Private Tour

Authentic Cretan Cooking Class in Ozlem’s Home in Crete

Overview

Available languages

Greek

English

Turkish

3 hours

Mobile ticket

Ozlem has Cretan, Turkish and Venetian roots, which has greatly influenced her cooking style. Her passion for food started when she was young, she was always curious and would follow her grandmother around the kitchen with a basket gathering wild greens and herbs. Her grandmother taught her to cook using all her senses – smell, sight, taste, feel. She works as a personal chef, participates in festivals, organizes workshops, is a speaker on panels and seminars, and also writes for newspapers and magazines. Apart from cooking, Ozlem also works as a translator and an interpreter, she has translated 19 books so far!

- Home cooking class in Crete with a local expert

- Learn to cook traditional Greek food using family recipes

- Enjoy a traditional Cretan meal inspired by memories of family gatherings

- Get insight into Greek history and culture through the food

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Public transportation options are available nearby

If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions or cooking preferences please advise at time of booking

Menu may vary depending on the season

Private, personalized experience

Lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options are available, please advise at time of booking if required

Please check the 'Before you go' section on your voucher for the Google Maps link to the exact location

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

This is a unique opportunity to visit the home of a local and explore traditional culture and cuisine. Join Ozlem for a hands-on cooking class in her home kitchen in Roustika, a charming village in central Rethymno, Crete, with rich Venetian history and stunning architecture. In your two hour Cretan cooking class learn to make artichokes with peas and meat or fish or stuffed vegetables or Cretan chicken pie and a wild green salad. Or you can learn to make handmade pitas with a filling of your choice (greens or Cretan cheese or meat). Please let Ozlem know your preference in advance. She will also share stories behind food that you're cooking and tip and tricks that she learned from her grandmother. After cooking, sit down together to share the meal you helped prepare.

Sample Menu

starter

Select any 1

Wild green salad or Sautéed wild greens or Cretan rusk salad

main

Select any 1

Artichokes with peas and meat or Mousakka or Shrimp Saganaki or Cretan chicken pie or Chania vegetable pie

starter

Select any 1

Pickled artichokes or Marinated sardines or Snails or Stuffed veggies or Fish with okra

dessert

Kazandibi

An Ottoman sweet

What‘s Included

Home-cooked Greek meal

All Fees and Taxes

Private Cretan cooking class with your host Ozlem

Hotel pick up and drop off.

Options

Cooking class and lunch

Reviews

5.00

11 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

A feast in the making
Karyn Arno G,,May 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A truly delightful and delicious experience. If we had stayed just a few more hours, we would have been part of the family. Ozlem welcomed us warmly into her kitchen and after enjoying some Greek coffee, she set us to work. After cleaning, peeling, slicing, boiling, and sautéing we shared a feast of Cretan food. We enjoyed various greens mixed with potatoes and tomatoes, staka, sagnaki, sardines, shrimps and some homemade wine. We were sated. Roustika is about a 35 minute drive on a windy road from Rethimnon Center. It’s worth it.
Superb Cooking and Lunch Experience
lynnetteb986,,Apr 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Warm and engaging, cooking and lunch with Ozlem is not to be missed!! I booked this class for my last day on the island of Crete, and requested dishes centered around fish and seafood and Ozlem created a fabulous menu including Seabream cooked in salt, squid with Cretan greens, and shrimp-stuffed calamari. Everything was incredibly delicious!! Ozlem and I had fabulous conversations about everything from the food we were cooking to the history of cooking and even just talking about books. It was a marvelous time! If I ever findyself in the area again, I will definitely book with Ozlem!! Read more about - Authentic Home Cooking Class in Crete with a Passionate Local - https://www.viator.com/tours/Crete/Private-Market-Tour-and-Traditional-Rajasthani-Cooking-class-with-a-local/d960-7626P516?mcid=56757
Amazing cooking class on our honeymoon!
954bradv,,Nov 13, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Simply wonderful. This cooking class was the highlight of our 10 day trip to Crete. If you are passionate about food and jumping into the local vibe and culture, this is the class for you! Ozlem is a well of knowledge on cooking and Crete which she will share with you in her home as you cook delicious food together! Cannot recommend this enough!
Superb Cooking and Lunch Experience
Lynnette B,,Oct 30, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Warm and engaging, cooking and lunch with Ozlem is not to be missed!! I booked this class for my last day on the island of Crete, and requested dishes centered around fish and seafood and Ozlem created a fabulous menu including Seabream cooked in salt, squid with Cretan greens, and shrimp-stuffed calamari. Everything was incredibly delicious!! Ozlem and I had fabulous conversations about everything from the food we were cooking to the history of cooking and even just talking about books. It was a marvelous time! If I ever findyself in the area again, I will definitely book with Ozlem!!
Cooking with Ozlem was the highlight of my trip to Chania
Anne M,,Oct 24, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Cretan and Greece cooking are very different. People had told me that. But with Ozlem, I experienced it!. Of course Ozlem is a delightful, calm, organized and gracious hostess who knows a lot about real Cretan cooking. And she is so much more than that. I met up with her in a small apartment she maintains for her work, about 10 minutes walking time out of Old Town. During my 3 hours with her, she brought to life the cultural mash-up I was sensing in Chania. She asked about my interests before I arrived and planned a perfect meal for me. I experienced goat for the first time in a preparation that was heavy on wild greens and topped with staka - a particular Cretan food made with milk cream and flour. It is addictive! We also made a sea bass, okra and tomato dish. We chatted as we peeled the okra and cleaned the wild greens. I wish I could stay longer in Chania so I could get to know this amazing woman a little better! In addition to her cooking classes, she teaches Greek to people around the world and is a writer. If you have a chance to cook with Ozlem, do it! You won't regret it.
Those skilled in their art make it look easy! And Ozlem gifts you the skill!
Susanpryor,,Oct 10, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This has to be one of, if not the best tourist experience I have had. It was personalised. From the moment I booked Ozlem was in contact with me asking about food preferences, what I liked and did not like. She did her homework to provide me with a cooking experience that was sublime. She met me as I was anxious I was at the right place - but you can look on her web site and see a picture of the place she cooks. We laughed and chatted about everything the way women do when they cook together. It is a time of sharing from the heart and pouring that heart and soul into the foods. I would love to wrap her up and take her on my journeys - a true host, a exceptional cook and chef and creatrix of food from ingredients you can find in your home town!
Fantastic educational cooking course in good atmosphere with a super teacher.
Z2482RQanjap,,Jul 27, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
If you like cooking and would like to learn how to cook Greek with a wonderful , down on the ground teacher then this is simply the course. It’s like standing and cooking with a good friend while talking about the Greek culture, food, raw materials and everything else you can come up with. It is agreed in advance what to do. In 3 hours we made 3 tasty main dishes and got to eat. In addition, I got some cans of food with so my family could also taste it. When I get to Crete again I will definitely have to cook with Özlem again.
Epic experience
brcvln,,Jul 19, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I had an amazing experience with Ozlem. Learning how to make super delicious Cretan food in an easy way was my dream! While cooking she gave me tons of tips about cooking. Her knowledge is out of this universe!! I literally cannot wait to apply them in my kitchen!!
Epic experience!
Burcu R,,Jul 9, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Ozlem was an amazing host and teacher. She taught me so many important details that I can use in my daily life, that it migjt take years to search and find through books or internet. We made cery delicious foods and I have never tasted that quality of ingridiens and combinations.. i cannot wait to make those foods by myself and hopefully catch the same level ♥️♥️ thank you Ozlemaki♥️♥️♥️♥️
Cooking with Ozlem in Chania
L2591VIandreaw,,Jun 3, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Ozlem provides an amazing Traveling Spoon experience. With her background in both Greek and Turkish cooking, she suggested a sample of six possibilities and we conferred on three. Her cultural and ethnic additions to the conversations during the cooking, deepened my understanding of the Greek countryside, life in Crete and her additional experiences cooking in Turkey. The dishes we worked on were - Boreki (summer Turkish pie without the filo wrapping), avgolemeno- lamb with artichokes, onions, carrots, green almonds and calamari stuffed with prawns. She was also careful with my request for No Chocolate (I’m allergic) and no dessert. Throughout our working together with the preparation, Ozlem took the time to provide other tips that were wonderful recipe additions: how to prepare and stuff the calamari; fillings for stuffed zucchini flowers; preferred spices and how to correctly use a mezzaluna. It felt like I was cooking with an old friend…