Welcome to the Culinary Institute of the Mediterranean

The Culinary Institute of the Mediterranean exists to meet the increasing demand for creating health-conscious Mediterranean cuisine by providing culinary training and sharing the knowledge around the world’s healthiest and most delicious cuisine! Our holistic teaching approach, along with the memorable experiences, provides real-world benefits and applications for virtually everybody. Whether you are an aspiring chef, a foodie, a food professional or simply enjoy home cooking, let us share our knowledge and experience around one of the world’s most ancient and long-lasting cuisines!

About Us

The Culinary Institute of the Mediterranean is a modern educational organisation which aims to spread the essence of Mediterranean cooking to chefs and amateur cooks as well. Its purpose is to share the knowledge obtained around Mediterranean cuisine from the traditions of the many countries that exist in the area, and at the same time revisit, enrich and enhance the flavors of the various local cuisines. We follow a holistic teaching approach which means that program participants get a full experience of the local food cultures, food production techniques, traditions and raw ingredients. All our programs include – in addition to the masterclasses taught by our chefs – visits to local producers, museums, villages and dining with the locals at their houses or at restaurants.

Meet our team

Our team consists of young experts and chefs from different cooking backgrounds and nationalities who have gathered from around the world to share their experience, expertise, and passion for Mediterranean cuisine. This variety of cooking disciplines and training is what gives us the ability to simultaneously share our knowledge effectively with food professionals and home cooks alike.

Alex Mantoglou

Alex Mantoglou is from Greece and is the founder of the Culinary Institute of the Mediterranean. He is a restaurant owner and has also been a chef instructor in one of Italy’s most renowned institutes. He has trained many chefs and culinary professionals and has helped them elevate their cuisine. Besides being a chef, Alex has a degree in environmental engineering and likes combining cooking with science.

Eppie Berry

Eppie Berry is a chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of the Mediterranean. She is of British origins and has worked as a chef in numerous restaurants in the U.K. She received intense training in the Italian and Greek cuisines, and since then she has never stopped pursuing the knowledge around the cuisines of the Mediterranean. Currently, she is the executive chef of a renowned restaurant on the Greek island of Samos.

Ilay Becker

Ilay Becker is from Israel and teaches eastern Mediterranean cuisine at the Culinary Institute of the Mediterranean. He started his cooking career in Israel and then expanded his repertoire in Italy. Currently, he is the kitchen manager in a small but rather busy restaurant in Tel Aviv.

Hannah McKitrick

Hannah is from the United States and is our public relations manager. She studied economics but quickly started pursuing her dream of working in the catering and hospitality industry. Hannah has worked in managerial positions in a number of different catering companies and is currently a coordinator of food events for a large Italian food company in Boston, Massachusetts. Hannah is also a food blogger and in her free time, posts food pictures and recipes on her blog.

What we do

At our programmes, we bring our participants in to touch with the authentic Mediterranean cuisine and help them develop their own way of executing traditional or innovative dishes. Our passionate instructors have unique experience and in-depth knowledge of the regional cuisines of the Mediterranean and give personalised support, professional advice and guidance during the courses. Our masterclasses are designed to be enjoyed in a relaxing yet professional environment, after completing our programmes students can seamlessly integrate our cooking approach to their signature creations.