Cooking classes from the Isthmus with a Tehuana

If you want to have a great meal AND start to learn about Oaxacan cuisine, take this class! Betsaida and her team organize an unbelievable day, with a trip to the market, then back to her beautiful kitchen space to cook and learn, and eat! But it's not just a yummy meal - you will come away with some real knowledge about the ingredients, as well as some of the cooking tools and techniques. Be ready to really cook and not just stand by and watch! The size of the group is small, which allowed for real conversations with the other participants about our collective travels and food experiences. I've taken other cooking classes that are fun but forgettable, where I ate well but didn't learn much. This is the opposite of that and will be a highlight as I look back on the trip to Oaxaca.

We had an incredible experience cooking with Betsaida. From start to finish, we learned so much about local food culture, ingredients, cooking processes, and tools. Her cooking expertise is informed by her family traditions, local ingredients, and intuition, and she shared all of this with us with so much kindness and she truly opened the doors for us to learn about and fall in love with the food of Oaxaca. We made salsas, tortillas, molotes, mole negro, and mango sorbet with mezcal flambed plantains. Betsaida encouraged all of us to be involved and present in as many steps of the process as possible. I cannot recommend this experience enough. It has been a highlight of our trip to Oaxaca. ¡Me encanta Oaxaca!

+5

What an incredible experience. Betsaida was a a wonderful host from the moment she picked us up, through the shopping at the market, directing us on how to cook an amazing meal, and delivering us back to the drop off point. She was 100 % genuine profession, warm and welcoming. We’ve visited Oaxaca many times and eaten at some amazing restaurants. After taking this cooking class, I can honestly say, instead of going to a great restaurant in Oaxaca and buying an excellent dinner, take this class, become part of the process, and with Betsaida’s gentle and humorous coaching, create and share a world class dinner with family and new friends. You’ll also learn about the culture, laugh, drink mescal, and have an experience that surpasses any dinner I’ve had in town. One piece of advice, come hungry!

+1

Bethsaida is a cheerful, friendly woman that gave our group of friends a fun and informative cooking class. I truly appreciated the small class size that allowed each person to have a hands on experience. The large kitchen space provides an ideal environment for cooking and viewing the process of each person's tasks. Bethsaida created a fun and joyful atmosphere. I liked that we were able to eat after each course, and did not have to wait for one big meal at the end. I have taken cooking classes around the world, and this was my favorite cooking class experience. I highly recommend Bethsaida's cooking class.

We also went on a food tour with Bethesaida the day before. From that, we knew that Bethesaida was a warm, friendly, and well-loved resident of Oaxaca. She treated us like family, making an effort to talk to each one of us and really get to know us. Our groups, in both cases, responded in kind and our time together was most pleasant. We started our day with a trip to the market to buy the ingredients for our meal. Then we went to Bethsaida’s home. The kitchen in which we cooked was large and well-equipped. And the food she taught us to make was absolutely delicious. It was a day we will remember always. We highly recommend booking this experience.

I'm so glad I booked this cooking class! It was such a wonderful experience. From the market buying fresh ingredients, to the lovely outdoor kitchen and we had a great group. It was intimate, educational, and memorable! We learned recipes that we can recreate back home. Book this experience, you won't regret it!

We spent part of our honeymoon in Mexico, and our day with Me Encanta Oaxaca was our absolute favorite experience of the entire trip. We booked the private class and spent almost the whole day with Betsaida cooking, eating, drinking, talking about our cultures, and just laughing together. It never felt rushed or touristy, it felt like being welcomed into someone’s home and family. The food we made was incredible (and there was a lot of it), but what really made it special was Betsaida herself. She’s a wonderful teacher, warm, funny and genuinely interested in sharing Oaxacan culture, not just recipes. Very highly recommend. If you’re in Oaxaca, do this. It’s honestly unforgettable.

Me Encanta is a must do experience in Oaxaca! Bethsaida is an exceptional chef and teacher. From purchasing fresh herbs and meal ingredients from market venders to making green mole and other delicious authentic dishes, including cafe de olla, the entire day was unforgettable. It was the highlight of our visit to Oaxaca! I can’t recommend it more highly.

Amazing exeprience ! We highly recommend, we had a great time with Betsaida ! Thank you for sharing so much about traditions, dishes, customs !

The most complete and hands on cooking class we’ve ever taken! Betsaida was delightful, experienced, and gave attention to detail from the market to plating of the delicious meal! Her assistant was always there to assist to make for a smooth running class. Her beautiful kitchen took my breath away! It is a long day so would recommend for teenagers and older. We came away full of amazing food and a rich cultural experience. Recommend in every way!