DIY Dinner Party

Looking for a new idea? Hire a pesonal chef—not to cook but to teach you and your guests

A little before seven o'clock, Chef Marcella Ansaldo reminds everyone that this is supposed to be a cooking lesson. "When you're ready, I'm ready," she says in a lilting Italian accent. "Just please remind me that there is another focaccia in the oven."

In what seems like no time at all, a heady aromatic blend of roasting apples, melting chocolate, frying potatoes, and freshly baked focaccia has filled the kitchen. I barely notice because I'm concentrating so hard on making pasta. I'm not very good at it -- this much is gently confirmed by Marcella -- but I am determined to at least roll out thinner sheets than the other two guys with flour on their hands.

Meanwhile, our spouses are sipping Italian red, enjoying the turnabout. And I'm thinking, What kind of dinner party is this?