'Cooking queens' enjoy camaraderie while trying new recipes

The main recipe for the "Cooking Queens" event held at the Lakewood Ranch home of Angela Massaro-Fain on June 23 went as follows.

Eleven cups of camaraderie, a dash of laughter, a pinch of silliness and a sprinkling of love.

Massaro-Fain, who wrote her "Bacio Di Cucina" cookbook to benefit the Sisterhood for Good nonprofit she founded, hosts the class as a social event as well as a chance to pass down her family's traditions.

The 10 women who attended on June 23 all said they are pretty good cooks themselves but that the class is a can't-miss social event, along with a chance to learn new recipes.

Although most of the women in attendance were Sisterhood for Good members, the class is open to anyone who wants to learn the finer art of Italian cooking along with spending time enjoying the process with friends, both old and new.

The attendees each threw in $11 to buy the ingredients, and any leftover money went to Sisterhood for Good.

Lakewood Ranch's Julie Benjamin said she is a good cook but that Massaro-Fain "takes it to another level."

She also noted that while it was fun learning to make manicotti from scratch, she probably would continue to buy store-bought pasta.

"I have three kids," she said of her lack of time to make recipes from scratch.

Kathy Osterberg said she enjoys the class because it is "a team effort."

However, she also won't hesitate to make any of the recipes at home.

"Angela makes it simplistic," she said. "There isn't anything I can't cook."

Brenda Kleiber said she returned for a cooking class because of the eating and drinking and good company.

"Angela is fabulous," she said. "She has it all mapped out."

The June 23 menu included spinach salad with strawberries and candied sliced almonds, homemade manicotti with meatballs and sausage, and blueberry and lemon tart.

Anyone who is interested in a future class can reach Massaro-Fain at [email protected].