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'Truffle Lab' Featuring Host of Fungus-Focused Events Opens on UWS

By Emily Frost | April 29, 2016 6:18pm | Updated on May 2, 2016 8:56am
 A new cooking lab devoted to showcasing truffles is opening on West End Avenue.
Truffle Lab NYC
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UPPER WEST SIDE — An Italian company is launching a "truffle lab" on West End Avenue that will feature demonstrations, classes and private events focused on the prized fungus.

Truffle Lab NYC, from by Urbani Truffles, opens Friday at 10 West End Ave. at West 60th Street and will start hosting classes the week of May 9, the company said. 

The lab marks an addition to Urbani's existing truffle shop at the address, which has been in neighborhood for half a dozen years and initially provoked complaints from neighbors who objected to the fungi's strong smell.

The company sought to create a "haute cuisine destination," with the new lab that would entice both top chefs and newcomers learning about truffles for the first time, said CEO Giammarco Urbani.

"Our lab will allow everyone to come together to taste, explore, and learn about the mystique behind the truffle," he said in a statement. 

Introductory classes, like "Truffle Pasta 101," cost $95 each, while classes led by a guest chef run $125. Classes involving dinner, like "Celebrating Summer Truffles" featuring a four-course meal, cost $150. A high-end dinner for a small group, like the "Caviar and Franciacorta" class, cost $250. 

The space can accommodate 40 people seated and 75 people standing, a company spokeswoman noted.

Private events can be tailored to serve large groups for team-building events or high-end dinners with Champagne, with costs ranging anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000, she said. 

When neighbors first complained about the smell, company vice president Vittorio Giordano blamed the criticism on a lack of education and sophistication when it came to truffles.

"Fifty percent of American consumers believe truffles are chocolate, so we have to educate them," Giordano told DNAinfo at the time. 

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