6/20
Mediterranean Mezze
with Jake Zyrek

A global cousin to the charcuterie board, a mezze plate is an assortment of dips, spreads, vegetables and small dishes meant to be shared as a group, family style. In this class we will make a variety of popular Mediterranean dishes such as Beetziki (beet tzatziki), Muhammara (Middle Eastern walnut and roasted red pepper dip), Mutabal (Middle Eastern Eggplant dip), Fattoush Salad with seared halloumi cheese. Chef Jake will teach a variety of tips and techniques as he leads students through the process of making each dish. (The menu is subject to change based on seasonality and availability of ingredients.)

About the Chef

Jake grew up in southeast Michigan, where he started cooking with his grandma as a young kid. He got his first job in the service industry at 12 working as a soda jerk in an old timey ice cream shop in his hometown. From there he worked in pizza shops and catering through college before leaving MI for culinary school at Kendall College in Chicago. While working and attending school he got his first chance to come to Colorado, interning at Larkspur in Vail. From there he spent the next 15 years in the fine dining world working all over the country, from Detroit, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Denali park Alaska, and now finally finding a home in Boulder. These days Jake teaches at a few cooking schools and works as a private chef. In his free time he enjoys refinishing furniture, being outdoors as much as possible, and learning as much as he can in all facets of life.