Paola Baccetti
Paola Baccetti was born in the town of Bibbiena in the beautiful Casentino valley in Tuscany .

Paola is a typical Tuscan woman who is very passionate about cooking. Her mother was an excellent cook and Paola started learning her skills at an early age. At the age of 11 she spent about a month every summer with her uncle and aunt at their famous restaurant “Dino il Toscano” in Castelli Romani in Rome . she took an active role in their kitchen where they specialized in Tuscan cooking.

She studied to be a teacher and got her teaching diploma but decided to stay with her great passion: cooking and teaching to cook.

In 1987 she decided to open her own restaurant “Porta de' Fabbri” in the old town center of Bibbiena and run this successfully for 10 years. A success thanks to her intensive research of good ingredients and excellent creativity! She enjoys “making people happy with my meals”: Paola now caters for private groups and other than giving the Italian cookery course at Casa Ombuto she also caters for the Casa Ombuto villa rental guests ever since 2003.

Paola also taught “Italian cuisine” at one of the oldest Universities for foreigners in Florence called “Lorenzo de' Medici”. She has also given classes in San Diego and Santa Barbara ( California ) with great success.

Paola and her Swiss equestrian husband Rolando live in a delightful Tuscan farmhouse in the countryside near the medieval town of Poppi with their horses, dogs and their two children Manuele and Alessia. Alessia attended a two-year course in a restaurant school and assisted her mother for 3 years in Casa Ombuto.

To Paola………”Cooking is art”.

Click here to see some of the dishes Paola might make – it also depends on the season and mood of the group what is made!

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