The best part of The Aegean Cooking Class is that you do more than eat Santorini food. You prepare a four-course Cycladic meal with a professional chef, then sit down to enjoy the results at Ftelos Brewery. I like the hands-on format and the chance to work with local ingredients, especially Santorini cherry tomatoes, capers, caper leaves, and split peas. I also like that your welcome beer is made on site.

The main drawback is the fixed, non-refundable booking policy. The price is $120.41 per person, and other drinks beyond the included craft beer and water cost extra. Still, the small-group setup and full meal make this a useful choice for food lovers who want more than a restaurant dinner.

Key points to know before booking

• Four dishes, not just a demonstration: You help prepare a salad, cod croquettes, split-pea dip, and pork fillet.
• A brewery setting: The class takes place at Ftelos Brewery in Karterádos, followed by dinner in its reserved industrial dining area.
• Small groups: The activity accepts a maximum of 10 people, and one session had only three participants.
• Local Santorini flavors: The menu uses cherry tomatoes, capers, caper leaves, dry onion, and Santorini split peas.
• Chef-led instruction: Sessions have been led by Chef Michael and Katarina, with a relaxed, practical teaching style.
• Good built-in value: Ingredients, cooking equipment, bread, mineral water, one craft beer, and the four-course meal are included.

Cooking Santorini food at Ftelos Brewery

The experience begins at Ftelos Brewery Santorini, also identified as the MALT Restaurant, in Karterádos. This is your meeting point and your end point, so you do not have to arrange a second pickup location after dinner.

You meet a professional chef and cook a traditional four-course meal together. The class may be held indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather. That flexibility matters on Santorini, where a pleasant day can still bring wind or changing conditions.

This is a practical class rather than a formal cooking lecture. You get supplies, equipment, and local ingredients, then work through recipes that are meant to be manageable at home. The point is not to produce restaurant-level tricks. It is to leave with a few Greek dishes you can make again after your holiday.

That makes the class a useful souvenir. A bottle of wine or a photograph gives you a memory. Knowing how to make Santorini salad, split-pea dip, beer-battered cod croquettes, and pork with a stout sauce gives you something you can use.

A menu built around Cycladic ingredients

The menu offers a good introduction to Santorini’s food traditions because it combines fresh produce, preserved ingredients, seafood, meat, and local beer.

You begin with a Santorini salad made from cherry tomatoes, capers, and caper leaves. This is not simply a standard Greek salad with a Santorini label. The island’s cherry tomatoes and capers are central to the dish, giving you a direct taste of the local pantry.

The caper leaves are a particularly useful detail. Many visitors know capers as small buds, but the leaves are also used in Greek cooking. Preparing and tasting them helps you understand how island cooks make use of ingredients that grow well in Santorini’s dry conditions.

The next dish is cod croquettes in beer batter. This brings the brewery into the cooking class in a practical way. You are not just drinking Ftelos beer at the start. Beer also becomes part of the meal and adds a local twist to a familiar fried fish dish.

The side dish is Santorini split-pea dip with dry onion. Santorini split peas are associated with the island’s traditional cooking, and this preparation gives you a simple way to use them at home. The dry onion adds texture and bite to a soft dip.

The main course is pork fillet with Malt n’ Marvel Stout and a mustard-rosemary sauce. This is the most brewery-specific dish on the menu. It also gives the class a useful lesson in building a sauce, combining the dark beer with mustard and rosemary rather than treating the beer as a separate drink.

Fresh homemade bread is served with the meal. Bottled mineral water is included, along with one standard-size Ftelos craft beer per person. Other drinks are not included, so keep that in mind if you want wine, another beer, or something else with dinner.

What the 3.5-hour schedule feels like

The activity lasts about three hours and 30 minutes. That is long enough for a real cooking session and a proper meal, but short enough to fit into a day of sightseeing.

The exact pacing depends on the group and the chef. A group of three will naturally feel more personal than a full group of 10. The maximum is 10 participants, which keeps the activity from becoming a large demonstration where you only watch from the back.

One small group had just three people, even though the class can accept more. You should not count on having a private lesson, but the format allows for an intimate session when numbers are low.

The cooking portion is interactive and informative. Chef Michael has been praised for creating a relaxed, fun session, while Katarina has been described as easy to work with and clear in her instruction. The useful point for you is that the class seems designed for participation, not for showing off the chef’s skills while you stand aside.

After cooking, you eat the meal you prepared in a reserved industrial-style area inside the modern Ftelos Brewery. That transition is part of the appeal. You do not cook in one location and then get sent somewhere else for a generic lunch. The food moves from the kitchen activity to the table in the same brewery setting.

Why the brewery setting works

Ftelos gives the class a setting with more personality than a standard cooking school. You are surrounded by a working food and drink operation, and beer is part of both the welcome and the menu.

The industrial design may appeal to you if you prefer a modern setting to a village kitchen. The facility has been described as welcoming and high-end, so the experience sits somewhere between a cooking workshop and a polished restaurant meal.

That also means this is not the most traditional setting you could choose in Santorini. If your ideal Greek cooking class involves a family home, a rural farm, or a village taverna, Ftelos will feel more contemporary. The tradeoff is comfort, organized equipment, and the chance to connect the food with local brewing.

The brewery location is in Karterádos, near Fira, though the supplied details do not include transport from hotels. You should plan to reach the meeting point at Ftelos Brewery Santorini, MALT Restaurant, Karterádos 847 00, Greece. Parking is available, and the location is near public transportation.

The value of $120.41 per person

At $120.41 per person, this is not a cheap lunch. You are paying for more than the ingredients on the plate, though. The fee covers about three and a half hours, a professional chef, local ingredients, supplies, cooking equipment, one Ftelos craft beer, bread, mineral water, and a four-course meal.

The value is strongest if you would otherwise pay for a good restaurant meal and also want a structured activity. You get dinner plus instruction, rather than a meal that ends when the plates are cleared.

It is also a better fit for people who enjoy learning by doing. If you only want to sample Santorini dishes, a restaurant will cost less and require less time. If you want to understand how the dishes come together and take the recipes home, the added cost becomes easier to justify.

The included beer helps, but it is only one standard-size serving. Since additional drinks are excluded, your final bill can rise if you want more beer or another beverage.

The small-group advantage

A maximum of 10 people is a sensible limit for a hands-on class. You have a better chance to take part in preparation, ask questions, and see what the chef is doing.

The class may be particularly appealing to couples, friends, and families who enjoy sharing a meal after working together. It also suits solo participants who like social activities but do not want a large coach-style group.

The group size is not guaranteed to be tiny. One session had only three people, but another date could be fuller. The practical advice is to expect a small group, not a private class.

The style also appears fairly relaxed. The session has been described as fun and informative, with the dinner afterward adding a calm finish. That makes it easier to recommend to beginners. You do not need to arrive as an experienced cook to get something from the class.

What you will take home

The most useful souvenir here is the set of recipes and methods. Santorini salad is easy to repeat, and the split-pea dip can become a practical addition to a home meal. The cod croquettes offer a way to recreate a familiar Greek flavor with a beer batter, while the pork dish shows how stout can support a mustard and rosemary sauce.

You also gain a better sense of how island cooking works. Santorini’s cuisine makes use of ingredients suited to its climate, including capers, tomatoes, dry onions, and split peas. The menu is not overloaded with obscure ingredients that you will never find again.

That said, the supplied details do not promise printed recipes or take-home ingredient packs. You should expect to learn during the class, but ask the provider directly if written recipes matter to you.

Who should book this class

I would recommend it most strongly to you if food is part of the reason you visit Greece. It gives you a meal, a local beer, and a practical look at Cycladic cooking in one outing.

It also suits anyone who prefers a planned activity during a Santorini stay. The island can easily become a string of viewpoints and restaurant reservations. A cooking class gives the day a clear purpose and lets you spend time doing something rather than only looking at scenery.

Families should consider the group format and the menu before booking. Children may enjoy the hands-on element, but the supplied details do not give a child age policy. The class includes alcohol for adults, and other drinks are extra.

This is less suitable if you need a flexible reservation. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If your plans are uncertain, book only after you are confident about the date.

Confirmation is provided at booking. Service animals are allowed. The activity requires a minimum number of participants, and if that number is not reached, the provider offers another date or experience, or a full refund.

My call on The Aegean Cooking Class

Book this experience if you want to connect Santorini’s food with the place you are visiting. The menu uses recognizable island ingredients, the class is genuinely hands-on, and the brewery setting gives the meal a clear local identity.

I especially like the balance of simple recipes and distinctive flavors. You can make the dishes again, but they still feel tied to Santorini through the capers, cherry tomatoes, split peas, and Ftelos stout.

Skip it if you only want a quick meal, need a refundable booking, or prefer a traditional home kitchen over a modern brewery. For everyone else, the combination of cooking, craft beer, and a full dinner makes the $120.41 price reasonable, particularly if the group stays small.

FAQ

Where does The Aegean Cooking Class take place?

The class takes place at Ftelos Brewery Santorini, also listed as the MALT Restaurant, in Karterádos 847 00, Greece.

How long does the cooking class last?

The experience lasts approximately three hours and 30 minutes.

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 after the class?

Yes. You eat the four-course meal prepared during the cooking class.

Is beer included?

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

Are water and bread included?

Yes. Fresh homemade bread and bottled mineral water are included.

How many people can join the class?

The activity has a maximum of 10 participants.

Can I cancel or change my booking?

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