Season 9 is
Officially Launched!
You will be charmed by both Zeina and Robert as they welcome you into their home.
Check out the in person cooking class schedule.
Food
Learn quick and easy recipes to help you master the craft of cooking healthy and delicious food.
Wine
Expand your world of wine and explore the different wine producing regions, grape varietals and tasting techniques.
Wine Prestige
Taste a variety of beautiful exquisite high quality wines – some of the very best from France and Italy.
Private
Enjoy an intimate experience with family, friends or colleagues by creating a class of your choice.
About
About Zeina
Preparing healthy, delicious food is my passion! I always say, “Where there’s food, there’s love!” and that’s exactly how I feel whenever I cook meals or bake sourdough bread or another special treat for my husband, Robert, and our three now grown sons. I also love to welcome the rest of my family and friends – including the new ones I make through my classes – with nutritious yummy food.
Growing up I always thought I would have a career in cooking. I was pretty much raised in the kitchen where my parents were always preparing wonderful Mediterranean food for our household. They started to teach me their kitchen skills when I was eight years old.
Thanks to my aunt, who recognized my skills at cutting hair and delighting people, I have spent a lot of my working years as a hair stylist. I love making people feel great about how they look! Yet, my passion for preparing good food never diminished. In my early 40s I actually ran a catering business for about five years, making fresh homestyle meals for busy families.
Seven years ago, I started Zeina’s Kitchen to offer cooking classes to share my kitchen techniques and tricks for making delicious, healthy food in almost no time with others. I also invited my husband, Robert, to share his extensive knowledge and passion for wine in tasting sessions.
Robert loves to learn everything he can about the world’s different wine regions and what their terroir and traditions can produce. After successfully completing a number of courses, he is now a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
Together we have been offering a range of cooking, wine-tasting, as well as wine-and-food pairing classes in person and online for the general public, private groups, as well as corporate events. We have met and connected with a lot of wonderful people in the process and continue to enjoy food preparation and wine discovery with a number of them on a regular basis.
My love for food has also taken me to some interesting places, such as Costa Rica. I served as the chef preparing all the meals for some 15 to 20 women during a 7-day retreat for three consecutive years. It was such a delight that I decided to organize some weekend retreats closer to home. I have co-hosted these mini-getaways with different self-care and wellness specialists and a range of workshop, including yoga, meditation and Spirit card reading. I prepared all the delicious, healthy meals, of course!
As I get older, food as a source of healthy living has never been more important to me and my family. It’s also why I feel more passionate than ever about wanting to share my nutritious, relatively easy but delicious homestyle cooking skills and tips with others. I hope I have the chance to help you to achieve your health and culinary goals in a friendly, cozy, fun setting!
About Zeina’s Kitchen
We thank you for your interest and support of Zeina’s Kitchen.
Because of you, we are having a great time living our passion and helping others.
If you are looking for inspiration and ways to improve your eating habits,
tips to create delicious meals or a fun night out with friends, you’ve come to the right place!
Here you will receive the help you need to reach your cooking goals
and to enhance your wine knowledge.
I invite you to be a part of something unique and very special.
It’s time we bring fun into your kitchen
About Robert
My wine journey began when a group of colleagues from work and I decided to organize wine tastings in each other’s kitchens and dining rooms. The allure of the vast wine landscape quickly took hold of my natural curiosity and fueled my desire to understand the reasons why each wine tastes like it does.
This led to me to seeking out the renowned Wine and Spirit Education Trust program. I was awarded a Pass with Distinction for the level 3 Advanced Certificate from the WSET in 2007. I am proud to be recognized by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
The world of wine is growing, and quality wines are produced in more regions than ever before.
I invite you to join me as I share my knowledge to expand your world of wine, as we explore the different wine producing regions, grape varietals, and learn various tasting techniques.
Classes
About the Cooking Classes:
In these hands-on cooking classes, you will learn quick and easy recipes to help you master
the craft of cooking healthy and delicious food.
Come discover Asian to Mediterranean cuisine and everything in between.
You will benefit from my cooking skills, my experience and my passion for food.
You can expect an intimate and friendly environment where inspiration will re-ignite your creativity.
Zeina’s Kitchen….. where there’s food there’s love!
About the Wine Appreciation Classes:
Zeina’s Kitchen is excited to announce the return of the very popular Wine Tasting and Tapas Evenings!
These events will be held in their home, hosted by Robert Aboud, Sommelier and Zeina, cooking instructor. An evening of wine tasting with food from Zeina’s Kitchen.
In these wine appreciation classes, you will learn to taste and compare different wines while enjoying appetizers, prepared for you by Zeina, to enjoy during class. Come expand your world of wine and explore the different wine producing regions, grape varietals and tasting techniques with sommelier, Robert Aboud, certified by the world-renowned Wine and Spirit Education Trust. You can expect an elegant, chic and fun evening with enlightening discussions to help you discover the art of wine selection.
You will be charmed by both Zeina and Robert as they welcome you into their home.
What is a Prestige Wine Class?
In a prestige wine class, we will present you a variety of beautiful exquisite high quality wines.
Some of the very best from France and Italy, served with gourmet Tapas from Zeina’s Kitchen.
Private Classes:
Italian: sauce, meatballs, individual lasagna, pesto, caesar salad, pizza.
Appetizer class. Potato balls, reconstructed cheese, variety of bruschetta and finger foods.
Mediterranean: rice, chicken brochettes, kofta, hummus, tabbouleh, fatouch, roasted potatoes.
Asian: wonton soup, fried wonton, shrimp/chicken stir fry, pan fried noodles, peanut butter sauce, veggies or shrimp rice rolls.
Soups and Salad Bar, tabbouleh, fatouch, egg, tuna, spinach, arugula/mushroom, mixed, original creations with different dressings.
Class Schedule
$75+tax
Season 9 Menu
Saturdays Live Wine Appreciation Evening
$90+tax
Season 9
2023/2024
Chile/Argentina
Loire Valley (France)
(19:00 – 21:00)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27nd
Vins blancs, choix de Robert/ Whites, Robert’s Choice
Piedmonte (Italy)
Piedmonte (Italy)
- For class times, please check schedule.
- For online classes, please login promptly to meet the rest of the class and get settled.
- A limit of 8 – 10 participants will have access to the class.
- Your seat is officially reserved once payment is made in full.
- Once payment is completed, it is not exchangeable or refundable.
Retreats
Zeina Abdul Karim
Chef & Cooking Instructor
Hire Zeina for your retreats.
Spending a week in paradise with Zeina as your chef and or cooking teacher promises to offer a unique and memorable hands-on experience. She will share her passion for preparing and eating delicious, healthy dishes at home so that you discover gourmet made easy and become motivated to make it a part of your food lifestyle. Heighten your participants sensory awareness with healthy tantalizing food served by a very creative chef.
Photo Gallery
Zeina’s Cooking Tips!
Here is how to Simplify meal time.
When your pantry is organized you will benefit from the stress relief it brings, every time you are planning a meal.
You will thank me later 😉
Easier said than done? Not this time!
Let me share with you the secret of my success in creating delicious stress-free last-minute meals. The steps are simple and well worth the effort and time you will invest setting it up.
Here are the 5 steps you need to master
-
-
- The First List of What you love to eat: On a sheet of paper, write down 6 to 8 of your go to dishes including side dishes. The ones you can put together in little or no time and that they are a favourite in your kitchen.
- The Second List: On a new sheet of paper, draw a line vertically in the middle, from top to bottom. Title the left side “A-perishable” the other “B non-perishable” ingredients.
- Write the ingredients down: One by one, list the names of each dish and write next to each one all the ingredients you need to make them. Separate them by category A or B
- Seasoning and Marinating: All your best oils, vinegars, sauces, spices must be included on your list.
- Regular inventory check: When all your go to ingredients are in stock in your pantry, you will be able to create all your favourite dishes. All you need to purchase are your fruits, vegetables and meats.
-
Here are some examples of my favourite pantry items:
Italian:
Tomato sauce, olive oil, basil leaves, pepper, salt, pasta, tomato paste, garlic, onion…
Asian:
Oyster sauce, soya sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic…
Mexican:
Salsa, taco spice, red pepper flakes, rice, black beans…
Mediterranean:
Chicken broth, black eyed beans, Hummus, Quinoa…