Amelia Island Culinary Academy

Amelia Island is best known for its stunning beaches, but it’s also known for its amazing restaurants and food scene, including culinary annual events in Amelia Island. With Amelia Island Culinary Academy, you can enjoy some of the best eats in town or book a class to pick up a few new cooking tips and tricks.

Just a short drive from our Amelia Island vacation rentals, the Academy offers something for every foodie.

Amelia Island Culinary Academy

The Amelia Island Culinary Academy offers both classes and food tours. Whether you want to get your hands dirty or just want to taste all that Amelia Island has to offer, there’s something for every foodie.

Cooking Classes

Classes are taught by Chef (and owner) Bill Thompson. Chef Thompson is a former Ritz-Carlton Chef and has been teaching culinary arts for more than a decade. Before joining the Ritz-Carlton team, Chef Thompson worked in small, independent restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina. 

If you want to brush up on your cooking skills, there are two types of classes to choose from:

• Demonstration: Relax, watch, and learn as Chef Thompson prepares the food and demonstrates cooking techniques used in restaurant kitchens.
• Participation: Roll up your sleeves and start cooking. Chef Thompson will teach you how to improve your cooking skills while you create mouthwatering meals.

Whether you prefer to observe or participate, both classes are interactive and give you the chance to ask your most pressing culinary questions and taste the dishes (the best part). Students receive copies of all recipes with each class.

Food and Bike Tours

If you’re more interested in treating your taste buds and exploring what makes Amelia Island unique, the Amelia Island Culinary Academy also offers food and bike tours. 

Pedal your way through the Amelia Island Trail, which runs from Peters Point Beachfront Park to Amelia Island State Park. The trail is part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile trail that runs from Key West all the way to the Canadian border in Maine.

Fun Fact: Our Amelia Island condo rentals are just a five-minute drive from Peters Point!

Along the way, you’ll make stops at four different food tasting spots. The Academy partners with restaurants along the path as well as Terry’s Produce, a local farmer’s fruit stand. Tours may stop at Cucina South, Lagniappe, Bar Zin, Pogo’s Kitchen and Marche Burette. Restaurants vary with each tour and will depend on availability. 

Tours are available for private groups of four or more. 

Farmer’s Market Tour and Class

The Farmer’s Market Tour and Class gives you the best of both worlds: classes and tastings.

Join Chef Thompson on a walk through Fernandina Beach as you make your way to the Amelia Island Farmer’s Market. Along the way, you’ll enjoy sampling from local culinary artisans and farmers. Chef Thompson will also give demonstrations on cooking with fresh produce.

If none of these tours or classes tickle your taste buds, you can book a private class or tour that’s customized for your group.

Island Kitchen

Looking for a farm-to-table restaurant in Amelia Island? The Island Kitchen restaurant is an extension of the Amelia Island Culinary Academy. They source their produce locally whenever possible. Their partner farmers use traditional organic farming practices as well as aquaponics and other cutting-edge farming practices that help protect Florida’s delicate environment.

The restaurant sources its much of its produce from Cabbage Creek Farm (Nassau County), Traders Hill Farm (Hilliard), Bacon’s Select Produce (Jacksonville), and Terry’s Fresh Produce (Nassau County). 

The Island Kitchen is truly all about serving fresh, local and delicious foods. Try their quinoa power salad, with fresh baby kale, sunflower seeds, cranberries, marinated tomatoes, chickpeas, and goats’ cheese. For something more substantial, give their bowls a try, with fresh ingredients like wild-caught shrimp, piquillo peppers and leafy greens.

The fast-casual restaurant also serves up small plates – like pimiento cheese and parmesan hand-cut fries – and sandwiches, which are served with your choice of soup, fries or salad.

Check out their selection of local beers from Terrapin, Bold City and Veterans United.

Situated on North 3rd Street, the Island Kitchen and the Amelia Island Culinary Academy are just a short drive from our beachfront condos. Contact us today to learn more!