Labriola Ristorante in Oak Brook brings the kitchen to your table with gnocchi-making classes

Diners who don’t mind getting their hands dirty, or at least a little sticky, can learn the art of making gnocchi and then enjoy a four-course meal at Labriola Ristorante in Oak Brook.

The eatery, at 30011 Butterfield Road, will host gnocchi-making events from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Oct. 20 and 21, with more classes being added in the future.

“People always leave saying what a great time they had,” said Chris Favero, who frequently leads the classes and is COO of parent company Doughboy Restaurant Group. “Usually they’ve got three or four glasses of wine in them at that point, so of course they’re having a good time. But they leave excited, ready to go home and make their own delicious gnocchi.”

During the hands-on class, Labriola chefs guide guests step-by-step through mixing, rolling, cutting and shaping fresh gnocchi from scratch.

Following the class, guests can sit down for a four-course dinner, featuring an appetizer such as arancini, followed by an Italian salad. Then comes a tasting trio of tomato cream, short rib and pesto gnocchi. The evening ends with the restaurant’s house-made cannoli.

“The goal is to teach people a skill that they can replicate pretty easily at home,” Favero said. “You don’t need any special equipment. The ingredients that you need can be found easily in local grocery stores, and it’s something that they can do for holidays and create family traditions.”

Tickets are $55 per person and include a welcome cocktail and wine service. Space is limited to 20 guests per event, and tickets are available on their website.

While potato-based gnocchi might be the most common, Labriola makes the ricotta version that cooks up pillowy soft.

“It’s much lighter, much less dense and much easier to make by hand,” Favero said. “Also, it freezes extremely well, so if you wanted to make a five-pound batch and set aside some for dinner that night, and then go ahead and put the other four pounds in the freezer, it’ll hold up very well.”

The simple recipe starts with flour with a little salt and pepper, to which you add ricotta cheese, pecorino Romano cheese and some egg yolk.

“It’s so simple and straightforward, and something you can do with your kids or grandkids,” Favero said of making gnocchi at home.

Labriola’s house-made gnocchi follows the ethos of founder Rich Labriola, who started his restaurant career as a baker.

After founding Labriola Baking Company in 1993, Rich Labriola opened Labriola Bakery & Cafe a few doors down from its current location in Oak Brook in 2008, serving a variety of sandwiches served on his artisan breads, including the eponymously named Richie Burgers on pretzel buns, as well as Neapolitan pizzas.

In 2024 he combined the concept with his existing LaBarra restaurant in the same shopping center and rebranded as Labriola Ristorante. His Doughboy Restaurant Group also has a Labriola location on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

“Rich is, in my opinion, probably the greatest baker of his generation,” Favero said. And he’s seen a few in his four decades in the restaurant business, including over 34 years with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

“His expertise is unmatched with anybody I’ve worked with before, and that baker’s attitude informs everything we do,” he said. “It’s high-quality ingredients and strong technique.”

The menu features Italian-inspired entrees and small plates, sandwiches featuring the house-made breads, imported and house-made pastas as well as pizzas, with options including traditional Chicago thin crust, Neapolitan, Chicago deep-dish and a gluten-free crust.

“Richie and I both started out helping our fathers make pizza,” Favero said. “Pizza’s still our first love.”

Guests who attend the gnocchi class will leave with a goodie bag filled with a recipe card, flour, ricotta cheese and the gnocchi they made among other treats.

“So they go home with everything they need to replicate the experience,” Favero said. “We hope they invite some friends over, make some gnocchi together and make some memories.”