We won’t get into the fact that Gratzi at Town Center Mall has a phonetic spelling of the real Italian for ‘thank you‘. (Here’s how to really spell it, and say it.) We forgive them, though because they serve some of the finest Italian food this side of the Veneto. (Well, at least this side of the Kanawha.) Want some tips on how they do it? Gratzi’s chefs are serving up three Saturday ‘Country Italian Cooking Classes’ this fall: Sept. 23, Oct. 21 and Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to about 1 p.m.. You’ll learn how to make pizza dough, Pesto Basilico (a basil, parmesan and pine nut sauce); Malfati Alla Salvia (similar to the potato pasta called gnocchi); Pollo Picata (chicken in a capers-lemon butter-white wine sauce); Panna Cotta (a cooked cream dessert) and Pizza Genovese and Pizza Quattro Formaggi.

The especially nice part is you get to eat the lessons afterward, along with imbibing some wine. The day class costs $49.95 or $75 for the lessons, the meal and the cookbook “Distinctive Recipes from Distinctive Eateries.” Mainstreet Ventures Executive Chef and cookbook author Simon Pesusich with help from Gratzi Chef Larry Riddle will be the maestros with the spatulas. Space is limited and to register call 888-456-DINE or click this web link for Gratzi’s Main Street Ventures headquarters.

– Douglas Imbrogno

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