Naxos Cooking and Cheese Making Class: Learn Greek Farm Recipes

Cook a traditional Greek dish and make cheese with the farmers who grow your ingredients.

A four-hour cooking and cheesemaking class at a family-run dairy farm in Naxos where you prepare gemista, a signature summer recipe, and learn to make arseniko cheese using age-old methods. You work with fresh ingredients from the farm's garden, then sit down to eat what you've made while taking in views of the sea and surrounding farmland.

Step-by-step itinerary

Traditional cooking and cheesemaking class

• Meet farmers at family-run dairy
• Prepare traditional Greek recipe gemista
• Learn local cheesemaking methods
• Make arseniko cheese
• Enjoy shared meal with sea views

The experience

The class starts at a hilltop dairy farm run by local farmers who step away from their daily work to teach you. You'll spend the morning learning to prepare gemista, the iconic Greek summer dish, using vegetables and herbs picked that day from the farm's garden. Your hosts walk you through each step: how to select and prepare the ingredients, how to layer and season them, the timing that matters. While the dish cooks, they teach you the traditional method for making arseniko, a local cheese that's been made the same way for generations, showing you the techniques that turn milk into something you can taste the place in.

The experience ends with a shared meal: you eat the gemista you cooked, taste the cheese you made, and sit with your hosts in the warmth of their hospitality. Wine, local snacks and the meal itself are included. The farm's position on the hillside means you're eating while looking out over the farmland and the sea beyond it, not as scenery to admire from a distance, but as the landscape that produced what's on your plate.

What’s included

• Hands-on instruction in cooking gemista and making arseniko cheese.
• fresh ingredients from the farm's garden.
• the meal you prepare.
• wine and local snacks.
• guidance from the farmers who run the dairy.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 1 Apr 2027

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Youth (12 to 15 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Philema Food Tours

Is this one for you?The farm is reachable by public transport or a short taxi ride from anywhere on Naxos, so you don't need a rental car to get there. If you're staying in town without transport, your hosts can arrange pickup, making it easy to spend a morning learning to cook and make cheese without the logistics of getting yourself to a rural location.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 15 years); Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is gemista, the dish I'll be cooking?

Gemista is a traditional Greek summer recipe built around tomatoes, peppers, onions and herbs baked together with olive oil. It's simple, seasonal and relies entirely on the quality of fresh vegetables: exactly what the farm grows.

Will I actually make the cheese, or just watch the farmers do it?

You make the cheese yourself. Your hosts teach you the traditional method for arseniko step by step, so you're learning the technique by doing it, not observing from the side.

How long does the class run, and what time does it start?

The class lasts four hours. Your hosts will confirm the exact start time when you book, and they can arrange pickup if you're staying elsewhere on the island without a car.

Is the meal included, or do I need to bring my own food?

The meal is included. You eat the gemista you cooked, taste the cheese you made, and the farm provides wine and local snacks as well. It's a relaxed feast, not a rushed lunch.

What's the Cedar Forest of Alyko, and is it part of the class?

The Cedar Forest of Alyko is a protected woodland on Naxos known for its rare trees and coastal views. While it's listed as a nearby attraction, the class itself takes place at the farm. Your hosts can point you toward it if you want to explore the area before or after.