TheLongtable

Welcome to the Social Side of Cooking

When did eating become something you do alone? What if the best meal of your life hasn’t happened yet — because you haven’t met the right people to share it with?

“Food is the language everyone speaks. Come cook with us.”

“Are you ready to cook, laugh, and connect with people from around the world — around one long table?”

And sometimes — the table you need is not with a crowd. It is a quiet conversation with someone who knows the kitchen. Whether from a screen or a phone call — someone who can sit with you, guide you, and help you understand not just what to cook — but why every choice matters.

That is what Wisdom looks like. And Wisdom is just practice, remembered.

I still remember the first time I truly understood what food could do.

It was in Urla, in Özlem’s kitchen Firin Vourla, with the smell of wood fire and olive oil in the air. My dear friend Filiz Ozkan was teaching me — not just recipes, but something deeper. That cooking is never just about food. It is about presence. About generosity. About the ancient human ritual of feeding someone you love.

When life took me to Kuwait, I carried that lesson with me. And there, in this extraordinary city where every nationality in the world lives side by side, I met Meltem — a Turkish woman who had made Kuwait her home for many years, married into Kuwaiti life, deeply rooted in both cultures, and with the same love of food, people, and beautiful tables.

Two Turkish women. One long dining table. And an open invitation to cook, share, and connect.

In October 2017 we set that table for the first time. We had no grand plan. Just good food, open hearts, and a genuine desire to bring people together.

What happened next changed everything.

People came from everywhere. Kuwaitis, expats, home cooks, food lovers, strangers who became friends. They cooked together, laughed together, ate together. In a world that often feels divided, something quietly miraculous happened around that long table — people remembered how similar they truly are.

TheLongTable created a ripple effect in Kuwait’s culinary community — inspiring a new wave of communal cooking experiences and the belief that a shared meal can bridge any difference.

TheLongTable continues to grow — moving beyond private homes into restaurants, cafes, art centers, and cultural spaces — wherever there is a kitchen, a community, and a hunger for genuine human connection.

Because some tables, once set, never truly empty.

Years

200+

Classes

🌍

Every cuisine

Come to TheLongTable. There is always room for one more.

— Filiz Hekimoglu, Founder of TheLongTable

🎬 Online Cooking Classes

Mexican Cooking Class with Claudia

TheLongTable featured on Dawrat — Kuwait’s leading online learning platform. Filmed at Magnet Kuwait with a full production crew.

View the class →

Featured · December 2019

Friends & Food

Monthly Membership

Community

Monthly online cooking gatherings

Access to 9 years of exclusive recipes

A community of food lovers

Discount on TheLongTable events

$15 / month

Cancel anytime.

Join Friends & Food

A table where food lovers belong.

Consulting · Private Session

Cooking well is not about collecting recipes.

It is about Understanding what you are doing.

Knowing what to do with what you have.

And why every Choice in the kitchen makes all the difference.

Practice long enough — it becomes Wisdom. Just like your grandmother’s.

And Wisdom is just practice, remembered.

$36 / session

Book anytime.

Book with Filiz

A private Zoom session with Filiz — tips, technique and real support for your kitchen.

🌟 As Seen In & Featured By

TheLongTable has been featured in print, television, podcast and online media across Kuwait.

📖

Magazine

Bazaar Magazine Kuwait

Feature — Filiz Türeç Hekimoglu

“Like Kuwait, the LongTable is literally a melting pot…”

By Shabana H. Shaikh

March 1, 2018

Read →

🎙️

Podcast

Loving Kuwait Podcast

Episode 28

Hosted by Ayesha Kamal @loving.kuwait

Filiz talks about TheLongTable, food, community and life in Kuwait.

October 2019

Listen →

📰

Newspaper

Arab Times Kuwait

Our Lives Our Community

“What’s On”

Front Page, pp. 11–20
June 13, 2019

Food For Thought

Interview with Filiz — an in-depth feature on TheLongTable and the vision behind it.

By Shabana H. Shaikh
March 1, 2018

June 13, 2019

Click to Read →

📺

Television

KTV2 Kuwait

Hala Kuwait Live Show

TheLongTable featured on Kuwait’s national English television channel.

Hosted by Heba Alqahtani @hebankaz

August 2019

Watch on YouTube →

Second Home

TheLongTable featured on the Second Home show — celebrating Kuwait’s expat community.

With Amena Japanwala @amena_ak88

August 2019

View on Instagram →

A Chapter

Food Beyond The Table

Sometimes food is not about the recipe. It is not about the class, the cuisine, or the technique. Sometimes food is the only language that crosses every border — and feeds more than just a body.

Kuwait · Ramadan

100 Meals

Collaboration with Oneness

With Anna

During Ramadan — TheLongTable and Oneness Organisation came together to cook and distribute 100 meals across Kuwait. Not a class. Not an event. Just food — given with open hands to those who needed it most.

Hosted at Magnet Kuwait — a creative space that brings people together.

1 June 2018

Morocco · Tangier & Tétouan

1000 Meals

Collaboration with OxAdventure

TheLongTable travelled to Morocco — to Tangier and Tétouan — and cooked couscous alongside the local community. 1000 meals, prepared together and distributed across the town.

Not a tourist experience. Not a performance. A genuine act of cooking together — where the table had no walls, no borders, and no guests. Only people sharing food.

In collaboration with OxAdventure — an experience and travel organisation connecting people through extraordinary journeys since 2013.

Food as a bridge between cultures and people.

17 — 21 April 2019

TheLongTable

Company Celebrations & Events

Mark your milestones around the table with TheLongTable.

Team Building Days

Cook, laugh, connect.

There is no better way to build real connection than cooking together. Shared meals create shared memories that last far beyond the office.

Company Celebrations

Mark your milestones.

Anniversaries, launches, achievements — celebrate what matters around a table filled with good food and good people.

Client Entertainment

A unique experience.

Give your clients something they will never forget. A cooking experience that creates real conversation, real warmth — and a lasting impression.

Staff Appreciation

Show your team they matter.

The best teams are the ones who feel valued. Give your people a day of cooking, laughter and connection — and remind them why they show up.

A Collaboration

Boubyan Bank × TheLongTable

Three exclusive cooking experiences gifted by Boubyan Bank to their One account customers — celebrating food, culture and community at the table.

Boubyan Bank × TheLongTable

Amimoto — Japanese Cooking Class

Kuwait Towers

With Chef Fumikazu Onuki

An exclusive Japanese cooking experience gifted by Boubyan Bank to their One account customers — inside the iconic Amimoto restaurant at Kuwait Towers, guided by master sushi chef Fumikazu Onuki.

March 2019 · Kuwait Towers · Kuwait

Boubyan Bank × TheLongTable

Solo Tacos — Mexican Cooking Class

Magnet Restaurant · Salmiya

With Claudia Ledesma

An exclusive Mexican cooking class gifted by Boubyan Bank to their One account customers — a celebration of food, culture and community at the table.

28 March 2019 · Magnet Restaurant · Salmiya, Kuwait

Boubyan Bank × TheLongTable

Soul Food Cooking Class

Magnet Restaurant · Salmiya

With Magnet’s Chef

An exclusive Soul Food cooking class gifted by Boubyan Bank to their One account customers — warm, generous food cooked with heart at Magnet Restaurant.

27 March 2019 · Magnet Restaurant · Salmiya, Kuwait

TheLongTable Unique

Where Food Meets Art

One menu. One moment. Never repeated.

Some experiences cannot be planned. They can only be created — once — in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time.

A different location each time. A different atmosphere. A different ambiance. An entirely new menu inspired by that space and that moment.

Every event is a new adventure. Every gathering leaves a memory that belongs only to those who were there.

Once it’s gone — it’s gone.

TheLongTable · Art on Your Plate

Dar Al Funoon

With Susanna

An Italian cooking experience inside an art gallery —
where food met art, and every dish told a story.

Bruschetta — Pesto, Tomatoes, Red Peppers & Cheese

Parmigiana — Eggplants & Zucchini

Colourful Ravioli — Ricotta, Spinach & Sage Butter

Salad — Rocket, Pumpkin & Feta

Dessert — Panna Cotta & Berry Sauce

17 March 2018

TheLongTable Unique · Sri Lanka

Spice Garden · Kandy

We Travel to the Origin

With Sumith — Best Guide Ever

A cooking class at the heart of a spice garden in Kandy — surrounded by the real aromas, textures and colours of Sri Lankan spices, in their authentic environment, at their origin.

Guided by a local Ayurvedic doctor — who shared not just recipes, but the ancient wisdom of spices, their healing properties, and the deep connection between food and wellbeing.

26 February 2019 · Kandy, Sri Lanka

TheLongTable · Food Beyond The Table

Feed Market

Kuwait’s First Holistic Market

With Rita & May

Cooking has no borders. Food, wellness and community coming together in one extraordinary outdoor setting — at Kuwait’s very first holistic market, with the organisation of Aroob.

Iron Boost Green Smoothie

Crunchy Thai Cabbage Salad

Chia Almond Pizzetta

Barley Walnut Burgers with Veggies

Chocolate Brazil Balls

8 December 2018 · Kuwait Zoo

TheLongTable Unique · Kuwait

Mona Ruehle Art Gallery & Atelier

Hosted by Katsuya

A Japanese sushi cooking class hosted by the chefs of Katsuya — inside the private home, kitchen and art gallery of Mona Ruehle.

We cooked in her grand kitchen, surrounded by her art. We ate together in her atelier — where every wall told a story, and every dish was a memory. A table like no other. A moment that belonged only to those who were there.

5 June 2018 · Kuwait

TheLongTable · Hero’s Story

Institut Français du Kuwait

Frida Cooking Class · With Claudia

A cooking class inspired by Frida Kahlo — Mexican flavours, vibrant colours and the spirit of one of the most iconic artists of all time. Hosted at the Institut Français du Kuwait with guest chef Claudia Ledesma.

Menú

Crazy Margarita Cocktail

Fresh Fruit Cups

Zucchini Beetroot Salad

Grilled Shrimp & Salsa

Guacamole

Corn Chips

Rib Eye Tacos

Flour Tortillas

Margarita Key-Lime Cheesecake

8 February 2019 · Kuwait

TheLongTable · Healthy Bites

Magnet Restaurant

With Anna

& Luvf Fresh Vegetables

Healthy cooking does not mean boring cooking.

Fresh, seasonal vegetables — prepared with love and creativity.

Food that can nourish as much as it can delight.

Kale Chips

Spicy Carrot & Green Bean Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

Vegetable Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Layered Vegetable & Chickpea Dip with Seeded Crackers

Lemon & Coconut Powerballs

9 June 2018 · Kuwait

TheLongTable · To BE

BE — A Café & Space of Wellbeing

With Mariam Alshatti

A vegan sushi cooking class — with a surprise. Mariam said it best: the menu is a surprise.

Vegan Sushi — and a surprise 🌱

18 July 2019 · Kuwait

TheLongTable · Plant Based

Magnet Restaurant

With Badeer

A plant based cooking class — where every ingredient is a choice, and every dish is a statement. Food that is kind to the body, kind to the planet, and absolutely delicious.