Finding a genuinely hands-on kosher experience in a European capital usually means lowering your expectations. Rome flips that script. On our family trip through Italy, we spent a morning in a Trastevere kitchen making pasta from scratch, and it turned into one of the highlights of the entire trip.
The place is Fresco by Nonna, run by Neman Collection, and it delivers exactly what a kosher traveler wants: real Italian technique, a warm host, and food you can actually eat. (We also stayed at a kosher bed & breakfast with Neman Collection on their invitation, right in the heart of Rome’s Jewish Ghetto… more on that in a future article.)
A Kosher Kitchen in the Heart of Trastevere
Trastevere is Rome at its best. Cobblestone lanes, ivy on the walls, and a short walk from the old Jewish Ghetto. Fresco sits right in the middle of it. Nofar Kashi, who owns the operation and hosted us personally, met us at the door and made the night feel less like a booked activity and more like dinner at a friend’s home. We walked in to fresh bruschetta and coffee, the kind of welcome that sets the tone immediately. The kitchen is styled after an Italian nonna’s, with a vintage marble table at the center, aprons waiting, and a personal workstation ready for each of us.
Cooking Roman Jewish Cuisine From Scratch
We worked directly with a chef who walked us through making pasta dough from scratch. Flour, eggs, hands dirty, the whole process. From that dough we made two shapes, ravioli and fettuccine, rolling and forming each one ourselves before cooking them in sauce. This is Roman-inspired Jewish cuisine, and it shows on the plate. Roman artichokes ran through multiple dishes, the kind of cooking that traces straight back to the Ghetto down the hill.
Alongside the pasta we put together a fresh salad, and the chef guided us through building a proper tiramisu from the base up. Nothing came premade. The food was flat-out delicious, and you leave knowing you could recreate it at home. Fresco sends a digital recipe book so you can.
The Table, the Garden, and the Limoncello
Once everything was ready, we sat down and ate what we made, served on bright Amalfi-style ceramic. This is where the experience earns its reputation. Sharing a full Italian meal you built with your own hands, at a table set like a celebration, hits differently than any restaurant. We left completely full. That is the part worth stressing: this is entertainment and a real dinner in one sitting, not a tasting you eat around later. We capped the night with shots of homemade limoncello, and the whole evening wound down slow and easy.
Why This Belongs on Your Rome Itinerary
Kosher options for travelers usually top out at finding a place to eat. Fresco by Nonna is an actual activity, one that works for couples, families, and groups, and one that fits neatly into a Rome itinerary that already includes the Ghetto and its kosher restaurants. Better yet, it doubles as dinner, so you get your evening out and your meal covered in one shot. The certification is legitimate and long-standing, the food is genuinely delicious, and the hosting is the kind you remember.
If you keep kosher and you are heading to Rome, book it.
The Details
Fresco by Nonna is located at Via Garibaldi 71 in the Trastevere district of Rome. The three-hour workshop is capped at 14 guests, with early bird pricing at 109€ (down from 129€) and payment on arrival. The class is kosher certified under the Rabbinate of Rome as cholov yisroel, pas yisroel, and bishul yisroel.
Book directly through Fresco by Nonna or via Neman Collection. If you speak to Nofar, tell her Dani from YeahThatsKosher sent you.
Add Comment