The Aegean Cooking Class

The most appealing part of The Aegean Cooking Class is that you do not simply watch a chef prepare Santorini food. You cook a four-course Cycladic meal yourself, then sit down to eat it inside Ftelos Brewery. Depending on the weather, the lesson takes place indoors or outdoors, with a professional chef such as Michael or Katarina guiding the work.

I like the small-group format, capped at 10 people, and the practical menu. You learn dishes you can reasonably make at home, including Santorini salad, beer-battered cod croquettes, fava-style split-pea dip, and pork fillet with a stout and mustard-rosemary sauce. The class also includes one Ftelos craft beer, bread, water, ingredients, equipment, and the meal you prepare.

The main drawback is the strict booking policy. This experience costs $120.41 per person and is non-refundable, with no changes allowed after booking. You’ll also pay separately for drinks beyond the included beer and water, so this works best when you are certain about your date and want both a cooking lesson and a brewery meal.

Key points to know before booking

• A real hands-on menu: You prepare salad, cod croquettes, split-pea dip, and pork fillet rather than just observing.
• Small groups: The class accepts a maximum of 10 participants, though the actual group can be smaller.
• Chef-led instruction: Michael and Katarina have both led the class, with a relaxed and useful teaching style.
• Dinner follows the lesson: You eat the meal you made in a reserved area of the modern Ftelos Brewery.
• Beer is part of the experience: One standard-size Ftelos craft beer is included, and beer also features in the pork sauce and batter.
• Plan carefully: The class lasts about 3 hours and 30 minutes, costs $120.41, and cannot be refunded or amended.

Cooking Santorini food at Ftelos Brewery

This class makes a good case for learning food in the place where its ingredients belong. Santorini is known for strong, distinctive produce, and the menu uses several local staples in straightforward recipes. Cherry tomatoes, capers, caper leaves, dry onion, pork, and split peas give you a useful introduction to the island’s cooking without turning the lesson into a long lecture.

You meet a Ftelos chef at the brewery in Karterádos, a short distance from central Fira. The setting is not a small village kitchen or a family home. It is part of a state-of-the-art brewery, with an industrial, high-end dining area reserved for the meal afterward. That gives the class a modern feel, while the recipes keep their roots in Cycladic cooking.

The setting may be indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather. That flexibility is useful on Santorini, where wind and heat can change the feel of an afternoon quickly. Still, you should not book this expecting a guaranteed sunset terrace or a specific outdoor view. The important part is the cooking, and the indoor brewery setting remains part of the experience.

What happens during the 3.5-hour class

The total activity lasts about three and a half hours, so leave enough room in your day for a leisurely meal. The class is not a quick stop between sightseeing visits. You will need to focus on the preparation, work with the ingredients, and then allow time to eat what you have made.

The lesson centers on four parts of the meal. The first is the salad, made with cherry tomatoes, capers, and caper leaves. This is a particularly useful dish for home cooks because the ingredient list is short, yet the quality of the produce matters. You learn how Santorini’s ingredients can carry a dish without a heavy sauce.

Next come cod croquettes in beer batter. This gives the class a more active cooking step and connects the food to Ftelos’s brewery setting. Beer is not only something to drink here. It becomes part of the batter, adding a local brewery touch to a familiar seafood preparation.

The side dish is a Santorini split-pea dip with dry onion. Santorini’s split-pea dishes are often known as fava, though the recipe uses yellow split peas rather than the broad bean that English speakers may expect from the word fava. The preparation is simple enough to repeat at home, and it gives you a good example of how a basic pulse can become a central part of a Greek meal.

The main course is pork fillet with Malt n’ Marvel Stout and a mustard-rosemary sauce. This is the class’s clearest link between food and beer. You get to see how a stout can work in a savory sauce, while mustard and rosemary keep the dish familiar and manageable for a home kitchen.

Fresh bread and mineral water accompany the meal. Other drinks are not included, so check the brewery’s options when you arrive if you want something beyond the standard craft beer.

Why the small group matters

The maximum group size is 10, but the class can be much smaller. One session had only three participants, which allowed plenty of room for direct contact with the chef and made the lesson feel personal rather than crowded.

A small class matters most during practical steps. You can ask how long to cook something, what texture to look for, or how to adjust a sauce. You also have a better chance of seeing what the chef is doing instead of standing behind several people.

The tradeoff is that the group size may vary from one session to another. If you want a lively class with lots of different people, a very small group may feel quiet. I see that as a minor concern for most people, especially if your priority is learning the recipes and getting help as you cook.

The class is offered in English. Michael has led sessions described as relaxed, fun, and informative, while Katarina has been praised for making the work easy to follow and enjoyable. Since the exact chef may depend on the date, you should treat the names as examples rather than a promise of who will teach your class.

From kitchen work to a proper meal

The lesson ends with you sitting down to eat the food you prepared. This is more satisfying than receiving a plate made entirely by someone else, because you recognize the steps and ingredients behind each course.

Dinner takes place in an industrial high-end reserved area at Ftelos Brewery. The brewery setting gives the meal a polished finish. You are not rushing away after the final cooking task, and the included beer makes sense beside the food.

The strongest part of the meal is the connection among the courses. The salad brings the local produce forward. The split-pea dip adds a simple, earthy side. The cod croquettes offer a crisp beer-based element, and the pork provides a more substantial main course. Bread, mineral water, and one standard-size Ftelos craft beer are included.

I would not choose this class if you want a broad tasting menu or a lesson focused on many different regions of Greece. The menu is specifically Cycladic and Santorini-oriented. That focus is a benefit if you want island cooking rather than a general Greek food survey.

Is $120.41 a good value?

At $120.41 per person, this is not the cheapest meal or cooking lesson on Santorini. The price makes more sense when you count the full package: about three and a half hours, a professional chef, ingredients, equipment, a four-course meal, bread, water, and one craft beer.

You are also paying for a small group and a brewery setting. If you only want dinner, you may find the class expensive. If you want a social activity, a meal, and recipes you can use after returning home, the cost is easier to justify.

The menu helps the value. These are not four unrelated samples. You take part in making a complete meal with a salad, appetizers, side dish, and main course. The recipes are described as easy to execute, which is useful if you want to recreate the meal instead of leaving the techniques behind in Greece.

The included beer is a standard size, not an open bar. Remember that other drinks cost extra. That detail is easy to overlook, particularly in a brewery, so set your expectations before you sit down.

Getting to Ftelos in Karterádos

The meeting point is Ftelos Brewery Santorini, at the Malt Restaurant in Karterádos, Santorini 847 00. The activity begins and ends at this same location, so there is no separate drop-off at the end.

Parking is available, and the site is near public transportation. The information provided does not include a hotel pickup service, so you should plan to reach the brewery on your own. Use the exact meeting point when arranging your day, especially if you are coming from a different part of the island.

Because the class ends back at the brewery, it can fit well with a meal-based day in or near Fira. Give yourself enough time to arrive before the start rather than trying to squeeze in a distant attraction immediately beforehand. A late bus, traffic, or a slow lunch could make the schedule uncomfortable.

A mobile ticket is accepted, and confirmation is received at booking. The activity is offered in English. Service animals are allowed, though the supplied information does not describe other accessibility details, so contact the provider if you need specific assistance.

Who will enjoy this class most?

I would recommend this for couples, families with older children, and small groups of friends who want more than a restaurant meal. It also suits anyone who likes to bring home a practical souvenir. A recipe you can repeat is often more useful than another small object in your suitcase.

Food-focused visitors will get the most from the class because the menu has a clear Santorini identity. Beer fans should also enjoy the way Ftelos craft beer appears both in the glass and in the cooking.

The experience may be less suitable for someone who wants a fast activity or a sightseeing tour with major island landmarks. There is no listed scenic route, winery visit, or village walk. Your time is spent at the brewery, around the cooking station, and at the dining table.

It is also not ideal for uncertain plans. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If the minimum number of participants is not reached, the provider will offer another date or experience, or a full refund, but you cannot cancel simply because your schedule changes.

Practical tips for a better visit

• Keep the afternoon or evening open: The class lasts approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes, including the meal.
• Arrive at Ftelos Brewery in Karterádos: The start and end point is the Malt Restaurant at the brewery.
• Wear something practical: You will be cooking, so comfortable clothing is more useful than formal dinner clothes.
• Ask questions during the preparation: The value comes from learning how to repeat the dishes, not just eating them.
• Remember the drink limit: One Ftelos craft beer and mineral water are included. Other drinks cost extra.
• Book only when certain: The price is non-refundable and amendments are not permitted.
• Check the chef on your date: Michael and Katarina have both led classes, but the assigned chef is not guaranteed.

The class has earned a 4.9 rating from 10 published ratings, with 100 percent recommending it. The most consistent praise focuses on the staff, the food, the relaxed teaching, the small group, the beer, and the polished brewery setting. One lower rating still described the recipes as informative and easy to execute, which supports the idea that the class’s strongest feature is practical instruction rather than spectacle.

Should you book The Aegean Cooking Class?

Book it if you want a hands-on Santorini food experience with a real meal at the end. The small groups, English instruction, local ingredients, practical recipes, and included craft beer make the $120.41 price reasonable for someone who values an activity that lasts most of an afternoon or evening.

Skip it if you only want a quick tasting, a scenic excursion, or a flexible reservation you can cancel later. For everyone else, this is a well-focused way to meet Cycladic food through cooking rather than simply ordering it from a menu.

FAQ

Where does The Aegean Cooking Class take place?

The class takes place at Ftelos Brewery Santorini, at the Malt Restaurant in Karterádos, Santorini 847 00, Greece.

How long does the cooking class last?

The experience lasts approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes, including the cooking lesson and the meal afterward.

What food will I prepare?

The menu includes Santorini salad with cherry tomatoes, capers, and caper leaves; cod croquettes in beer batter; Santorini split-pea dip with dry onion; and pork fillet with Malt n’ Marvel Stout and mustard-rosemary sauce.

Is a meal included?

Yes. You eat the four-course meal prepared during the class. Fresh homemade bread and mineral water are also included.

Is beer included in the price?

Yes. Each participant receives one standard-size Ftelos craft beer. Other drinks are not included.

What language is the class offered in?

The activity is offered in English.

How many people can join the class?

The maximum group size is 10 people. The actual group may be smaller.

Does the activity begin and end at the same place?

Yes. The class starts at Ftelos Brewery Santorini and ends back at the meeting point.

Can I cancel or change my booking?

No. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If the minimum number of participants is not met and the provider cancels, you will be offered another date or experience, or a full refund.