Couples Cooking Class: Greek

Greek cooking runs on a handful of ideas done exceptionally well: good olive oil, bright acid, rich, slow-cooked layers, and it all comes through in this menu. You and your partner will work together in the kitchen with the help of your chef instructor, building a spread that moves from crispy fried calamari to a rich, layered moussaka. You’ll have the chance to spend time together and meet other couples along the way, cooking side by side before everyone gathers in the dining room at Culinaria to enjoy what’s been made. Wine and other beverages are available for purchase throughout the evening.

Curriculum

Fried Calamari
This starts with U10 calamari marinated in a traditional Greek sauce, which gives it flavor all the way through instead of just on the surface. It’s coated in a light batter and fried until the outside turns crisp while the inside stays tender, never rubbery, which is the whole trick with calamari. Served with tzatziki, the cool, garlicky yogurt sauce cuts right through the richness of the fry, a pairing that’s stuck around in Greek kitchens for a reason.

Moussaka
Ground lamb gets cooked down slowly with crushed tomatoes until it turns deeply savory, then layered with eggplant that holds its shape instead of going soft under everything stacked on top. The whole thing gets finished with a bechamel sauce that bakes until golden and slightly custardy, binding all those layers into something that slices clean and tastes like it took all day. It’s the dish Greek cooking is most known for, and once you’ve built it from scratch, you’ll understand why.

Chocolate Baklava
This one puts a twist on the classic, layering flaky phyllo pastry with walnuts, cashews, and dark chocolate, then baking it until the pastry turns shatteringly crisp and the nuts toast into something fragrant. The usual honey syrup gets balanced here by the bitterness of dark chocolate, so it stays rich without tipping into overly sweet. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the contrast between the hot pastry and the cold, melting ice cream is what makes people go back for seconds.

Couples cooking classes are $249+HST per couple. A $49 deposit is required today to reserve your spot, which is non-refundable. The remaining balance of $200+HST will be billed in-store on the day of your event, along with any additional food or beverages you purchase.