Learn to cook some classic Spanish dishes, tortilla, pulpo, paella, drink some Spanish wine, starting with a glass of Sangria! Learn, taste, smell, cook and enjoy the diversity of the flavours of Spain in this culinary journey.

Each region of Spain has its own distinct regional specialities, so the culinary variety is mind-blowing. In Donostia-San Sebastián, up north in the Basque region, the ‘pintxos’ are the what is called ‘tapas’ in other places.

Classes include inspirational dishes from my own Camino journey.

For the French, food is a central part of their daily life.  In France, cooking is a pleasure, the French cook because they desire to eat well and they love the cooking process.  Discover this French pleasure; take a culinary journey through France.
Learn how to cook classic and bistro dishes as well as ‘la cuisine nouvelle’, the cuisine of today with fresher, lighter, healthier, contemporary dishes. Enjoy the tastes, textures and aromas of simple and sophisticated French fare.  We cook such dishes as choux pastry Burgundian gougères, pissaladières, magret de canard, coq au vin, boeuf Bourgogne, terrines and patés, tartes, tartiflette, crème brûlée, chocolate mousse concorde and other regional favourites.

Learn to cook dishes from the Mediterranean regions of Southern Spain and France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Egypt and Morocco. Discover the historic, culinary connections between these regions and savour the flavour of their wonderful dishes of sun-ripened fruit, vegetables, nuts, fresh herbs and spices, seafood, chicken and meat.
Learn the delicate balance between the flavours of sweet and sour, taste as you cook, adjust and adapt to suit your own palette.  Experience spices and herbs which form the basis for these exotic dishes.  Tapas style dishes and dips, seafood paellas, meat and vegetarian tagines, harissa; octopus, mussels and squid cooked to perfection.

When dining out, is your first thought ‘desserts’? If yes, then this French Bistro Dessert cooking class is for you!  I guess that is why, this is one of our most popular classes.

Desserts are everyone’s favourite. In these classes you cook a ‘dessert dream’ variety of classic French dishes such as Chocolate Concorde, the delectable mousse and meringue cake; apple or pear tart tatin, with our own puff pastry; our variously flavoured ice-creams; Tarte aux Mendiants, the divine nut and frangipane tart; Île flottante, floating islands or oeufs à la neige, snow eggs; petit lemon meringue tarts; vanilla bean and passionfruit bavarois, crème brûlée, chocolate délice mousse cake, soufflés, classic crème caramel, savarin, rum baba, passionfruit roulade, clafoutis, petit fours such as langues du chats, madeleines and canelés.….the list is endless and the menu changes regularly. There are usually a few tastings for you to take home as well.

A light lunch made in the Cooking on the Bay kitchen is also included.

From time to time we hold Master Classes and invite a guest chef, from the region or around Australia, to share his expertise and to present some of his specialties.  These classes may be demonstration only or practical hands-on, depending on the preference of the presenting chef.  Costs of these classes may vary.

In 2014 we are welcoming Edwina Isabel Golombek from the House of Fusion, Marrakesh – she will teach her wonderfully exotic Moroccan cuisine for two days in February.

In 2013 our Guest Chef was executive two hatted chef Cameron Matthews from The Long Apron, Montville Sunshine Coast –  Cameron taught an Italian class all about gnocchi, trofie pasta and vanilla bean panna cotta… delicious.