Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen

When I received the email last week from Catriona Brown in Puerto Morelos, I really wasn't sure what to expect. An empty seat had come available in her interesting new endeavor, The Little Mexican Cooking School and she invited me to sit in on the class. I had been receiving information about these classes from the founders Cat and Patti Murphy since the inception of the school last Fall and, on paper at least, it looked very promising. On the other hand, I have been in Mexico long enough to see a lot of poorly conceived but well-meaning enterprises go up in smoke, so I was a bit skeptical. I have also attended a few "cooking classes" in the United States, most of which eventually degraded into a catered cocktail party with the guests all getting soused and forgetting everything about the meal. What if this class was just another hair-brained scheme designed to milk money out of unsuspecting tourists? What would I say to my friend and fellow blogger? What kind of a review could I possibly give if it totally stunk? So, as I made the drive to Puerto Morelos last Friday, I was excited but my emotions were understandably mixed.

I had no trouble finding the school as there is a very clear map printed right on the school's website. I pulled up to an adorable side by side Mexican duplex, one side I was to learn was Cat's current home, and the other housed the school with several bedrooms above, designed to accommodate visiting chefs. The other students, eight of us in total, were already in attendance and taking their places in the "classroom" as I arrived.

Chef Claudia welcomes the group.

I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a clean, bright well equipped kitchen with long tables set up from which the students could observe the Chef/Teacher and her assistants as they prepared the selected menu for the day. The far end of the kitchen was open to the back patio which has a lovely pool, a storage bodega for all the various ingredients we would require for our class and an area for the "anafre", a traditional charcoal "grill" of sorts, topped with a "comal" for everything cooking tortillas and searing meat to boiling beans and roasting vegetables. In some regions the "anafre" is used to heat the home. The room was just spacious enough to accommodate all of us with room to move around a bit and take pictures.

Lucy toasting tortillas

Our Master Chef for the day was Claudia Garcia Ramos de Celis and she was not what I was expecting. In my mind I had envisioned a nice old Mexican "abuela" from the puebla, hired to cook a variety of traditional meals while Cat gave commentary and provided translation. I could not have been more wrong. Chef Claudia is a young, well-spoken, energetic mother of three who is passionate about passing on the authentic Mexican cuisine to foreigners and countrymen alike. Originally from Mexico City, Claudia first developed her love of cooking while standing at the side of her grandmother preparing the daily meals for the family. Her grandmother taught her the importance of using fresh ingredients, employing traditional cooking methods and tools and putting care and love into every dish. Educated at both the Universidad Motolina and the Universidad Cedim Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, she later refined and expanded her culinary repertoire at the world renowned Culinary Institute of America in New York.

We began our day with an explanation of the various ingredients common to all authentic Mexican cuisine.  The class was introduced to various chilies, both fresh and their dried counterparts and told in what dishes each might be used. A discussion of important citrus fruits followed including an introduction to Yucatecan Limes! Next, we covered the various spices and dried herbs, many of which were cultivated by the parents of Lucy, one of the two girls prepping the food for the day and assisting Claudia. We discussed the various pastes unique to Mexican cooking all the while receiving a history of food in Mexico including the introduction and assimilation of ingredients from far off lands which contribute to today's "Nuevo Mexicano" cuisine. There was a lot of information to absorb and the participants had many questions as we continued through the day.

Daisy and Lucy hard at work

Our menu for the day was printed for all of us and included the ingredients and cooking instructions for each dish we would prepare. We were given the opportunity to make and cook our own tortillas. Some of the "masa" was used to create the most delicious "sopes" filled with refried beans, a particular canned meat called "Chilorio", white onion, cilantro, "queso fresco", "crema" and a salsa made on the spot from vegetables roasted on the "comal". I have had many sopes in my five years in Playa. None were as fresh and flavorful as these. As we moved from menu item to menu item, Claudia described the ingredients and the best way to handle and prepare them. She taught us how to cure a "mocajete", the stone mortar and pestle ubiquitous in Mexican kitchens and how to prepare the beautiful earthenware pots used to cook soups and beans. We learned to clean and cook zucchini blossoms and "nopales", how to tame the heat from fresh chilies and what spices, if cooked with beans, will reduce gas. All the while, our hostess Cat served refreshments, Agua de Jamiaca, "Horchata" and small glasses of tequila and "Xtabentun". 

Preparing salsa in a mocajete

Sopes

Once we had made our way through all eight of the menu items, following along on our recipe sheets as the ladies cooked, we retired to the dining room to a prettily set table. Here we were finally able to taste the wonderful meals we had been taught to prepare!  Each dish was delicious, and the group finally fell silent as we all tucked into our meals.

Lunch time!

A delicious meal.

At the end of the meal, Cat presented each guest with two wonderful takeaway gifts, a Little Mexican Cooking School apron, made by one of the girls, and a spiral bound cookbook chock full of wonderful recipes. Chef Claudia signed each of our books and gave us her email address and website,  inviting us to contact her at anytime with questions or for clarifications on what had been covered during the day.

As I mentioned earlier, I came into this class with a healthy dose of skepticism. In the end, I could not have been more pleased with the entire experience. It was exactly what I had hoped it would be and actually far exceeded my expectations. The cost, $90 per person plus tax, is well worth it and you can easily see just how much of these fees goes right back into the business. They have an excellent and engaging chef,  two capable assistants and the best and freshest ingredients available. The apron and cookbook are just icing on an already splendid cake. Everything is so well thought in this intimate cooking class.No detail has been overlooked. Congratulations to Cat and Patti! They have really put together something special in Puerto Morelos, an excursion I will recommend highly to local friends and visitors alike.

Our hostess, Catriona Brown.

Classes are held at The Little Mexican Cooking School every Tuesday and Thursday and most Fridays. Several guest Chefs are scheduled over the next few months to be sure to check the Riviera Maya Events Calendar for upcoming dates and details.