Mediterranean Cooking

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Introduction

Each one of my classes is highly customized to fit the area of interest and level of experience of my students. I specialize in the Mediterranean cuisine and in particular regional Italian and Greek. While Italian cooking is now one of this country's most-prefered cuisines, there are strong regional variations to the Italian table. I was fortunate to be trained in Italy at a cooking school that took an in-depth look at each of the country's 20 regions, their traditional ingredients, cooking methods and menus. There are also surprisingly few Greek chefs in the area. Traditional Greek cooking is the backbone of the Mediterranean Food Pyramid and a entry point to healthier eating! I like very much the interaction with my students and the opportunity to share my knowledge and tips as we explore different cooking techniques! I especially enjoy teaching them how to create something new, something easy, something healthy.

Overview

Hired 16 times

19 years in business

Business hours

SunClosedMon8:00 am - 7:00 pm

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Reviews

Exceptional 5.0

22 reviews

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Ian S.

Jan 30, 2015

Allow me to preface my remarks by stating that I am not an experienced cook or student of the culinary arts. I do enjoy good food and delight in learning how it is made by real cooks. I happen to be a scientist of sorts and love to learn about the "science" as well as the "art" of cooking. I have had the pleasure of taking many cooking classes with my wife at Culinaria Cooking School and have simply rejoiced in taking classes from Marilena Leavitt. She is not only lovely and gracious but is simply a fascinating and delightful teacher. She teaches from the heart and laces her classes with pleasant stories of her early cooking experiences in Mediterranean kitchens. She makes everyone in her classes comfortable with good humor and has a terrific teaching style of both culinary arts as well as culinary techniques. I have never seen anything but big smiles upon the faces of her students as we depart from class. And the recipes are ones that we cannot wait to make at home.

Paula S.

Mar 9, 2015

My private cooking session with Marilena was one of the most enjoyable an inspirational cooking experiences in many years. As my children are now older and out of the house, I find that I don't try new recipes and tend to go out more often. Now with this adventure in culinary proficiency, it has awakened my cooking senses and encouraged my creativity! My good friend organized this event as a special birthday surprise and she participated as well, and Marilena worked with us both to develop our menu. We prepared as Starters..... bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with smoked paprika asiago cheese and sea salt & rosemary focaccia. Our main course was butter squash risotto with pine nuts, balsamic drizzle and fried sage with veal alla saltibocca! For dessert, we made biscotti with roasted almonds and hazelnuts. After preparing and cooking the food, we then sat down and enjoyed a most delicious meal . Everything tasted absolutely wonderful and after this experience, we decided that we wanted to come back and try again! Marilena stood by us every step of the way and offered her special tips and expertise! I would recommended this to any cooking aficionado or like me, a person who might be finding their way back to cooking!

Melissa M.

Sep 4, 2015

Jen T.

Dec 6, 2014

Colette W.

Dec 12, 2014

Marilena is the best chef and instructor you could ever hope for! She taught three generations of our family one Sunday afternoon in our home and we would welcome her back with open arms. She is amazingly talented and she taught us so much, and so many kitchen tricks, in a short time. The meal was memorable. She is kind, warm, fun, helpful, brilliant, and hard-working. I cannot say enough about her!

FAQs

What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I like to talk to a new customer on the phone, so I can get a good feeling of what they need and also so they can ask me as many questions as they want! I often come up with suggestions they hadn't even thought of, or considered before and they find that very useful. By the end of our conversation we come up with a good plan for their upcoming event or cooking class!
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I attended a cooking school in Rome, Italy for one year. Upon my return to the U.S. I attended a 6 month course at L' Academie de Cuisine, in Maryland.
How did you get started doing this type of work?
My husband's love of food and a fortunate tour in Italy led to a cooking school outside Rome. The passion of the instructors for their craft was contagious. They were also strong advocates of the then-nascent "Slow Food" movement in Italy, which aimed to refocus cooking on traditional foods, ingredients and methods in answer to the globalized "Fast Food" movement.