from the store's collection.

Jingle Bells are ringing Folks! Come spend some time in the DFP kitchen and make this Christmas Eve Classic. We will start by making fresh pasta in the old-world style. Fashioning the spaghetti dough by hand, using hand cranked machines for cutting. Sauced with spicy seafood made with clams, mussels, shrimp, anchovies, scallops, calamari and cod in a San Marzano tomato sauce. All seven cousins will be in the sauce, no substitutions. Nanna would have it no other way. We are making one big pot of it, so come with your big boy pants on. This Frutti di Mare/Zuppe di Pesce has been a staple on the Christmas Eve Table of Italian Americans for many years, and holds a dear place in our hearts. 

Located in northern Spain near the French border, Navarra is famous for growing beautiful vegetables, making delicious wine, and preparing amazing food - and the running of the bulls in Pamplona!
-Roncal cheese tapa with roasted red peppers.
-Leeks Vinagreta, poached leeks finished in a sherry vinaigrette
-Baby Artichoke with jamon

Located in the Northeast, on the Mediterranean coast, Cataluña is a region known for its world class gastronomy, as well as its independence in culture, language, and history.

-Coca (flatbread) with onion & Catalan olives

-Romescu sauce (a savory, rustic sauce - made with roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic, nuts, and vinegar. It’s smoky, nutty, complex- we looove this sauce!!)
-Escalivade, a roasted Mediterranean veggie salad

At the southernmost tip of Spain, Andalucia is the birthplace of Sherry, flamenco, and bullfighting. Andalusians also enjoy a strong tapas culture and a myriad of vegetable and fish dishes.

-Pipirrana Salad
-Fancy Dressed Potatoes
-Clams with jamon and sherry

In the northwest corner of Spain lies Galicia, a lush green place known for seafood (think scallops and octopus!), wild Atlantic seascapes, and celtic influenced culture.

-Tinned Tuna Empanada
-Galician-style Octopus with potatoes, EVOO & paprika!
-Tetilla cheese & pepper melt

A vibrant, beautiful area in Northern Spain near the French border,  The Basque Country and Rioja are known for some of the finest wines and most amazing gastronomy in all of Spain. Unique and easy to fall in love with!

-Pintxos
-Marmitako (a quick, fresh tuna braise)
-Baked piquillo peppers with golden garlic & vinegar

Risotto is not a very complicated dish to make. It can be a bit time consuming and laborious though. You have to “mother” the risotto in just the right fashion for the perfect consistency. In this class we will cover all of these questions. Arborio rice from the Piedmont region in far northwest Italy is what we will be using. We will be preparing three different risottos using the same technique for all three. Creamy Fontina and Tomato with Saffron, Porcini Mushroom and Fire Roasted Egg Plant are the risottos on the menu.

We pride ourselves on always bringing creative and innovative flavors when it comes to our ravioli fillings and our sauces. There are times however, when you crave the classics!

In this class we will be handcrafting ravioli dough from scratch. Rolling it out on old-world style hand crank machines. Crafting the ravioli by hand using local ricotta. We will examine the tips to making a great tomato sauce. 

Using old world style hand crank pasta machines, we will start this class by making homemade pasta. We’ll examine the proper technique and method to produce the best pasta for these great Roman pasta dishes.

Cacio e Pepe or “cheese and pepper” sounds so incredibly simple. However, it is a ballet of temperature, starch development, and hydration. The proper method for preparing the pepper in a very special way will also be looked at. And the cheese. We will show you what cheese or cheeses we think makes this dish perfect!

Homemade, from scratch pasta, made without a machine! This is where the greatness of gnocchi lives. Its humble simplicity is very much a “learned simplicity”. Let us show you how to do it. We will look at how to properly mix the ingredients into a dough. We will hand roll and cut each gnocchi in the Old-World style. There are many different styles of gnocchi. Roman gnocchi is made with semolina and cut into forms from a polenta like cake. In Paris it is made with eclair paste and is piped into boiling water. In this call however we will be making two of the most iconic styles. The classic potato gnocchi with a San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh locally made mozzarella. And ricotta gnocchi with a decadent brown butter and sage sauce.

Where the new meets the old! Popularized recently by Stanley Tucci , this spaghetti from the Amalfi/ Sorrento area of Italy has been having  a moment on the internet. Chef Jason’s grandfather hails from the Amalfi coast and owned The Cafe Amalfi next to Symphony Hall for years, so we feel like we may have Mr. Tucci beat 😊 We will make the spaghetti from scratch using durum wheat and locally sourced eggs. Fried zucchini, fresh herbs and a combination of Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano,  round out this southern Italian gem of a dish.

Starting with the highest quality pasta is essential to crafting this Roman classic. In this class we will be making fresh pasta from scratch. Using only durum wheat flour and eggs from our local farms. We will knead, roll, and cut the spaghetti. We will look at the use of “guanciale” , an Italian cured and dried pork and how it adds to the dish. Bring the egg yolks to the perfect temperature before adding them to the steaming hot fresh pasta. Then of course the use of Pecorino Romano and Parmigiana Reggiano cheese to complete this titan among pasta dishes. 

Here at Dave's we are lucky enough to have some of the finest mushrooms available.  Whether fresh or dried, we are cooking with mushrooms every day. Porcini, portabella, shiitake, chanterelle, you name it, we are using them.  In this class, we will look at classic flavor combinations in mushroom recipes. Pairing them with dry sherry wine and fresh thyme. The technique of cooking mushrooms "au sec" or until dry to concentrate their natural umami flavor. We will use the mushrooms to make dishes of both Italian and Asian in inspiration.

MARDI GRAS NIGHT!  TRADITIONAL CREOLE & CAJUN COOKING

Come celebrate Mardi Gras with us in the DFP kitchen as we delve into the beloved food of New Orleans.  We will make some Creole classics like Jambalaya with shrimp and Andouille sausage, as well as a Cajun style Gumbo.  Dave's famous Muffaletta sandwich will also be on the menu, as a customer recently told us that our is better than the Decatur St. original!  What exactly is the difference between Creole & Cajun?  Come find out why the food of New Orleans is so special and unique, we'll supply the beer, you bring the beads!