Making a pretty penne

 "Growing up, she began letting me play with the ingredients with her, even though I wasn’t making anything. And from there she started teaching me how to make things in a proper way. “As my confidence grew, I began looking online for recipes to try and improve upon."

Now Ingrosso is passing on that same knowledge to students attending her fortnightly cooking classes. Ingrosso studied Chinese in college, during which time she traveled to China. Upon graduating in 2007 she moved to Beijing and six months later, she settled in Shanghai.

"I started my own food blog four years ago to give advice on how to cook proper Western food in Shanghai. Of course, back then it wasn’t as easy as it is now to find Western ingredients."

It wasn’t much of a leap from blog to kitchen classroom as Ingrosso quickly set up her Expat Cucina cooking school as a hobby.

Shanghai locals and expats attend to learn how to cook popular Italian dishes in a relaxed, enjoyable fashion. Best of all, they get to eat the meals they make.

Face your fears Ingrosso’s advice for people wanting to learn to cook but who are afraid of taking that first bold step into the kitchen: “Just try it. You need to get over your fears. In life whatever you do you have to push yourself a little and get out of your comfort zone. The minute you do it you can discover so much more. “I’ve had students who had not touched a skillet before coming to my class and now they are returning to my classes because they found that it’s not so bad.” ?For those who are too intimidated to imagine standing over a hot stove, Ingrosso advises just to come along to class and observe. “And the next time you can try to do it,” she adds.

HOW TO FIND IT

Address: Living Kitchen 3033 Kaixuan Road, Xujiahui

Website: expatcucina.com

Expat Cucina holds classes every second Sunday except during the summer when classes are held less regularly. Check the online schedule. An apron and utensils are provided for use on the day.