The studio is open!

We’ve been checking weather forecasts as first thing in the morning and countless times during the day for weeks. Then we surrendered, and we decided to postpone to some future date the fettunta party, our annual big party in the garden with friends and food enthusiasts. There was no possible way to host one hundred people under the rain. What disappointed us most was the fact that the Fettunta Party was also the day when we wanted to inaugurate the Juls’ Kitchen Studio, a space where we cook, take photos, film video recipes, which will host authentic Tuscan cookery workshops, short courses in food writing, photography and branding.

So today I am opening the doors of the Juls’ Kitchen studio for you!

Six months have passed since when we had this wild idea: we wanted to restore a portion of our house to create a studio where we could work and host small groups of food enthusiasts for workshops and events. We have devoted so much energy and weekends to realize this dream, we put all our heart in it. We wanted to create a space which could inspire us to do better and where you could feel at home and experience authentic Tuscan life and food.

This space is a new starting point, it’s the beginning of a new adventure.

When we were designing this new space I was worried that it wouldn’t be warm and cozy as my own house, where I’ve been hosting my classes for five years now. I wanted it to be home just as the apartment where we live upstairs. I wanted that our guests could feel at home, too, part of a family. So there must have been my cookery books, my jars of flour and spices, my props and my worn out cutting boards, a relaxed atmosphere and an easy access to the fresh herb garden and the orto, our vegetable garden.

And so it is now. The studio is just a few days old and it’s like I’ve been cooking here forever, it doesn’t smell of paint or new furnitures, but here you can recognize the smell of olive wood, tea and sugar, biscuits in the oven and bread raising. At the centre of the room there’s a table which comes from Tommaso’s family. It was meant to continue to welcome friends in another kitchen. We changed everything to leave the same atmosphere, the same spirit, the same joy of sharing meals, stories and traditions.

We will work with friends and local producers to share projects, knowledge and skills. We want to give a chance to interesting projects and meet passionate people, in the calm of the Tuscan countryside.

We will begin on the 21st of May with a food photography workshop, followed by on the 4th of June by a cookery workshop colazione all’italiana, to learn to prepare cakes, cookies and breads for a typical Italian breakfast. On the 18th of June there will be a Food Writing workshop, too.

Besides these workshops, mainly dedicated to Italian speaking guests, there are my beloved Tuscan cooking classes. As always our cooking classes are hands-on, as I believe that we learn by doing – and after all it’s fun to knead your ball of pasta dough, isn’t it? To get to know Tuscany better, we visit local farms where we have the chance to know the best local typical products such as pecorino cheese, cinta senese porks, chianina cows, wine and olive oil.

But that’s not all! We are working to close the calendar of the year: we will propose new photography workshops and cooking classes with different themes, Sunday brunches to escape the city and relax in the Sienese hills… well, we have a lot in mind, and we also accept proposals and suggestions from you! Subscribe to the newsletter or check the Studio page to stay up to date!

We are waiting for you!

Giulia & Tommaso