Visitors traveling to Cancun and the Riviera Maya looking for an authentic and hands-on cultural experience now have the option of attending a culinary class where expert Mexican chefs teach Mexican cooking techniques with traditional ingredients.
The cooking school is ideally located between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, in the halfway point near Puerto Morelos. Housed in a brightly colored pink and yellow Mexican home surrounded by trees and chirping birds, the workshop offers nine different classes/menus, focusing on different parts of Mexico’s cuisine: Yucatan, Puebla, Central Mexico, Seafood, Corn, Tamales, Holiday Dishes, Mexico Delights, and Mexico’s Best Selection, each sharing the best of Mexico’s rich heritage, culture, and traditions.
Jorge, one of our travel planners, recently attended the cooking workshop and raved, “It’s a innovative concept, and there is nothing quite like it in the area” – and he was right. The traditional Mexican kitchen, workshop, and school is a new project totally eco-friendly. It has created its own organic garden using only organic fertilizers for the freshest harvests and ingredients, uses solar energy, and reuses the organic waste into compost. Jorge also commented that the menus that appealed most to him were the Coastal Seafood class and the Yucatan Delights class, “Being located in the Yucatan Peninsula on the Mexican-Caribbean Sea, I think it is interesting to learn the traditions and staples of what locals eat in the destination you are visiting. Ceviche, shrimp, and seafood of all kinds are very common in Cancun and of course, one cannot visit a cooking class in the Yucatan Peninsula without familiarizing themselves with traditional Mayan Cuisine!”
For those interested in attending the cooking class in the Riviera Maya, plan for it to take a whole day. The experience includes round trip transportation from your hotel and starts with offering guests breakfast accompanied with café de olla and a small explanation of Mexican cuisine. Preparing and cooking the selected menu of the day takes about 3-4 hours and is, of course, followed by time to devour the delicious culinary masterpieces created.
While the cooking school is usually a interactive shared activity, it can be arranged for private groups. For more ideas on how to incorporate Mexico’s culinary delights into your next vacation, click here.
