Tuscan dining with craft beer pairing

A SPECIAL DINNER ARRANGED AT YOUR TUSCAN VILLA
Looking for a unique dining experience during your stay in Tuscany? Treat yourself to an unforgettable in-villa lunch or dinner that blends the rich culinary heritage of Italy with the bold flavors of locally crafted artisanal beers. This experience offers a delightful alternative to the traditional wine and food pairing.

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Your private chef will prepare a delicious three-course meal featuring traditional Tuscan dishes made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Each course is carefully paired with an organic, locally brewed beer, to elevate the flavors of both the food and the beer.

Start your meal with a classic Tuscan appetizer, such as crostini or fresh pecorino cheese paired with honey, accompanied by a crisp, light beer. For the main course, savor hearty options like ragù over handmade pappardelle or tender beef stew with local herbs, complemented by a malty amber beer or robust pale ale. End on a sweet note with a typical tart or cake, paired with a slightly sweet or spiced beer to balance the flavors.
Some of the dishes will be also cooked in beer!
You simply need to inform us about any possible food restrictions or intolerances and we will pick to best typical and traditional recipes for you. The selected beers come from an organic brewery on the hills around Peccioli and an informative leaflet will be provided to get a full insight to the production.

This three-course beer pairing experience celebrates Tuscan cuisine while offering a fresh perspective on food pairing.
Enjoy the comfort of your villa and let your personal chef create a memorable culinary journey that highlights the best of local flavors.

The cook, an authentic Tuscan Mamma or Granny with a big passion for cooking, will create for you the same dishes she prepares for her family, making you feel like home.
The service is available for lunch or dinner, any time. The cook will bring all ingredients into your kitchen and prepare the whole meal following family recipes and recipes of the Tuscan tradition.
All is made on site using the equipment provided by the villa and bringing any extra tool, if necessary.

Booking a private chef service with us you’ll experience authentic Tuscan cuisine, enjoy meals that reflect the delicious, genuine flavors of the region, nothing luxurious or extravagant, but rather warm, honest, and lovingly prepared food.
We are happy to share with you a friendly and down-to-earth food experience that gives to you a true taste of Tuscany

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL MEAL SERVICES

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US

At Arianna & Friends, our cooks are not just culinary experts; they are friendly local individuals who bring the warmth of family cooking to your table. Rather than serving elaborate dishes, they craft meals using cherished traditional recipes, creating an experience reminiscent of home.
Our cooks arrive equipped with fresh ingredients, prepare the meal on-site, serve, and conduct a thorough cleanup, leaving your kitchen and dining space as they found it. Bread is always included, as well as a salad along with the second main courses when they don’t include vegetables already.

We provide in-home chef/cooking services and bring our own utensils and tools. However, we utilize the villa’s resources to set the table and serve the food. Tables, chairs, cutlery, glasses, or plates are not included. Additional arrangements can be made at an extra cost with an external provider.

WHAT WE ASK OF YOU

• Access and Timing: Please, ensure permission for our cooks to access the villa and kitchen. Please, ask the villa manager/owner BEFORE booking the service. Confirm that the villa is accessible at the agreed-upon time to avoid additional fees for waiting time. You find this information in the confirmation voucher.
• Preparation: Please, Leave the kitchen clean and free from personal items for prompt service. Additional cleaning time will incur an extra fee.
• Table Settings: Provide the correct number of table settings for your party size (chairs, cutlery, glasses, tableware). We will utilize only what is available.
• Punctuality: Please, be at the table on time; delays will result in extra charges.
• Service Gaps: if you book a full formula service, where the staff serves the food at the table, we plan for a 10-15 minute gap between the serving of one course and the serving of the next one. Delays from your side will be charged extra.
• Extended Services: Please, inform us in advance if you plan to have a long dinner with additional activities such as speeches, singing and dancing. We’ll provide a personalized quotation for extended service hours.
• Children’s Meals: If serving children first, expect an extra hour of service, charged accordingly.
• Menu choice: You are asked to choose a single menu for the entire group. Each course counts as one dish. For example, a three-course meal means choosing three dishes.
• Different menu choice: If you’d like to have different menus for different guests, this is possible at an additional cost. Please note that all food is prepared on-site, and a rental villa kitchen is not a restaurant kitchen, so additional preparation time will be required.
• Allergies and Restrictions: Communicate any food restrictions or allergies at the time of booking. Last-minute changes are not possible.

Extra Charges:
Delays result in a €15/half-hour (€30/hour) charge per staff member

If your party consists of 1 to 4 people, there will be 1 or 2 staff members, depending on the chosen menu. For parties of 5 to 15 people, 2 to 3 staff members will assist you. For groups of 16 to 30 people, the team will include 3 to 5 staff members.

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This is a list of specialties that you are likely to sample as part of the program of this experience. Please, note that the specialties of the menu prepared during the experience may vary according to the season and the availability of the products in the day of the event.

Artisanal beer

Artisanal beer

The most exclusive and delicious beer brewed in Tuscany by a small family run business that makes use of geothermal power only or by a microbrewery right in the middle of a salt mine, or else very fragrant beers deriving from an organic production of grains…

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Bruschettas

Bruschettas

A plate of mixed bruschettas, topped with fresh tomatoes, cheese and sausage, arucola and lemon juice or simply extra virgin olive oil. Bruschettas are very common appetizers in all Italy and in Tuscany they are commonly called crostini. You can top grilled bread with almost anything that comes to your mind and served varied and […]

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Bruschettone al cavolo nero

Bruschettone al cavolo nero

Kale is a great topping for a bruschetta after sauteing in extra virgin olive oil and garlic. It is seasoned with black pepper and it can join cannellini beans. Probably the most delicious produce of Tuscan autumns, it is one of the favorite recipes of all lovers of brand new extra virgin olive oils as […]

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Fagioli all’uccelletto

Fagioli all’uccelletto

The most delicious recipe in the Tuscan winter: a very rich dish with a base of cannellini beans in a tomato, garlic and sage base added with Tuscan sausage. Great with bread or potatoes, some people like adding also fresh Tuscan sausage to this recipe making it a very complete dish!

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Insalata di farro

Insalata di farro

A great Super Food from Tuscany: the Farro. The spelt salad is a delicious salad based on boiled farro (Italian for a grain called “spelt”, similar to barley) and dressed with seasonal fresh vegetables like tomatoes, pickled artichokes and carrots, olives and capers.

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Pappa al pomodoro

Pappa al pomodoro

One of the most delicious specialties of Tuscany: a base of red tomato sauce and garlic and stale bread make a thick bread soup, dressed with extra virgin olive oil and finished with leaves of basil or sage. It is fundamental for the bread to be really hard and a fresh vegetable stock is ideal […]

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Panzanella

Panzanella

One of the most delicious fresh Summer salads of Tuscany, based on bread and fresh vegetables like cucumbers, onion, tomatoes and basil and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and Tuscan vinegar. Originally a way to reuse old bread, it has recently become one of the most iconic super-foods of Tuscany.

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Pasta alla boscaiola

Pasta alla boscaiola

Boscaiola sauce is a very tasty topping for every kind of pasta. A base of Tuscan sausage, tomato paste and vegetables added with pine nuts, mushrooms and olives.

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Pizza margherita

Pizza margherita

The most famous of all Italian foods: a pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and basil, typically called Margherita. According to tradition, the name derives from the visit of queen Margherita to Naples the first time after the whole country of Italy was unified. As the Italian national flag has 3 colors, this pizza […]

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Ravioli al Pesto di Noci

Ravioli al Pesto di Noci

The most typical peso from Tuscany is based on dried walnuts. Starting from a piece of garlic in a typical marble mortar, the walnuts are minced into small pieces, added of starchy water and cheese, olive oil and black pepper. It is a very rich and fine topping for typical ravioli

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Risotto agli Zucchini e Fiori

Risotto agli Zucchini e Fiori

The best risotto for the Summer months: Risotto agli Zucchini e Fiori di Zucca. Thinly sliced zucchini and zucchini blossoms on a base of parsley, garlic and extra virgin olive oils, rice slowly stewed with the help of vegetable stock and finally dressed with Parmesan cheese and some pinenuts: divine!

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Risotto ai funghi

Risotto ai funghi

A great gluten-free recipe particularly appreciated by the Tuscans in the Fall and Winter. Mushroom risotto can be prepared on a base of chanterelles, portobello, champingons and of course porcini mushrooms. During the proper season people also enjoy truffle based risotto.

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Organic pecorino cheese

Organic pecorino cheese

Pecorino cheese is the most famous cheese from Tuscany. It derives from sheep milk, from which the name comes: in Italian sheep is “pecora”. It can be fresh or long-aged and its taste can vary from mild to very sharp.

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You will have one of our chef and an assistant in case of group more than 5 people.
Please, see below which cooks you are likely to encounter.

Ester

friend

Ester

Ciao, I'm Ester, one of the cooks of Arianna & Friends'. I've been working with them since the beginning of their adventure in 2007. I love cooking together with people from all over the world, especailly with young kids. What I prefer to cook is pasta dishes, pizza and desserts, like for example the stunning cake I made to celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary. I live, like Davide (my nephew), in the little village of Lajatico, birthplace of Andrea Bocelli and from my home I can hear his voice and see something when Teatro del Silenzio takes place in July. I live on a farm and I have chickens, rabbits, a large vegetable garden. I make my own olive oil and wine together with my family. I hope to be able to cook with many of you in the years to come and teach you a lot of our typical Tuscan food.

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Silvia

friend

Silvia

Ciao, I'm Silvia, one of the youngest cooks at Arianna & Friends'. Cooking is my real passion and I like to prepare any traditional dish both for visitors and for my family. I also love baking pizza as well as trying innovative food and special contemporary techniques, especially in my kitchen at home. When I started working for this company in 2018, I met an incredible team of collaborators and with them I finally feel joy and serenity in what I do. Any time I work as a cook I can breath freedom and this makes me happy. As I really love the sea, in my free time I like being at the beach. I have a passion for travelling and being in the company of my friends. I could define myself as a "free spirit" with a big attraction to ... hats !!! Looking forward to meet you all!

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Lorena

friend

Lorena

Good morning everyone! I'm the cook Lorena. I started working with Arianna & Friends a few years ago when I retired, because someone set me up. You must know that Arianna is a good friend of my daughter Martina and they had this brilliant idea of asking me to cook for Arianna's tourists. Well, I coulnd't say no! Arianna tried my food for the first time when she was still at school with my daughter and she knows that I can cook very well!! ahahah The food I prepare is purely Tuscan: I don't use and butter or lard, but just EV olive oil, from Tuscany of course. People say my meat ragu is excellent, but also my Cacciucco - Livornese style fish soup - is simply fantastic. I make preserves and the best lasagne ever! I live in Pontedera, the town of the vespa. I'm in my early 70s and last year I got married for the second time! I like music from 40s 50s and 60s like Glenn Miller, King Cole, Frank Sinatra etc. etc. I cannot speak English, even if I tried to attend some English classes in these last few years... I ended up chatting about food with the other students! But no problem, when I'm with some guests in their holiday home preparing a meal, I always have my little dictionary with me that helps a lot in the conversation. I look forward meeting you all again soon!

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Carlo

friend

Carlo

Mi chiamo Carlo, the only "boy" among the chefs of Arianna & Friends. I am a cousin of Lorena, who has worked with the company for long now and who introduced me to them back in 2022. I live in Pontedera, home of Vespa, and I have been cooking all my life, since preparing delicious food has always been my great passion. In my working age I was an operator for an insurance company, so I know plenty of local people and I am very friendly and talkative. I then retired and decided to dedicate myself to the things I like the most: cooking and joining friends. I have limited Enlish but miraculously all our guests can easily understand me through my body language and face expressions. I will be waiting for you for great barbecue dinners and traditional dishes of all kinds!

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Elisabetta

friend

Elisabetta

Hi everybody, ciao a tutti. I am Elisabetta and I am the youngest one among the chefs of Arianna & Friends. I have been working with the company for several years, initially just as a sous-chef and eventually as a proper chef. I have accumulated many years of experience while learning from all my other colleague chefs, but I also added my personal taste and knowledge to the whole. I am really happy to be part of this team and to be able to meet people from all over the world. In my free time I enjoy the company of my lovely puppy for long walks or just hanging around for shopping. Ciao a presto!

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Paola

friend

Paola

Hi everybody! I am Paola, a talented cook who is never tired. I have been cooking all my life both privately and in the kitchens of a series of restaurants in the area I live in, near the central town of Empoli. I joined Arianna & Friends in early 2022 as the whole world was recovering from the difficult years of the pandemic and as the company was quickly restarting its operativity. I was very glad that I could join such a dynamic and friendly team and share with them all my knowledge and passion. I deal with cooking classes and chef services in all the region together with the various story-tellers and chef assistants who participate in the service. In my free time I enjoy cycling in the spectacular Tuscan hills that surround my home town. I can't wait to cook for you an unforgettable meal!

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Margherita

friend

Margherita

Eccomi! My name is Margherita, mother of 2, who lives in Santa Croce sull'Arno. I was born and raised in the fantastic wine region of Fiano, Greco and Taurasi, namely some the best wines from the South of Italy. I have been living in Tuscany for decades and I have always cooked both for my families and for several restaurants. My very mild and sweet personality is able to create a very relaxed working ambience and my guests really appreciate this atmosphere. I am a curious person who likes learning and I am ready to share my knowledge with all visitors who take on a cooking class or a chef service. Grazie a tutti!

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Mariagrazia

friend

Mariagrazia

Maria Grazia, in our team called MG, is a very positive thinking lady who works as a sous-chefs at Arianna & Friends, when she is not busy helping children get born. In fact she is also a professional obstetrician! A nice irony in her character, combined with an intrinsic calm when working, create an incredible effect during the services provided.

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Anna

friend

Anna

Buongiorno a tutti! My name is Anna from San Miniato, a historical town in Tuscany famous also for its delicious white truffles. I met Arianna and Massimo in the early 2000s, when we were all working at a local agriturismo: I was at the reception while they were starting their career as event organizers and food tour operators. As their company was expanding we had several occasions for cooperating until I finally joined the team more stably in 2022. I now deal with accountancy and coordination of all the chefs for the many services a day that we arrange. I spend most of my free time at sea as I now live in Livorno, a beautiful harbor town.

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