 MARCH 29-APRIL 5
This trip is an undeniably great experience! You will enjoy a festive week of great fun, food clinics and tasting. We study traditional heartland foods and their significance in the Mayan culture as well as various classic Mexican foods and traditions. Participation and demonstration cooking sessions take place in several inspiring indoor and outdoor kitchens and utilize local fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, spices, chilies, meats and fish. Get your hands in the salsa and your minds in the romance of Latino foods and spirits for a world-class culinary experience.
James Foley is a Living Adventure favorite and is heading into his 4th season with our Yucatan programs. He excels as a gastronomic wizard, food artist, astute teacher and magnetic person. During the week, James works with several local chefs with whom he has developed vibrant professional and personal relationships. Trip participants benefit greatly from their fun loving, contagious energy and will be inspired by the artful passion they show for their work.
Experience the compelling, sensory and tactile world of food combining and discover how to season your life with the joy of creative culinary expression. Save your appetite for this exceptional learning vacation that promises to fill you with fine foods, great company and the vibrant warmth of the Yucatan sunshine.
During the week you will explore universals of food ceremony and discuss aspects that are unique to each culture.
Participants receive & learn:
- Glossary of cooking terms and ingredients with some Spanish language.
- Printed recipes and instructions for the meals you prepare.
- Food handling and specific methods of cutting/chopping/slicing.
- Studies in chilies, locally found herbs and medicinals.
- Cooking is done stove-top, in ovens, over open charcoal/wood flames and underground.
 Previous menus have included foods such as:
- Relishes - mango-black bean, melon relishes, avocado-corn relish
- Salsas - salsa roja, avocado salsa, mango/pineapple
- Tamales - arborio rice, black bean tamale, cilantro tamale
- Sauces - roasted red pepper sauce, chipotle orange sauce, black bean puree
- Marinades - tuna escabeche marinade, seviche for scallops, shrimp and flank steak marinades.
- Mayan preparations of tamales, seafood and meats.
Cooking sessions during the week take place in extraordinary places. The kitchen in the main house at Punta Pelicano is the location for the majority of food preparations. One day we will walk, drive, kayak (take your pick!) for a meal preparation and dining experience at the incredibly beautiful open-air kitchen of nearby rancho Sol Caribe, where we are hosted by owners Mike and Diane. Another day we will drive to the small fishing village of Punta Allen, at the tip of the peninsula, and partake in a cooking session with the main chef at restaurant Cuzan House. Back in Playa Del Carmen, at Yaxche Restaurant, we are hosted by head chef Ruben Lopez Ayala for a world class cooking session in a gourmet version of authentic Mayan foods. Ruben may join us on site at Punta Pelicano
Fly into Cancun and leave tourism behind as we drive into the Sian Ka'an Biosphere reserve. This million acre land tract, which in Mayan means, 'Where The Sky Is Born,' is a perfect place to immerse in adventure and creativity. Punta Pelicano, our home for the week, is near the tip of a land peninsula with the Caribbean ocean on one side and the quiet waters of inland mangrove channels and lakes on the other. The world's second largest coral barrier reef, Palancar, is spectacular and easily accessible from the beach at Punta Pelicano.
| Day 1 |
Arrive in Cancun and taxi to Playa Del Carmen. We spend our first night in this fun seaside resort town at beautiful Posada Mariposa. |
| Day 2 |
Breakfast in Playa, a little shopping and then we head to Rancho Punta Pelicano, a quiet tropical paradise in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. |
| Days 3-7 |
Each day is a weave of structured workshop sessions, outdoor activities and free time. Sea kayaking and snorkeling instruction is emphasized early in the trip so that participants are free to paddle when they like – sunrise is excellent for birding, sunsets are spectacular. Stargazing, beach walking, great meals, private and communal times add to a great week. One day mid-week we drive into Tulum (about an hour) to re-supply with groceries. During this full day we will visit a Mayan archeological site, swim in a cenote, visit local markets and enjoy a restaurant meal on the coast before heading back in.
WEDNESDAY OUTING: MAYAN SITE & CENOTES |
| Day 8 |
Travel back to Playa Del Carmen in time for trip participants to taxi back to Cancun for return flights. |
Opportunities to visit Mayan archeological sites, shop in markets or experience the enchanting cenotes, are scheduled into arrival and departure days according to flight times of the groups. |
