Our festive culinary adventure sizzles with great food, clinics and tasting! It’s a one-of-a-kind gastronomic extravaganza, packed full of sensory delights, spices and methodologies. During the week, you will learn traditional Mayan heartland foods and their cultural significance as well as various classic Mexican foods and traditions.

Specialty food seminars, participation and demonstration cooking sessions and of course, the meals, are integrated into daily itineraries. There are generally 2-3 specific culinary learning segments each day. Stand alone presentations may include subjects such as ‘all about salt’, or an afternoon session on salsas, or lessons in cutting meats, preparing fish, or sharpening and selecting knives. One day the featured presentation meal may be brunch, followed by light supper and dessert lessons at the end of the day after a sunset kayak tour to Bird Island. Participants are coached to be creative about food combining and following your own culinary instincts.

A focus of the program is on meals using local fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, spices, chilies, meats and fish. Not only will you take home great new recipes and ideas, but also specific information on where to buy and order these ingredients back in the US. During the week you will also be exposed to the uses and preparations of some local medicinals. Indigestion?...try burnt tortilla soup. Got a head cold? …brew up some leaves from a nearby sour-orange tree.

Annette Colón is our American chef for the week. Annette learned to cook with her grandmother and family in heartland Puerto Rico and this heritage pervades her culinary expertise. Her philosophy with cooking is, “happy and successful cooking doesn’t just rely on know-how, it mostly comes from the heart and requires enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.” Annette is the executive chef at Lucia’s Restaurant in Minneapolis, MN.

Ruben Lopez Ayala presently lives in Playa Del Carmen. We feel extremely fortunate to have Ruben join us as our primary Mexican/Mayan resource person. Ruben, like Annette, grew up in the heartland; but of the northern Yucatan peninsula. He is responsible for developing the primary menu at Yaxche Restaurant, an extremely popular dining locale in Playa Del Carmen, and continues work as a consultant to restaurants. Ruben is opening his own restaurant in Playa, which will be a capstone piece showcasing his extraordinary talents as both chef and restaurateur. Annette and Ruben hit if off instantly the very first season they worked together; their deep professional and personal friendship developed even more so with Annette’s fluency in Spanish. They have found many crossovers in foods from their ethnic backgrounds and we’re proud to offer trip guests a chance to sample a new cuisine that is exclusive to our program; MayaRican! 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.

COOKING TRIP PHOTO GALLERY