Chef Enrique
Puerto Vallarta
Founder. Since 2012 he has opened his family home to guests: the market first, then the kitchen, then the table.
About us
A family cooking school, since 2012
Cookin' Vallarta began with one kitchen in Puerto Vallarta. Fourteen years and 4,572 reviews later, five resident chefs cook with guests across Mexico — still family owned, still cooking family recipes.
Who we are
We teach the food we eat at home
In 2012, Chef Enrique opened his family's kitchen in Puerto Vallarta to visitors who wanted to learn to cook Mexican food properly — not a demonstration, not a restaurant tasting menu, but the food a Mexican family cooks on a Tuesday. The class started in the market and ended at the family table, and it still does.
In 2015 the family expanded. Relatives and friends who had been cooking their whole lives opened their own kitchens in Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, Playa del Carmen and Cancún. That is why there is no central test kitchen and no franchise: each destination is run by a resident chef who grew up cooking this food, in the place where they grew up eating it.
Today guests from cruises, resorts and villas cook with us in five cities. The class changes with the destination — a seafood market in Cabo, a mission town in San José, a home kitchen in Playa, a six-seat table in Cancún — but the idea does not: you shop, you cook, you eat together.
Our chefs
Five kitchens, five resident chefs
Every class is led by the person who lives there. No visiting instructors, no scripted menus.
Chef Issi
Cabo San Lucas
Issi and the Radilla family have cooked with visitors in Cabo for nearly fifteen years, five minutes from the Marina.
Chef Francisco
San José del Cabo
Francisco Morales cooks in his kitchen restaurant, with a market walk and a tortilla factory stop before the class.
Chef Alma
Playa del Carmen
Alma Gonzalez's home-style kitchen holds a Tripadvisor Badge of Excellence year after year.
Chef Alberto
Cancún
Alberto cooks at home for six guests at a time, with a different Mexican main every day.
Juan More Taco Tours
Sister company
Food-walking tours through the barrios, markets and taquerías of Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
juanmoretacotours.comWhy guests choose us
What makes a Cookin' class different
You cook in a real home or family kitchen
Not a hotel ballroom or a demo counter. In Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen and Cancún you cook in the chef's own home; in Cabo and San José in the family's restaurant kitchen.
You start where the food starts
Three of our five destinations begin in a working neighbourhood market, with a tortilla factory stop, because that is how the shopping is done here.
Small groups, taught in two languages
Between 2 and 16 guests depending on the kitchen, with every class in English and Spanish, so everyone can ask the question they actually want to ask.
4,572
verified reviews
5.0
average rating
2012
founded in Puerto Vallarta
5
destinations in Mexico
Reviews
In their own words
Every class is rated 5.0 across 4,572 verified reviews on Google and Tripadvisor. These are unedited guest reviews.
Rated 5 out of 5
“We had a wonderful time with Chef Enrique and learn how to cook some amazing food. It turned out that the group tour was only myself and my husband. Enrique shared some amazing history of the food and culture, most importantly how they are historically interconnected. The staff included his wife and sister, everyone was friendly and it was a joy to experience.”
Rated 5 out of 5
“This was a fun and exceptional experience for the family to learn to make authentic Mexican Birria, Guacamole, Salsa, Tortillas, and Margaritas for the adults. We started in the market, and finished up in the kitchen. Francisco and Luz were wonderful and made this such a great learning experience for the whole family.”
Rated 5 out of 5
“An absolute highlight of our trip to Playa del Carmen. Alma was incredibly warm, welcoming, and engaging, and she created such a fun, relaxed atmosphere that we immediately felt at home. We laughed, connected, learned about the history and culture of the region.”
Cook with us
Come cook with the family
Pick your destination and we will send the exact meeting point with your confirmation.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before · +52 322 171 7854