In-Person Cooking Class
Italy by Ingredient: Baccalà (Salt Cod)
Fri | Jan 23, 2026 | 6–10P PT
Teacher Viola Buitoni
Best-kept secret on the Italian pescatarian table? Baccalà. Salt cod.
This salt- or air-preserved delicacy makes Italy swoon. We have yet to find an Italian whose eyes don’t fill with stars and longing at the thought of mamma’s baccalà! And from Venice to Naples and Palermo then back up to Piemonte by way of Tuscany, you will find as many recipes for this fish as there are mammas.
Our resident Italian is no exception. Viola Buitoni will guide you through the journey that brought baccalà from glacial northern European waters to sunny southern tables. She will teach you how to best revive, cook, and serve this marvel of the sea.
This class concludes with a bountiful shared meal of all you have learned to cook with your classmates, accompanied by curated wines, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Menu | Recipes
Baccalà
Basic Instructions
Baccalà mantecato alla veneziana
Whipped Venetian-Style Salt Cod
Crostata di baccalà e patate
Baccalà and Potato Tart
Baccalà alla perugina in agrodolce
Sweet and Sour Perugia-Style Cod Fish
Corzetti al baccalà e porcini
Ligurian Corzetti with Salt Cod and Porcini
Filetti di baccalà alla romana
Roman-Style Salted Cod Fish Fillets
About the teacher
Viola Buitoni
VIOLA BUITONI, chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. The stories and knowledge from six generations cross with the best of California agriculture and the finest Italian food imports to infuse her dishes, and her teaching.
Viola’s opera prima, Italy by Ingredient - Artisanal Foods/Modern Recipes was released by Rizzoli in September 2023, to great acclaim.
Viola has taught Italian cooking since 2009, after years as a chef and caterer in New York. She is the resident Italian instructor at The Civic Kitchen and has led classes at venues across the U.S. and Italy, including the Culinary Institute of America, Eataly, and Milk Street.
In addition to teaching and leading culinary tours in Italy, Viola serves as a food advisor for San Francisco’s Italian Consulate and Cultural Institute. Her writing has appeared in La Cucina Italiana and Italy Segreta.
In 2020, the President of the Italian Republic awarded her the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia for her work to further the culture and business of Italian food.
Viola is a longtime resident of SF’s Mission District, where she lives with her husband and son.
More about Viola 
