Travel

5 Mexican Cooking Schools

Plan your next trip to Mexico around a class at a cooking school, where expert local chefs teach students how to use authentic Mexican ingredients and techniques.

By Anna Stockwell and Elyse Inamine


Published on August 24, 2012

Seasons of My Heart

Visitors explore local markets, prepare regional dishes, make cheese, and bake bread pudding, among many other activities, under the tutelage of Susana Trilling (pictured), a Mexican-American chef and cookbook author who has made her home in Oaxaca for decades.
Oaxaca; 521/951/508-0469; seasonsofmyheart.com

Mexico Soul and Essence

Panama-born chef and writer Ruth Alegria hosts classes in her Mexico City kitchen, including a chile identification session and workshops on seasonal dishes. For September: chiles en nogada, picadillo-stuffed poblanos dressed in walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.
Mexico City; 52/555/564-8457; mexicosoulandessence.com

Marilau Mexican Ancestry Cooking School

Marilau Ricaud comes from a long line of professional cooks and bakers and is an expert not only in the regional specialties of her home state of Guanajuato, but in the cooking of Oaxaca, Puebla, and other parts of Mexico, as well. Renowned for her tamales in particular, she offers classes ranging from salsa making to a two-week intensive on Mexican stews.
San Miguel de Allende; 52/415/152-4376; traditionalmexicancooking.com.mx

Meson Sacristia

Guests of this charming boutique hotel play apprentice to chef Alonso Hernandez (pictured) in workshops on Pueblan classics like mole poblano, supplemented by trips to markets, museums, and historic sites.
Puebla; 800/712-4028; mesones-sacristia.com

Zirita Culinary Experiences

Restaurateur Cynthia Martinez has created a shrine to the cuisine of small-town Michoacan. In outdoor kitchens over woodburning stoves, visitors learn to grind corn on a metate, press tortillas, and cook them on a comal guided by practiced home cooks.
Morelia; 521/443/275-4536; zirita.com.mx

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