Cooking Class for Two or Three in Sofia with Chef Nikolay Nemigenchev

A cooking class for two or three in Sofia is a chance to share more than a meal: spend a few hours exploring aromas, unfamiliar flavours and fresh inspiration together. In Chef Nikolay Nemigenchev’s kitchen, recipes have stories behind them, and each dish offers a new way to experience food. Choose your companions and the culinary tradition you would like to discover.

The themed classes explore French, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Each one combines practical techniques with an introduction to food culture, an understanding of ingredients, and the rituals of cooking and serving. Follow your own tastes, curiosity and mood when choosing a class. Beginners and more experienced home cooks are welcome; what matters is a willingness to take part and an openness to authentic flavours.

French cuisine: classic techniques and complete menus

The French programme comprises three different classes introducing one of the world’s most influential and refined culinary traditions. With Chef Nikolay Nemigenchev’s guidance, you will work on fundamental techniques and signature dishes. Each class is designed around a balanced menu, creating a complete experience rather than a collection of unrelated recipes.

Dishes across the programme include Escoffier-inspired classics such as Burgundy-style chicken and a savoury cheese soufflé. It also features specialities associated with Lyon, including fillet Rossini, beef fillet with fondant potatoes, and prawn bisque. Desserts explore vanilla, pears and croquant. These dishes are distributed across the different French classes; they are not all prepared in a single session.

Italian cuisine: two journeys through regional cooking

The two Italian classes introduce different regions and their distinctive food traditions. The first covers arancini, homemade risotto and fresh pasta, alongside Ligurian focaccia and cornmeal biscuits from Pianezza. Together, the savoury and sweet recipes offer a varied introduction to regional Italian cooking.

The second class focuses on Emilia-Romagna, celebrated as one of the heartlands of Italian gastronomy. It offers carefully considered interpretations of familiar dishes: melanzane alla parmigiana, ravioli with Parmesan and ricotta, and a contemporary tiramisu made with homemade ladyfingers.

The Italian sessions are also about the atmosphere around the kitchen table. Conversation, laughter and the pleasure of cooking together bring the recipes to life. You experience a much-loved food culture through sharing and participation, rather than simply following a set of instructions.

Japanese cuisine: three classes for a deeper understanding

In Japanese cooking, precise movements, texture and flavour are closely connected with presentation and the cultural meaning of food. Three themed classes with Chef Nikolay Nemigenchev introduce this tradition and offer a progression towards more involved preparations. Depending on your interests and experience, classes can be taken separately or in sequence, although the third is designed for participants who have completed the earlier levels.

The first class builds a foundation. You will learn to make tempura with a light, golden, crisp coating, alongside Japanese matcha cheesecake with white chocolate ganache. It is an introduction that combines close attention to texture with a different approach to dessert.

The second class develops your skills through salmon nigiri, with particular attention to proportions and texture. You will also work on tonkotsu ramen, known for its deeply flavoured broth and rich, velvety body. Japanese matcha cheesecake returns, this time with a different presentation.

The third class takes participants who have completed the previous two levels further into Japanese cooking. You will prepare tori paitan ramen with a richly flavoured, velvety broth, as well as noodles with the right elasticity. The menu also includes tonkatsu: crisp pork served with a special homemade tonkatsu sauce. Dessert brings together roasted black sesame ice cream and sesame biscuits with a full, earthy flavour.

Hands-on cooking, not a demonstration

Every participant cooks. This is a practical class, not simply an opportunity to watch the chef prepare dishes. You will carry out assigned tasks in an environment that reflects a working kitchen, with its own pace, organisation and demands. The experience is recommended for people who are interested in cooking and ready to take an active role in the lesson.

The advertised duration is four hours, but the actual running time depends on the group’s pace. A class may therefore finish later than scheduled. Each session ends with a shared tasting of the dishes you have prepared, giving you time to enjoy the results and exchange impressions with the other participants.

You leave with knowledge and recipes, but also with memories of making something together. Cooking becomes a way to connect with traditions in which food is part of cultural identity, communication and emotional expression.

What the experience includes

• A selected cooking class with Chef Nikolay Nemigenchev for two or three people, according to the chosen package.
• All ingredients and working materials needed for the class.
• An apron for use in the kitchen.
• A welcome drink.
• A glass of wine and a soft drink.
• A shared tasting of the finished dishes at the end of the session.

Alcohol is served only after the cooking has finished, during the tasting. No alcoholic drinks are served while participants are preparing food, helping everyone stay focused and keeping the working environment safe.

Participants, location and reservations

The class takes place in Sofia and is for participants aged 18 and over. Your package covers two or three people, but this is not a private lesson: you join a group with other participants you may not know. A group of 12 is required for the class to run.

Advance reservations are required, with at least 24 hours’ notice before the start. Your chosen theme and date must be agreed when booking. The provider allows free cancellation up to 120 hours before the reserved session begins.

Published programme for 2026

The calendar includes the following dates and themes. Some dates have already passed, so confirm a current date before planning your visit:

• Thursday, 23 July 2026, 17:00 — “The Secrets of Authentic Italian Cuisine”, option 1.
• Thursday, 30 July 2026, 17:00 — “Classic French Cuisine”.
• 1 August 2026, 13:00 — “Italian Cuisine: Emilia-Romagna”, option 2.
• 13 August 2026, 17:00 — “French Cuisine: In the Footsteps of Auguste Escoffier”.
• 22 August 2026, 13:00 — “The Secrets of Authentic Italian Cuisine”, option 1. The listing labels this as a Thursday, which does not match the calendar date.
• Friday, 11 September 2026, 17:00 — “Classic French Cuisine”.
• Saturday, 19 September 2026, 13:00 — “Japanese Cuisine”, option 1.
• Sunday, 20 September 2026, 17:00 — “Japanese Cuisine”, option 2.
• Saturday, 17 October 2026, 13:00 — a session with the incomplete published title “The Secrets of Authentic…”.
• Saturday, 24 October 2026, 13:00 — “Japanese Cuisine”, option 1.

Confirm the full class title, date and start time when choosing your session, particularly where the calendar contains an incomplete title or a discrepancy.

Give a shared culinary discovery

Choose an Adventico voucher for a cooking class for two or three in Sofia, whether for time together with people close to you or as a gift for someone who loves discovering new flavours. The voucher is an invitation to take part, not a confirmed booking for a specific date. Attendance must be arranged in advance under the conditions for running the class.