Dubai’s first fresh-pasta festival
Think of it as Dubai’s first fresh-pasta festival: four intimate, hands-on workshops and chef-table dinners spread over one long July weekend.
Each session is led by Chef Francesca Guastella—one of Italy’s most influential pasta artisans—who flies in to share the techniques, stories, and flavours behind regional icons like culurgiones, lorighittas, plin and pappardelle ripiene.
You’ll roll, shape, and taste alongside the maestro, then sit down to curated mini-menus that celebrate the dough you just crafted.
Limited seats, maximum flour-dusted fun—because great pasta is meant to be learned, made and eaten together. 💛
Friday 18 July · 7:00 PM
SOLD OUT!
Sardinian Shapes Masterclass
Learn to make three traditional Sardinian pasta shapes from scratch:
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Culurgiones, a filled pasta sealed with a distinctive wheat-ear fold
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Malloreddus, small ridged shells shaped by hand
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Lorighittas, intricate braided rings made with semolina dough
We’ll also fry a few culurgiones for a crispy variation, and prepare seadas—a typical Sardinian dessert made with cheese and a hint of lemon, wrapped in dough and fried, then served with honey.
This is a fully hands-on class, where you’ll work with the dough throughout, get flour on your hands, and finish by tasting everything you made.
380 AED / person · Only 8 seats
Saturday 19 July · 11:00 AM
SOLD OUT!
Egg-Pasta Artistry Masterclass
Learn the secrets of silky pasta all’uovo:
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Ricotta-robiola plin ravioli with butter-anchovy-truffle glaze
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Show-stopping shakshuka raviolo with molten yolk
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This is a fully hands-on class, where you’ll work with the dough throughout, get flour on your hands, and finish by tasting everything you made.
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380 AED / person · Only 8 seats
Saturday 19 July · 18:30-21:30
SOLD OUT!
Pasta Workshop + Dinner
Chef’s Table 1st act
A 1-hour hands-on workshop focused on casoncelli di crescenza—a filled pasta typical of Northern Italy, made with a soft cheese-based filling and hand-folded into a half-moon shape.
The workshop is followed by a 4-course chef’s table dinner curated by Chef Francesca.
Menu:
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Rose-shaped bread pastry with whipped anchovies, lemon–marjoram butter
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Lasagna “nachos” – a playful take on the classic, served as crisp pasta bites
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Casoncelli served with cherry reduction, pecorino cheese fondue, and fresh oregano
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Tagliatelle cake with zabaglione gelato – a traditional egg-based dessert from Northern Italy
450 AED / person WORKSHOP + DINNER
Sunday 20 July · 18:30-21:30
Pasta Workshop + Dinner Chef’s Table 2nd act
In this 1-hour hands-on session, you'll learn how to make stuffed pappardelle with eggplant filling—from preparing the dough to shaping and sealing each piece.
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After the workshop, enjoy a 4-course chef’s table dinner curated by Francesca inspired by coastal flavors and Italian comfort food.
Menu:
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Peach sorbet, served with buffalo mozzarella and basil focaccia
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Mini fried tortelli with a warm tomato "puccina" dip
(a smooth, home-style tomato sauce) -
Stuffed pappardelle served with provola cheese fondue, slow-cooked tomato confit, and basil oil
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Zuppa inglese meringata, a layered Italian trifle with amarena cherry syrup and toasted meringue
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450 AED / person WORKSHOP + DINNER
Ciao 👋 this is Francesca Guastella
Pasta Consultant · Artisan Chef · Founder, Quelladellapasta
Born in 1988 and armed with a degree in Gastronomic Sciences, Francesca Guastella is one of Italy’s most influential voices in fresh-pasta culture. Her love affair with dough began almost by accident in London, where—just after graduation—she discovered the alchemy of hand-shaped pasta and never looked back.
Francesca opened her first pasta shop soon after, quickly gaining a following for her impeccable technique and playful twists on regional classics. Requests for classes and menu advice poured in, inspiring the launch of Quelladellapasta: a consulting studio that now helps restaurants across Italy and abroad design paste-centric menus, train kitchen teams, optimise food costs, and build sustainable, story-rich concepts.
Equal parts craftsman and educator, Francesca travels the globe “with her hands in the dough,” marrying time-honoured Italian traditions with a modern culinary vision. Whether she’s braiding Sardinian lorighittas, filling silky plin, or engineering a new plant-based raviolo, her mission remains the same: to share the joy, science, and soul of pasta—one perfectly rolled sheet at a time.
