Alfredo’s on Folly dives into the art of cheesemaking with private mozzarella classes
by Lorne Chambers | editor
Mozzarella is one of the main pillars of Italian cuisine. It’s in everything from lasagna to pizza, arancini to eggplant parmesan, calzones to caprese salad. Yet, lots of people make their own marinara or alfredo sauces, some even make their own pasta, but very few make their own mozzarella. Most haven’t even considered it or perhaps didn’t even know you could. Isn’t cheesemaking some ancient art that requires lots of time, optimum conditions, and a cave or something?
No, not mozzarella, explains Michael Scognamiglio, owner and executive chef of Alfredo’s on Folly. And it’s surprisingly doable to make yourself once you know how to do it properly. And he’s now offering classes at the restaurant to teach you how.
“I was taught that to truly enjoy “fresh” mozzarella it should be eaten within 24 hours,” says Scognamiglio. “Just think of how long ago store-bought ‘fresh’ mozzarella has been made by the time you bring it home from the store. And in the class, you can taste the difference.”
Before opening Alfredo’s on Folly, Scognamiglio was the owner and executive chef of the popular Italian restaurant Bacco in Mount Pleasant, where he occasionally would teach mozzarella classes.
“They were always fun for the guests and myself,” he says. “Also, I just realized how many families and large groups of vacationers come to Folly, so I figured something like this could be a fun activity for groups coming onto the island. It’s something different from the typical Beach and River excursion experiences that already exist.”
“It’s such an important cheese in Italy, known throughout the country. But taken most seriously in the Campania region around the city of Naples where it’s from,” says Scognamiglio, who has family roots to that region. “Italian cooking is so regional that, for the most part, ingredients that are close to you dictate what dishes you produce.”
For example, the island of Capri, which is located off of Naples is where you find mozzarella in the Caprese Salad, hence the name, Scognamiglio explains. Just on the mainland in Sorrento you find Pasta Sorrentina, which is a baked pasta dish topped with it. And, of course, the most famous dish that comes out of that area using mozzarella is pizza, which is Scognamiglio’s favorite use of the cheese.
“I’m a huge Neapolitan pizza fan. aimple margarita pizza is all it takes for me,” he says.
Scognamiglio says he’s been teaching 1-3 classes per week since he started doing them a little over a month ago. Each private class usually has between six and eight people, but he recently did one for 13. The cost is $60 per person (with a minimum of six people). In each class, Scognamiglio gives a brief description of how the cheese is made, some information about the differences and variations of the cheese, and also a hands-on session of how to pull and make it yourself. Afterward, he personally prepares a two-course lunch with dishes that include mozzarella, of course. Typically, classes run between 1.5-2 hours long.
Alfredo’s on Folly is located at 106 West Hudson Ave. For more information or to schedule a private mozzarella making class, call (843) 633 – 0225 or visit
www.alfredosonfolly.com.
