Baking and Preserving Sicily

with Sarah Owens

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When

May 11 – 16, 2026

Price

Single Room: € 4,100

Double Room: € 7,500

Example Program

3:00 to 5:00 pm | Arrive and settle into your rooms

7:30 pm | Welcome aperitivo and dinner with the group

9:00 am | Breakfast around the table

10:00 am | First kitchen session. An introduction to Sicilian heirloom grains and sourdough baking techniques and some seasonal spreads and salads

1:00 pm | Late lunch al fresco (weather permitting) to enjoy the bounty we cooked together

2:30 pm | Afternoon break to rest, relax and enjoy the surroundings

5:00 pm | Meet to forage in the garden and move into the kitchen to explore making some syrups and infusions using ingredients

8:00 pm | Dinner around the table

7:45 am | Visit to the local shepherd to see the fresh ricotta and pecorino making process with a picnic breakfast

11:00 am | Return home for a walk through the ornamental gardens followed by a Sicilian cheese tasting and light lunch

1:30 pm | Afternoon to rest, relax and enjoy the surroundings

3:30 pm | In the kitchen to make preserves and jams followed by delicious dinner around the table

9:00 am | Breakfast bounty using your breads and jams

10:00 am | Prepare hearth-style sourdough loaves using Sicilian flours. Learn to make a chilled (Spanish inspired) bread and almond soup. Finish up preserves that were macerated overnight

1:00 pm | Lunch around the table and shaping of your breads

5:00 pm | Tasting and tour at the Tasca D’Almerita winery followed by dinner

9:00 am | Breakfast around the table

10:00 am | Baking sweet treats: biscuits, breads and more

1:00 pm | Lunch around the table

5:00 pm | Prepare pestos using foraged ingredients and toppings for pizza. Learn to make vermouth. Bake pizzas and hearth breads made the previous day

9:00 am | Breakfast

10:00 am | Goodbyes and departure

Planned activities and schedules may change at short notice due to seasonal rhythms of life in Sicily.

Info

Included

Accommodation
5-night stay at Case Vecchie or in one of the nearby cottages.
Shuttle Transfer
Group shuttle service from/to Roccapalumba train station, upon request.
Meals
All meals are included. Lunch and dinner are served with wines from the Tasca d’Almerita estate. Typical menus and cooking lessons feature three or four courses.
Excursions
Guided visits and local experiences as indicated in the program.
Lessons
All cooking classes and other activities specified in the course schedule.

Not included

Transportation
Private transportation to and from Case Vecchie is not included. Take a look here to know what is the best way to reach us.
Flight
Airfare is not included.
Insurance
Travel insurance must be arranged independently by participants.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate guests with celiac disease or a vegan diet due to the limited availability of specific ingredients in our rural and isolated location.

Join James Beard award-winning author, baker, and preservationist Sarah Owens for an adventure of baking and preserving with Sicilian ingredients.

As the surrounding countryside of Case Vecchie brings the colorful spring bloom landscape rich with culinary inspiration, you will learn its history and study its terroir utilizing ingredients in both traditional and modern contexts. We will not only go deep into its grain culture, but also wine and cheese making, very important products in the Sicilian food landscape. Learn to make sourdough breads and pastries using Sicilian heirloom grains as well as preserves to take home as delicious memories for the months ahead.

Sarah Owens

Sarah Owens is a James Beard Award–winning author, baker, and founder of Ritual Fine Foods, known for her focus on heirloom grains, fermentation, and traditional preservation methods. Originally trained as a horticulturist at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she brings a botanical lens to her culinary work. Her debut cookbook, Sourdough, won the James Beard Award and reflects her passion for seasonal baking using long fermentation techniques. Owens has since authored Toast & Jam and Heirloom, blending personal storytelling with time-honored food practices. Through workshops and international collaborations, including a bakery project supporting Syrian refugees in Lebanon, she promotes food as both nourishment and cultural connection. Her work invites a deeper understanding of terroir, tradition, and the healing power of naturally fermented foods.

I loved everything, beyond beautiful surroundings, fabulous food, wonderful instruction and opportunity to learn about Sicilian cooking, as well as the knowledgeable and very helpful staff. The flowing wine and other guests, who just happened to be amazing also added to my exceptional experience!

B.W

That was such a great experience and it was so much fun to be with all of you during the week. Please extend my thanks to the entire team who made things so fantastic. I can't wait to get started in my own kitchen!

C.H.

Everything about the week was worth the effort to get there and the planning was well worth it. It was a week of gourmet eating. The participants were all enthusiastic about being there and that helped make the overall "experience".

S.M

The people I met: both the staff (kind, energetic, happy, informative) and the other folks in my group. Gathering around the table and laughing, learning and sharing stories is what stands out. And the fact that roosters crow all day which I didn't know. The setting is truly special as well - felt worlds away from the distractions of everyday life and instead in a rich, hands-on learning environment.

S.M

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and thought the standard of the course was exceptional. I have taken other cooking classes in other countries, and this course was by far more authentic, serious, in-depth and has inspired me.

J.S.

My stay at Casa Vecchie absolutely confirmed for me that my future is in food, I cannot thank them enough for solidifying that for me. My stay at Casa Vecchie absolutely confirmed for me that my future is in food, I cannot thank them enough for solidifying that for me.

J.C.

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