Toscana Saporita Cookery School

Our Staff - Passionate…warm…knowledgeable…and fun!

Sandra Lotti - Owner and manager

Sandra Lotti is known throughout Italy for her cookbooks on Tuscan regional cuisine. She has also co-authored with cookery school co-founder and cousin Anne Bianchi and is a regular contributing writer for prestigious Italian cookery magazines, as well as appearing at New York’s finest culinary institutes including James Beard Foundation House, French Culinary Institute, la Cucina Italiana and Degustibus Cooking School. Lotti is the owner and managing director of Toscana Saporita Cooking School, and is available for private cooking lessons and demonstrations outside of the cookery school terms. Lotti embodies the essence of the Italian spirit in her warmth, her zest for life and her passion for great food.

Janine DeMarco - Visiting chef

Janine DeMarco is a New York born and bred pastry chef who has worked at Broadway’s landmark Marriott Marquis Hotel, NYC, and the prestigious Garden City Hotel on Long Island. Chef DeMarco also specialized in creating chocolate confections at Reisterer’s Bakery – US Retail Bakery of the Year. She currently manages a well-established dessert shop on Long Island designing and producing unique dessert menus for private parties. Chef DeMarco enjoys visiting and sharing her culinary inspirations with Sandra Lotti and the students at Toscana Saporita cooking School.

Alessio J M Da Prato - Chef instructor

Alessio J M Da Prato attended the Istituto Professionale G. Minuto in Marina di Massa as well as the Intensive Culinary Program in Pietrasanta, where he graduated in 2004. After having worked as a sous chef at the Hotel Royal in Viareggio and in local restaurants, Alessio joined the family run business where he is one of the chefs. He has travelled to the USA to take part in several cookery events and to London for the Moretti Beer Launch in 2005.

Christopher Covelli - Chef instructor

Celebrity chef Christopher Covelli is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City. He also attended Esade University in Barcelona, Spain, and Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. A man of boundless energy, Covelli has run and owned various restaurants. Alongside other commitments, Covelli is currently the Executive Chef and General Manager for Cosimo’s Too! restaurant in Sarasota, Florida where he serves Seriously Good Italian! He’s also a regular on ABC 7 TV in Sarasota, Florida. Covelli teaches cooking and pastry technique at Toscana Saporita and has been involved with the cooking school for a decade.