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Host: Ozlem

Crete, Greece

USD
$64-$119 per person

Authentic Cretan Cooking Class in a Local's Home in Crete

Host offerings
  • Apartment
  • Home cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Ozlem

Ozlem has Cretan, Turkish and Venetian roots, which has greatly influenced her cooking style. Her passion for food started when she was young, she was always curious and would follow her grandmother around the kitchen with a basket gathering wild greens and herbs. Her grandmother taught her to cook using all her senses - smell, sight, taste, feel. Ozlem eats and cooks with all ingredients but is a bit more passionate about artichokes, wild greens and whatever the sea has to offer. She works as a personal chef, participates in festivals, organizes workshops, is a speaker on panels and seminars, and also writes for newspapers and magazines. Apart from cooking, Ozlem also works as a translator and an interpreter, she has translated 19 books so far!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (2-7 guests) Crete local home dining experience. You can expect traditional Cretan and Turkish plates inspired by memories of family gatherings on huge tables. Ozlem loves cooking with all what the Aegean region has to offer - from its fertile earth to its violet sea. Especially the use of artichokes, wild greens (which they have more than 175 endemic types) and sea food in traditional ways using recipes passed through generations in her Cretan and Turkish family. A few dishes that you can expect to share at Ozlem's dining table are artichokes with Cretan staka and meat or mousakka or shrimp saganaki or Chania vegetable pie, marinated sardines or snails or stuffed vegetables and wild green salad or sautéed wild greens or Cretan rusk salad. End you meal with an Ottoman sweet called kazandibi (Turkish milk pudding).

Cooking experience: (1-7 guests) Greek food experience in Crete, join Ozlem for a hands-on cooking class in her home kitchen in Roustika, a charming village in central Rethymno, Crete, with rich Venetian history and stunning architecture. In your two hour Cretan cooking class learn to make artichokes with peas and meat or fish or stuffed vegetables or Cretan chicken pie and a wild green salad. Or you can learn to make handmade pitas with a filling of your choice (greens or Cretan cheese or meat). Please let Ozlem know your preference in advance. She will also share stories behind food that you're cooking and tip and tricks that she learned from her grandmother. After cooking, sit down together to share the meal you helped prepare.

This home cooking class in Crete is perfect for anyone interested in learning traditional Greek cooking techniques, discovering local ingredients, and enjoying an intimate dining experience with a local in their home.

Notes: Ozlem can accommodate lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan diets, on request. Please inform Ozlem in advance your menu preference and if you have any dietary restrictions, while booking your Crete cooking class online.

Languages spoken: English, Greek, Turkish

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Artichokes with peas and meat (Αγκινάρες με αρακά και κρέας) or Artichokes with Cretan staka and meat (Αγκινάρες με στάκα και κρέας ) or Mousakka (Μουσακκάς) or Shrimp Saganaki (Σαγανάκι με γαρίδες) or Cretan chicken pie (Τσουλαμά) or Chania vegetable pie (Χανιώτικο μπουρέκι)
  • Pickled artichokes (Αγκινάρες τουρσί) or Marinated sardines (Σαρδέλα Μαρινάτη) or Snails (Χοχλιούς) or Stuffed veggies (Γεμιστά) or Fish with okra (Μπάμιες με ψάρι)
  • Wild green salad (Βραστά χόρτα) or Sauted wild greens (Τσιγαριαστά χόρτα) or Cretan rusk salad (Ντάκος)
  • An Ottoman sweet called kazandibi (Καζαν ντιμπί)

Traveler reviews

5.0 (10)
Via Traveling Spoon, my husband and I went to Roustika, Crete, Greece for a four hour cooking class with Ozlem. Our focus was on Turkish and Creten foods. Ozlem and her husband, Demitris, were both charming and funny. We had a great, and beautiful, drive through the mountains to their home, and then back to our hotel in Chora Sfakia.
- Mary October 14, 2025
Ozlem greeted us warmly and shared not only her kitchen but also her deep knowledge of traditional cooking from this part of the world. From locally sourced ingredients to an engaging way of explaning the proceedures, this is a fabulous experience for chefs of ALL ages...
- Marc June 24, 2025
A truly delightful and delicious experience. If we had stayed just a few more hours, we would have been part of the family. Ozlem welcomed us warmly into her kitchen and after enjoying some Greek coffee, she set us to work. After cleaning, peeling, slicing, boiling, and sautéing we shared a feast of Cretan food. We enjoyed various greens mixed with potatoes and tomatoes, staka, sagnaki, sardines, shrimps and some homemade wine. We were sated. Roustika is about a 35 minute drive on a windy road from Rethimnon Center. It’s worth it.
- Karyn May 28, 2025
Warm and engaging, cooking and lunch with Ozlem is not to be missed!! I booked this class for my last day on the island of Crete, and requested dishes centered around fish and seafood and Ozlem created a fabulous menu including Seabream cooked in salt, squid with Cretan greens, and shrimp-stuffed calamari. Everything was incredibly delicious!! Ozlem and I had fabulous conversations about everything from the food we were cooking to the history of cooking and even just talking about books. It was a marvelous time! If I ever findyself in the area again, I will definitely book with Ozlem!! Read more about - Authentic Home Cooking Class in Crete with a Passionate Local - https://www.viator.com/tours/Crete/Private-Market-Tour-and-Traditional-Rajasthani-Cooking-class-with-a-local/d960-7626P516?mcid=56757
- Lynnette April 28, 2025
If you like to cook and would like to learn how to cook Greek food with a wonderful, down-to-earth teacher, then this is simply the course. It's like standing and cooking with a good friend, where you simultaneously talk about Greek culture, food, ingredients and whatever else you can come up with. What needs to be done is agreed in advance. In 3 hours we made 3 tasty main courses and managed to eat. In addition, I brought some trays of food so my family could taste it too. When I come to Crete again I will definitely cook with Özlem again.
- Z2482R July 27, 2024
If you like to cook and would like to learn how to cook Greek food with a wonderful, down-to-earth teacher, then this is simply the course. It's like standing and cooking with a good friend, where you simultaneously talk about Greek culture, food, ingredients and whatever else you can come up with. What needs to be done is agreed in advance. In 3 hours we made 3 tasty main courses and managed to eat. I also got some trays of food with me so my family could taste it too. When I come to Crete again I will definitely cook with Özlem again. (Google Translated)
- Z2482R July 27, 2024
I had an amazing experience with Ozlem. Learning how to make super delicious Cretan food in an easy way was my dream! While cooking she gave me tons of tips about cooking. Her knowledge is out of this universe!! I literally cannot wait to apply them in my kitchen!!
- brcvln July 19, 2024
Ozlem was an amazing host and teacher. She taught me so many important details that I can use in my daily life, that it migjt take years to search and find through books or internet. We made cery delicious foods and I have never tasted that quality of ingridiens and combinations.. i cannot wait to make those foods by myself and hopefully catch the same level ♥️♥️ thank you Ozlemaki♥️♥️♥️♥️
- Burcu_R July 09, 2024
Ozlem provides an amazing Traveling Spoon experience. With her background in both Greek and Turkish cooking, she suggested a sample of six possibilities and we conferred on three. Her cultural and ethnic additions to the conversations during the cooking, deepened my understanding of the Greek countryside, life in Crete and her additional experiences cooking in Turkey. The dishes we worked on were - Boreki (summer Turkish pie without the filo wrapping), avgolemeno- lamb with artichokes, onions, carrots, green almonds and calamari stuffed with prawns. She was also careful with my request for No Chocolate (I’m allergic) and no dessert. Throughout our working together with the preparation, Ozlem took the time to provide other tips that were wonderful recipe additions: how to prepare and stuff the calamari; fillings for stuffed zucchini flowers; preferred spices and how to correctly use a mezzaluna. It felt like I was cooking with an old friend…
- L2591VI June 03, 2024
I have visited Özlem's house and tested her very interesting plates, mezedes and main dishes, sweets, all was amazing. She is from Smirnis and lives in Chania for many years and has a taste of both culinary cultures. Uses many different ingredients, vegetables and meat (and also seafood). I am very glad that I had such an experience in Chania. Thanks a lot Özlem.
- zeynep May 27, 2024
Read More

Ozlem

$64-$119 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • No waiting! Booking confirmed instantly
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $64 $64
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $119 $109 $109
*Does not include 4% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $64 $64
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $119 $109 $109
*Does not include 4% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:00pm-2:00pm 9:00pm-11:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 11:00am-2:00pm

Meet Ozlem

Ozlem has Cretan, Turkish and Venetian roots, which has greatly influenced her cooking style. Her passion for food started when she was young, she was always curious and would follow her grandmother around the kitchen with a basket gathering wild greens and herbs. Her grandmother taught her to cook using all her senses - smell, sight, taste, feel. Ozlem eats and cooks with all ingredients but is a bit more passionate about artichokes, wild greens and whatever the sea has to offer. She works as a personal chef, participates in festivals, organizes workshops, is a speaker on panels and seminars, and also writes for newspapers and magazines. Apart from cooking, Ozlem also works as a translator and an interpreter, she has translated 19 books so far!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (2-7 guests) Crete local home dining experience. You can expect traditional Cretan and Turkish plates inspired by memories of family gatherings on huge tables. Ozlem loves cooking with all what the Aegean region has to offer - from its fertile earth to its violet sea. Especially the use of artichokes, wild greens (which they have more than 175 endemic types) and sea food in traditional ways using recipes passed through generations in her Cretan and Turkish family. A few dishes that you can expect to share at Ozlem's dining table are artichokes with Cretan staka and meat or mousakka or shrimp saganaki or Chania vegetable pie, marinated sardines or snails or stuffed vegetables and wild green salad or sautéed wild greens or Cretan rusk salad. End you meal with an Ottoman sweet called kazandibi (Turkish milk pudding).

Cooking experience: (1-7 guests) Greek food experience in Crete, join Ozlem for a hands-on cooking class in her home kitchen in Roustika, a charming village in central Rethymno, Crete, with rich Venetian history and stunning architecture. In your two hour Cretan cooking class learn to make artichokes with peas and meat or fish or stuffed vegetables or Cretan chicken pie and a wild green salad. Or you can learn to make handmade pitas with a filling of your choice (greens or Cretan cheese or meat). Please let Ozlem know your preference in advance. She will also share stories behind food that you're cooking and tip and tricks that she learned from her grandmother. After cooking, sit down together to share the meal you helped prepare.

This home cooking class in Crete is perfect for anyone interested in learning traditional Greek cooking techniques, discovering local ingredients, and enjoying an intimate dining experience with a local in their home.

Notes: Ozlem can accommodate lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan diets, on request. Please inform Ozlem in advance your menu preference and if you have any dietary restrictions, while booking your Crete cooking class online.

Languages spoken: English, Greek, Turkish

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Artichokes with peas and meat (Αγκινάρες με αρακά και κρέας) or Artichokes with Cretan staka and meat (Αγκινάρες με στάκα και κρέας ) or Mousakka (Μουσακκάς) or Shrimp Saganaki (Σαγανάκι με γαρίδες) or Cretan chicken pie (Τσουλαμά) or Chania vegetable pie (Χανιώτικο μπουρέκι)
  • Pickled artichokes (Αγκινάρες τουρσί) or Marinated sardines (Σαρδέλα Μαρινάτη) or Snails (Χοχλιούς) or Stuffed veggies (Γεμιστά) or Fish with okra (Μπάμιες με ψάρι)
  • Wild green salad (Βραστά χόρτα) or Sauted wild greens (Τσιγαριαστά χόρτα) or Cretan rusk salad (Ντάκος)
  • An Ottoman sweet called kazandibi (Καζαν ντιμπί)

Traveler reviews

5.0 (10)
Via Traveling Spoon, my husband and I went to Roustika, Crete, Greece for a four hour cooking class with Ozlem. Our focus was on Turkish and Creten foods. Ozlem and her husband, Demitris, were both charming and funny. We had a great, and beautiful, drive through the mountains to their home, and then back to our hotel in Chora Sfakia.
- Mary October 14, 2025
Ozlem greeted us warmly and shared not only her kitchen but also her deep knowledge of traditional cooking from this part of the world. From locally sourced ingredients to an engaging way of explaning the proceedures, this is a fabulous experience for chefs of ALL ages...
- Marc June 24, 2025
A truly delightful and delicious experience. If we had stayed just a few more hours, we would have been part of the family. Ozlem welcomed us warmly into her kitchen and after enjoying some Greek coffee, she set us to work. After cleaning, peeling, slicing, boiling, and sautéing we shared a feast of Cretan food. We enjoyed various greens mixed with potatoes and tomatoes, staka, sagnaki, sardines, shrimps and some homemade wine. We were sated. Roustika is about a 35 minute drive on a windy road from Rethimnon Center. It’s worth it.
- Karyn May 28, 2025
Warm and engaging, cooking and lunch with Ozlem is not to be missed!! I booked this class for my last day on the island of Crete, and requested dishes centered around fish and seafood and Ozlem created a fabulous menu including Seabream cooked in salt, squid with Cretan greens, and shrimp-stuffed calamari. Everything was incredibly delicious!! Ozlem and I had fabulous conversations about everything from the food we were cooking to the history of cooking and even just talking about books. It was a marvelous time! If I ever findyself in the area again, I will definitely book with Ozlem!! Read more about - Authentic Home Cooking Class in Crete with a Passionate Local - https://www.viator.com/tours/Crete/Private-Market-Tour-and-Traditional-Rajasthani-Cooking-class-with-a-local/d960-7626P516?mcid=56757
- Lynnette April 28, 2025
If you like to cook and would like to learn how to cook Greek food with a wonderful, down-to-earth teacher, then this is simply the course. It's like standing and cooking with a good friend, where you simultaneously talk about Greek culture, food, ingredients and whatever else you can come up with. What needs to be done is agreed in advance. In 3 hours we made 3 tasty main courses and managed to eat. In addition, I brought some trays of food so my family could taste it too. When I come to Crete again I will definitely cook with Özlem again.
- Z2482R July 27, 2024
If you like to cook and would like to learn how to cook Greek food with a wonderful, down-to-earth teacher, then this is simply the course. It's like standing and cooking with a good friend, where you simultaneously talk about Greek culture, food, ingredients and whatever else you can come up with. What needs to be done is agreed in advance. In 3 hours we made 3 tasty main courses and managed to eat. I also got some trays of food with me so my family could taste it too. When I come to Crete again I will definitely cook with Özlem again. (Google Translated)
- Z2482R July 27, 2024
I had an amazing experience with Ozlem. Learning how to make super delicious Cretan food in an easy way was my dream! While cooking she gave me tons of tips about cooking. Her knowledge is out of this universe!! I literally cannot wait to apply them in my kitchen!!
- brcvln July 19, 2024
Ozlem was an amazing host and teacher. She taught me so many important details that I can use in my daily life, that it migjt take years to search and find through books or internet. We made cery delicious foods and I have never tasted that quality of ingridiens and combinations.. i cannot wait to make those foods by myself and hopefully catch the same level ♥️♥️ thank you Ozlemaki♥️♥️♥️♥️
- Burcu_R July 09, 2024
Ozlem provides an amazing Traveling Spoon experience. With her background in both Greek and Turkish cooking, she suggested a sample of six possibilities and we conferred on three. Her cultural and ethnic additions to the conversations during the cooking, deepened my understanding of the Greek countryside, life in Crete and her additional experiences cooking in Turkey. The dishes we worked on were - Boreki (summer Turkish pie without the filo wrapping), avgolemeno- lamb with artichokes, onions, carrots, green almonds and calamari stuffed with prawns. She was also careful with my request for No Chocolate (I’m allergic) and no dessert. Throughout our working together with the preparation, Ozlem took the time to provide other tips that were wonderful recipe additions: how to prepare and stuff the calamari; fillings for stuffed zucchini flowers; preferred spices and how to correctly use a mezzaluna. It felt like I was cooking with an old friend…
- L2591VI June 03, 2024
I have visited Özlem's house and tested her very interesting plates, mezedes and main dishes, sweets, all was amazing. She is from Smirnis and lives in Chania for many years and has a taste of both culinary cultures. Uses many different ingredients, vegetables and meat (and also seafood). I am very glad that I had such an experience in Chania. Thanks a lot Özlem.
- zeynep May 27, 2024
Read More
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $64 $64
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $119 $109 $109
*Does not include 4% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 Not offered $64 $64
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $119 $109 $109
*Does not include 4% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:00pm-2:00pm 9:00pm-11:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 11:00am-2:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 4% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can't make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host's profile doesn't work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

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    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host's family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

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    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the "Notes" section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.