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Class Title: Building a Festive Mediterranean Mezze / Charcuterie Board!
Full Class Description: The word “Mezze” refers to what we all know as finger foods and dips. Many Mediterranean meals consist of a variety of “mezze” items that come together creating the most wonderful flavors, tastes and textures. Learn how to bring warmth, color, and the flavors of the Mediterranean to your fall and winter gatherings with this festive Mediterranean mezze cook-along class where Chef Tess (a descendant of Spartans) will guide you through creating a stunning mezze-style charcuterie board, perfect for sharing or seasonal entertaining any time of year.  The mezze-style charcuterie board will include four delicious scratch-made dips, warm-spiced, bright Greek meatballs, and handmade pita bread. Mezze boards / platters will be rounded out with an array of fresh and pickled vegetables, olives, fruit and nuts for a vibrant crowd—pleasing spread! The board, platter, or table becomes the canvas upon which we create an edible work of art!  Cook-Along mezze items:  Silky whipped feta & tzatziki dips, Greek Meatballs, homemade pita bread Mezze items to be demonstrated:  Muhamarra (a smoky red pepper dip), Greek hummus and time permitting, some crispy, Greek sesame bread sticks. The demonstration will also include how to build the board balancing the colors, textures and flavors, and how to build interest and visual appeal with using height and practical items found in every kitchen. This experience is all about bold delicious flavors, beautiful presentations, and the joy of gathering around food— Mediterranean style.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While cooking-along is loads of fun, and highly recommended, it is optional. Make it a date night or family night as you create lasting memories in your kitchen!  This class will take place on Zoom, free online software. Participants will receive instructions on how to access the class prior to it starting. A list of ingredients and class details will be received in advance of the class with enough time for shopping and preparation. The Instructor’s Personal Recipes from this class will be included in a professionally made PDF packet to be received by participants after the class.  NOTE: The instructor’s recipes are copyrighted and are only shared with those who register for this class. As an added bonus, the instructor has created a private group and a public group on Facebook for participants of her cooking classes. Everyone will receive an invite to the groups although joining is optional. Come join the fun! Note: One registration fee for this online virtual interactive class can include immediate family members living full-time in the same home ONLY. If children are participating, adult supervision is required. If friends, adult children, or extended family members are gathering for a fun night together, EACH household must register SEPARATELY even if participating together. Equipment: A food processor or blender is needed for the creation of the Whipped feta. Stand mixer recommended for the pita bread.

Instructor biography: Tess Georgakopoulos, also known as “Chef Tess—Culinary Artist”, has been cooking and baking for well over 45 years since she was roughly 6 years old. Born into a Greek family, the art of cooking traditional meals using one's own hands and creativity was and continues to be an expression of love in her home. Her father was also a trained chef who brought the magic of food to life in another form on the weekends as they cooked elaborate family meals together. As an accomplished cook and baker and always working towards expanding her culinary repertoire, Tess enjoys experimenting in her test kitchen daily creating new recipes, creative culinary techniques and building “Gold Standard” culinary experiences for communities across Minnesota and beyond. Tess is proficient and experienced in creating cook-along experiences and curriculum for conventional cooking, baking, pressure-cooking, air frying, pizza making, Mediterranean Cooking, and meal preparation as well. More recently, she has expanded her creativity and experience in the creation of Cooking Master Classes! A Culinary Artist indeed! She has been teaching both in-person and on-line cooking classes through community education for a number of years, and is currently working with almost 60 public school districts in and around the Twin Cities, in many corners of Minnesota, in addition to school districts in Wisconsin, Missouri, New York, and Oklahoma, having worked with just over 5000 participants over the years. Through her teaching, Tess has helped people of all skill levels increase their confidence and expand their skills in the kitchen reaching heights of their own personal creativity that they never knew existed, all while having fun and creating memories to last a lifetime. Her motto, eloquently put, is to make “dishing” delicious, and simple. Tess has recently started writing her first cookbook, and her food blog is also in the works! Some of her creations can be seen on her Facebook page, “Dish it up Good”, https://www.facebook.com/dishitupgood/ or on her Instagram Feed.