Sunday lunch was always special when we were growing up. Whereas my Aussie friends would tuck into a Sunday roast or perhaps a BBQ, us Italians all over the world would sit down for the big family lunch - and the star dish of this shared meal was always a plate of pasta with sauce.

The preparation for the lunch was a morning-long affair, with all hands helping. Actually, really it was only the females in the household (ours at least) that were helping.  What made it special beyond a plate of pasta was that it was often home made pasta, made from scratch. There was love in its making. The Mama and often Nonna of the house would get no greater pleasure than have the family enjoy their food.

So it is only fitting that this workshop, Artisan Pasta - Ravioli and Cannelloni, happens on a Sunday morning. Even better that it be held on a winter's Sunday morning when thoughts are more with good food, shared with lovely people, than outdoor activities. 

So the stage was set. We had the winter's morning, one of the coldest in Melbourne for decades. We had the ingredients for the pasta and the fillings. All that was left was to welcome the lovely people who wanted to prepare and enjoy good food. 

The six participants certainly came keen to learn. Some had made pasta before, others not, but all came to have fun, learn some new techniques and enjoy themselves. And they were all fast learners, from the basics of making the pasta dough, kneading it, extruding it and then cutting to shape for the cannelloni that we made for our lunch and the ravioli to take home. Different fillings were made: chicken and vegetable, meat and ricotta; and spinach with mixed cheeses. They worked so well and efficiently that we could take a break for some morning tea and we finished earlier than most groups. That meant lunch was relaxed and enjoyed with a glass of wine, after a bit of antipasto of home made Italian-style preserves. Lots of chat, laughs and sharing of experiences.

Eating pasta made Italian-style - full of passione and amore!