Traditional Dominican cooking class in Punta Cana

Meet Sophia

Sophia believes that you can learn so much about a country through its food - it is a beautiful way to get to know a country, its history, culture, tradition, and people. Through her Punta Cana cooking class, this is exactly what she hopes to offer travelers visiting Dominican Republic. Sophia is multicultural - she has a Hungarian mother and Italian father and moved to the Dominican Republic in 2018. Sophia quit her corporate job to follow her passion for cooking – she started by selling weekly meal plans, then developed a boutique catering business, worked as a personal chef, organized events in collaboration with restaurants and later started offering cooking classes as well. She learned to cook from her grandmothers and mother. Seeing how much joy cooking brought her she later enrolled in cooking classes in Italy, to enhance her knowledge and skills. Apart from cooking, Sophia also loves traveling, and has had the privilege to visit and live in several different countries throughout her life. <br><br> Here is what Sophia had to say when we asked her what travelers can expect at her cooking class in Punta Cana, "I look forward to connecting with food lovers from around the world and creating an engaging space where we can come together to cook, share in laughter, and spread the love and joy of cooking."

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal (1 - 6 guests) Sophia and her boyfriend welcome you into their apartment in Cap Cana, Ciudad Las Canas, to share a home-cooked Dominican meal using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Sophia loves sharing her recipes and the stories behind them, her family traditions and anecdotes and is always curious to hear travelers' stories. Sit down to La Bandera Dominicana, a traditional food platter that includes rice, beans and meat served with a salad, avocado and tostones. Enjoy your home-cooked Dominican cuisine over conversation and a wine pairing (if you choose the optional alcohol add-on) at her dining table. Some of the authentic Dominican dishes you might try are chicken stew, tostones, rice and beans, tostones and a local dessert.

Cooking experience (1 - 6 guests) During your cooking class in Punta Cana, learn to make two authentic Dominican dishes from scratch that make up the La Bandera Dominicana, a traditional platter that includes rice, meat and beans. Sophia shares her knowledge and skills while you have fun cooking, chatting and preparing a meal together. Your hands-on cooking class lasts about two hours. Just like a family cooking together, everyone will have their own task and then you will put together a dish using Sophia’s expert guidance, tips and tricks. Learn to make an appetizer or dessert and a main dish together, before sitting down to share the meal you helped prepare at Sophia's dining table. Your meal might include a couple of additional dishes that Sophia has prepared in advance to save time.