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Tamara's Kitchen
location_on Dromana, Melbourne
local_activity classes and kits: Bread Making • Baking and Desserts • Cooking
5.0 (42)Tamara has been involved in Melbourne’s vibrant food scene for over 30 years, from cooking classes from her Tooronga Road school, authoring several cookbooks and appearing weekly on Melbourne radio on 3AW’s “Grape Expectations” wine and food show each Sunday.
Tamara’s first food love was bread-making and since 1989, Tamara has taught thousands of her students how to make delicious bread as well as cakes, risotto and so much more. Her love of food took her to France where she has taught and escorted gourmet ‘foodies’ to France to learn more about the food and lifestyle of this popular destination.
More recently, Tamara moved to the Mornington Peninsula and after extensive study in cheese making overseas. She established Boatshed Cheese in 2012 specialising in small-batch cheese using traditional cheese making methods, using goat, cow and buffalo milk, Tamara’s attention to detail has seen her win dozens of awards both in Australia and overseas for her delicious, hand made cheese.
BoatShed Cheese is also in demand across Melbourne’s fine dining and gourmet food lovers scene with weekly deliveries throughout metropolitan Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. Retail customers are also well catered for with weekly deliveries to Bills Farm at Queen Vic market and many other fine food sellers across Melbourne’s suburbs, as well as appearances at weekly farmers markets.
After recently selling her commercial cheesemaking business, Tamara now focusses on her Cheese making classes and also offers a Sourdough Masterclass which includes a range of breads and pastry.
Classes and kits
Reviews
(42)
Mirjana Gligorova • Apr 2024
23 ClassBento workshops attended • 11 reviews
The best sourdough workshop! Tamara prepared everything step by step, so it would be easier for everyone to understand, starting with the process of making a starter, maintaining it, preserving it if we are away from two weeks to a year, then the step by step making and baking the bread. Then we made delicious focaccia. We also had a chance to learn how to utilise the sourdough starter discard making the most delicious savoury scones, and granola that we were served in a cup as dessert. I loved the lunch, barley soup with homemade sourdough bread crumbs and cheese, lots of varieties of sourdough, baguettes and focaccia, various delicious cheeses, made by Tamara, ripe figs, and the real treat was the home made quince paste and great choice of white, rose and pinot noir wines. There were also other light refreshments, tea, coffee, cake great food, great experience, great venue, and lots of printed step by step information to take home. Thank you Tamara, thank you ClassBento!
Melissa Co • Apr 2024
Had a wonderful class with Tamara learning how to make Brie, goats curd and ricotta! She made the class really transferable to a domestic kitchen, which will help me look after my Brie until I can finally eat it. Not an ultra hands on class, but very informative. Like the other reviews, very much like a masterclass! Lots of cheeses to taste and a lovely lunch too. Very insightful into the cheese making process and how we can do it at home.
Kim Granieri • Jul 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Thank you so much Tamara for such an amazing experience today in your class (sourdough). From the moment we walked you were accomodating, so knowledgeable and helpful! The venue is spot on and lunch was amazing! We look forward to many more classes with you
Kelli Frampton • Jul 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended
This class was by far the best I have ever done and I have done a lot across many areas!
Teacher was amazing, engaging, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, venue was clean and professional and very well set up.
All amenities were clean and there was fresh coffee tea and snacks and lunch was incredible!
Thank you!
Bec Ginsberg • Jul 2023
Tamara is an excellent teacher who provides great information to get going with sourdough bread making. I’m a novice and I feel confident that I’ll be able to make bread for my family. Tamara provides all the necessary tools (if you like) to get started straight away. Lunch was delightful and a good way to experience the cheese for the next class!
Many thanks.
Deanna Iermano • Jun 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Tamara was a fantastic teacher - she was knowledgeable, friendly and patient. We loves the class!
Pam Barbadonis • Jun 2023
Tamara is a fantastic communicator. We had a wonderful day learning about cheese making in Tamara's new facility in the Dromana Estate. a beautiful purpose built space fitted out perfectly! A large dining table brought the group together for a hearty lunch of home made soup and scrumptuous sourdough breads and a cheese platter to suit all palettes, great wine and lots of chatter!
No question was left unanswered and we left confident to replicate what we learnt in class with a wonderful set of notes and a follow up email with further instructions.
thank you Tamara and my gorgeous girls who gifted me this amazing Bento experience!
Pam
Wendy Chetcuti • May 2023
77 ClassBento workshops attended • 77 reviews
The best kit ever wonderful ingredients great value for money my bread came out superb highly recommended
Len Zitzke • May 2023
24 ClassBento workshops attended • 24 reviews
Great service and great value for everything you need to make great sourdough bread! With Apron instructions etc. Would highly recommend. This is a great informative do it yourself course Thanks Tamara
Max Taylor • Mar 2023
80 ClassBento workshops attended • 34 reviews
Best sourdough kit for beginners I've ever found, the instructions and recipes are so detailed and well written, while all the tools are great quality and built to last.
Carol Keating • Mar 2023
Tamara was very friendly and knowledgeable and provided plenty of notes and recipes to bring home.
Lunch (provided) gave us an opportunity to taste freshly made breads and focaccia as well as some of the lovely homemade cheese. Will definitely be signing up for the cheese making class in the future.
I had a lovely day with group of like-minded people. I can’t wait to put this newfound knowledge into practice.
Meg Parry • Nov 2022
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Tamara's class was fantastic! Tamara was warm, welcoming, clear with her demonstrations and giving direction when making the cheese. The lunch was absolutely delicious and I have left feeling really inspired and well-equipped with confidence and the resources (as I purchased a cheese making kit after the class) to be able to make my own cheese at home.
Thank you so much for having us Tamara!
Meg
Emma Morris • Jun 2022
116 ClassBento workshops attended • 83 reviews
This was an INCREDIBLE day…with the exception of my car breaking down on the way home …but other than that I absolutely loved it. The class was fun and informative, the food delicious, and my starter is thriving!
Emma Morris • Feb 2022
116 ClassBento workshops attended • 83 reviews
Yum yum yum Oh my gosh today was delicious!
I’ve attended a LOT of classbentos, but this was easily one of the best I’ve been to! Can’t wait for my cheese to mature
