MEDITERRANEAN – TOUCH OF SPICE

The region of the Mediterranean is full of robust flavours, sweet and sour, plus the exotic and heavenly spices.  We cook dishes from the Mediterranean regions of Southern Spain and France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Egypt and Morocco, where people are passionate about the food they produce and eat.

There is such a variety of dishes made from sun-ripened fruit and vegetables, fresh herbs, spices, seafood and meat.  Savour the sunny flavours of Spain with Andalusian gazpacho; enjoy the French romance of Provençal prawns, compare shakshukas from Jerusalem, with Berber omelettes, Spanish omelettes, Italian caponatas and French Pipérades,  and of course the numerous spices and ras el hanouts of Morocco in spiced lentils, chick pea dips and vegetable, duck and lemon chicken tagines.

Note: Classes available any date of your choice for groups of 6+ – Please contact Tonya for availability

Classes $275 p/p

By the way, there is now a Partners and Friends Class Luncheon available, without the cooking class. This is available for guests of people attending the Cooking on the Bay cooking classes, and who do not want to cook!

Guest arrival time is around 12.30pm; we are usually finished then or nearly finished anyway. Your guest can relax with a glass of wine if we are still finishing off a dish or 2.

The cost for the lunch with wine is $145 per person. Email me to book and pay this Luncheon option.

BOOK CLASSES

To book your classes please select from the dates below

MEDITERRANEAN TESTIMONIALS

Lucy Boulos – Mediterranean – Saturday 6th July, 2024 – ‘Such a fantastic experience, we can’t wait to share the dishes we cooked with our family and friends’.

Mediterranean Cooking Class: a Touch of Spice  Thank-you so much Tonya, the photos are fabulous, what a great group and so much fun had by all.

You run such a quality, fun and informative class, both Alistair and I had a really great day and enjoyed our walk after lunch along the beautiful St Kilda beach…Thank-you again for being so welcoming, and I promise to write a wonderful review so that other people can enjoy your hospitality and skills. The food was next level delicious !! Kind regards, Rachael Cheesman. Bendigo, Vic. Sunday 8th October, 2023

Mediterranean Cooking Class: a Touch of Spice ***** – 5 stars from Gjermund

‘Brilliant location, great teacher and amazing food! Hope to come back for another class at a later point’.  Gjermund Garaba; Norway, currently Elwood, Vic Mediterranean – Touch of Spice cooking class Saturday 2 September, 2023.

‘Tonya, Thank you for the cooking experience in your lovely home. The day was a joy – the warmth of your welcome , the other participants and the food preparation and consumption were things to savour and remember fondly. Joan was a delight. Keep well, Daryl’ Wayland, Burwood, Vic. 28 May, 2023.

Hi Tonya, Thank you again for a fabulous day! Gino and I really enjoyed learning new techniques and recipes. I promise never to waste any food. We really enjoyed the company of the other amazing ladies. When I return from overseas, I will book your low-carb cooking day. Regards, Colleen Henequin, Vic.  Touch of Spice Cooking Class, 29th April 2023.

‘Hi Tonya, I wanted to thank you for a wonderful day today.  You create such a lovely space to discuss and enjoy the simple pleasure of food and good people.  

Regards Leigh’, Victoria.  Mediterranean – Touch of Spice Cooking Class, 11th February 2023.

‘A great day, thank you to all!’ from Ebony Hack, St Kilda, Vic. Mediterranean – Touch of Spice, Saturday 11th February, 2023.

Hi Tonya, Just wanted to thank you for a lovely day on Sunday, for sending through all of this information as well as the wonderful pictures you took. I would be interested in the class on healthy eating/ low carbs so I’ll look up your schedule and see when you’re running that class again. Take care, Syndon. Melbourne, Sunday 8th October, 2023

It was a wonderful class last Sunday 8th October, 2023. The group really worked well and the food they cooked was fabulous; plus there were good reviews such as those I have added here…

‘I recently did a one day cooking school, Mediterranean Cooking with a touch of Morocco. I did this with my 89 year old aunt, who is a brilliant cook, and my cousin Julie. There were other students.
We all had an absolutely perfect day, from the welcome coffee (superb!) with a slice of almond ricotta cake, to our final coffee of the day. The food that we cooked, and ate, was unbelievably good, and the ambiance felt like we were in a 5 star restaurant. Tonya has the knack of making even the most complex cooking procedure look easy. I have cooked the entire menu twice now for different groups of friends, to rave reviews. Although I live in Brisbane, I hope to do a new class every time I visit Melbourne. Oh, and the wine was perfectly matched.’ From Sue Robb, Queensland, February 26, 2015

‘I wanted to thank you for the fabulous day of cooking and dining yesterday, you have created a warm & engaging setting and the class moved at a greart pace, busy enough but not rushed in any way. I really enjoyed my day away from the everyday. Thank you.’ From Kylie Mack, Melbourne, July 18th 2015

‘Thoroughly enjoyable day. Tonya is a wiz! Did a lot of cooking and a lot of eating!’ From Luke

‘Staci and I enjoyed our class very much on Sunday, thank you again for your time and effort. Look forward to see you in another class soon. Regards, Lindy and Staci Maziotis’, 3rd March 2013.

’Just a quick line to thank you again for an amazing day….You personally are a delight…! But what you facilitate by opening your home is foodie nirvana..! I expected to have a great day…. And I did but I had something more. I had a great experience. You can’t pay for that. That is a gift that a special kind of generosity provides..! It is your warmth that facilitates this…! We’ll done and thank you.’ Cheers Jase. From Jason, March 2014…

’thanks Tonya for welcoming us into you home and sharing your knowledge and experience with us I personally gained a lot from the day and a special thanks to the BEST kitchen hand ever.’ From David of Traralgon

‘Thank you so much for all this information Tonya, our lovely lesson just keeps on giving. We all had such a wonderful day and I know I will be making some of the dishes very soon.  Take care and hopefully, we can do it again.  Cheers,  Frances Rogers.’ Mediterranean Private Cooking Class, 15th May, 2021.

‘There was a full class of 8 students today for Tonya’s Mediterranean feast. Lovely people making lovely morsels of food to share together. From Tonya’s signature focaccia with caramelised onion and olives, to ricotta and feta fritters, to grilled mussels, a baked eggplant cannelloni/ lasagne dish. Dessert was equaling amazing with meringue roulade decorated with grapefruit segments, Turkish delight, pistachios and rose petals and almond shortbread. We were greeted with lemon syrup buttermilk cake and a tea/coffee to start off the day. It’s so pleasant to watch the sun shining over the Marina and the sparkling blue hues of the sea while sipping on a white or red and enjoying the fruits of our labour.’  Anna Xia,  Sunday 8th October, 2023.

‘Hello Tonya, Lovely to hear from you and thank you for your festive season email and updates for cooking classes in 2016! I’m definitely going to do a couple more classes! You’re amazing what you offer and it’s motivating for someone like myself to be enthused by your inspiration.  The Mediterranean cooking class I attended back in February was a highlight of my culinary year and I absolutely loved it. ….’ From Belinda Morrison, Traralgon, Victoria, December 21st, 2015

“Yesterday the 3 men in my life attended your class. Thank you for getting the younger two to try foods they would not normally eat.☺.I am now lòoking forward to some Middle Eastern fare. They all enjoyed themselves.’ From Katie Cross, Rowville, Victoria, 29th July, 2015

‘Thank you so much for a truly wonderful day of cooking today – it was even better than I imagined, and I am so happy that I gave Lorraine such a great experience for her birthday (which was last September). What a wonderful group of people too!Thanks again for a great day. It was so nice meeting and cooking with you. Kind Regards, Danica 3rd March 2013

‘Again I just wanted to sincerely thank you for an amazing day…I hope to do another course in the very near future. Kind Regards Joyce’ 3rd March 2013.

‘Oh thank you so much Tonya! I had such a delightful time Saturday and eager to sink my teeth into all of the dishes! Its great to have some dips and marinades up my sleeve. Glad I know how to make them now.’ Cheers, Kirsty, 3rd March 2013.

‘I wanted to thank you for the fabulous day of cooking and dining yesterday, you have created a warm & engaging setting and the class moved at a greart pace, busy enough but not rushed in any way. I really enjoyed my day away from the everyday. Thank you.’ From Kylie Mack, Melbourne, July 18th 2015

‘Thoroughly enjoyable day. Tonya is a wiz! Did a lot of cooking and a lot of eating!’ From Luke

Deb de Luca recommends Cooking on the Bay Cooking School: “Had the most enjoyable and educational day last Saturday, learning all about, cooking, and eating Mediterranean food with Tonya at Cooking on the Bay. A fun, informative class in a fabulous location looking out over St Kilda marina. Highly recommend it. 👩🏼‍🍳🍷🥘” Mediterranean Touch of Spice Cooking Class, Saturday 12th February, 2022.