What I teach goes well beyond what is usually understood to be Mexican food. Our cooking school is almost unique in Mexico. It is owned and run by a Mexican and offers "traditional" cuisine from its basics.
A very high cuisine developed in the Tlaxcala/Puebla area of Mexico in pre-Hispanic times. It was added to and enhanced by Spanish and French influences during their occupations, resulting in a kitchen as rich, subtle and complex as any in the world. This level of sophisticated gourmet cooking was kept in households for special occasions. It is almost never found in restaurants and is nearly lost to the present generation of Mexicans.
You don’t need to be an advanced cook to learn this cuisine. The techniques are simple to learn, yet the flavors are very complex. Though you will learn about chilies this not a course about hot and spicy food. It is about flavors, as ancient as the Aztecs and as sophisticated as French cuisine. And of course the classes are fun.
I am passing on what has been kept alive in my family of these dishes and traditions. We offer a special experience and open a door to Mexico that is rarely available to tourists. Unlike an impersonal resort or hotel, we are available to respond to individual needs and as much as possible. I structure my classes to the interests and requests of my students.
The fully bilingual culinary course spans the Pre-Hispanic era to the present day, using family recipes from the kitchen of Chef Doña Eulogia Silva Castillo in the city of Puebla. She passed these traditional Mexican recipes on to her granddaughter Señora Estela Salas Silva, who is now sharing them with her students.
* Hands-on Participation: For five days you will spend 2 to 2 1/2 hours per day in the kitchen learning how to prepare recipes. You will see demonstrations, techniques, and the use of ingredients. Classes are usually limited to 4, maximum 6. Hands-on participation is key to the success of our cooking classes.
* Healthy - Light Recipes: Healthy eating is the emphasis of all selected recipes and ingredients. We'll take you on trips to the public market to shop for the freshest of ingredients, or to the garden when seasonally possible. You will learn to prepare regional traditional favorites such as Mole Poblano and Chiles en Nogada, along with lesser-known exotic dishes.
* Personalized Attention: "For maximum personal attention groups are limited to four students. We are open year-round and have no minimum group size. Therefore, very often we have just one student and there is no extra charge if, as a result, classes are private. Recipes of special interest can be covered on request. Longer or shorter courses as well as reserved private lessons can also be arranged."
Faculty Information:
The fully bilingual culinary course spans the Pre-Hispanic era to the present day, using family recipes from the kitchen of Chef Doña Eulogia Silva Castillo in the city of Puebla. She passed these traditional Mexican recipes on to her granddaughter Señora Estela Salas Silva, who is now sharing them with her students.
Other Activities:
Free-time After Cooking Class Activities. Fifteen Miles from Tlaxcala are the famous pre-Hispanic archaeological sites of Xochitecatl and Cacaxtla with its original Mayan murals. Thirty miles to the east are the verdant pine mountainsides of La Malinche State Park. Lodges, picnic areas, hiking trails and food services are available.
The 14,500 foot summit of the dormant volcano is reachable by a breath-taking day hike. The colonial city of Puebla famous for Talavera tiles and dishes is just 45 min. away for an afternoon visit. There are a wide variety of local events and festivals throughout the year, such as a state fair, bull fights, Mexican folkloric dances, concerts and the running of the bulls and flower carpets in the streets of nearby Huamantla. Your afternoons are free for sightseeing or relaxing. To round out your Mexico vacation we will be glad to help you with arrangements to take part in any local activities.
Facility Information:
Our school is located 5 miles outside the city of Tlaxcala (tlas-ka-lah), a two-hour drive from Mexico City and 45 minutes from the Puebla airport. We are located in a valley surrounded by three majestic volcanoes - Popocatépetl, Ixtaccihuatl and La Malinche. Tlaxcala, the charming colonial capital of the smallest state in Mexico, was jointly founded by Hernán Cortés and the Order of San Francisco almost 500 years ago.
Its elegant main square is surrounded by delightful colonial architecture from the 16th and 17th centuries and sidewalk cafes shaded by a graceful arcade. Baroque churches are plentiful in the city and neighboring villages. Private home, three guest rooms with fireplaces and bath, gardens, Fully-equipped 500-sq-ft kitchen with stove & adjacent work areas set below a 70-sq-ft skylight.
Notes:
The fee for the basic stay of seven days/six nights is
$1,200 (US Dollars) per person.
Price Includes:
- lodging
- all meals
- including wine
- beer or margaritas
- 5 cooking classes
- printed recipes
- a culinary memento
- equipment and chefs aprons.
The fee for non-students in the party, including accommodations and all meals is $500 (US Dollars) We can confirm reservations by FAX or e-Mail. For security and prompt delivery, all payments are received by bank to bank wire transfers. We will advise you of this process at the time of registration.
Also see Vacation Schools in:
North America
Mexico
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