Modern Mexican Cooking Class with a Fun-Loving Couple

"Alejandro was a wonderful and gracious host! We got stuck in horrible traffic and were an hour late. He completely accommodated us and was not upset at all. We went on a lovely tour of a market and then had such a nice time cooking in his home. He accommodated our dietary restrictions and was wonderful company. Highly recommend!"

"Alejandro was kind, funny, talented, knowledgeable and a marvelous cook/teacher!!!! Loved learning about the different peppers"

"This experience was wonderful!! We felt welcome and at home immediately, like we came over for a dinner party at a friend's house. Alex has so much great knowledge to share about his culture, food, the city and country, and cooking techniques. We are all experienced home cooks, but still learned multiple new techniques that we will use right away. The meal was delicious and we appreciated the chosen menu because it highlighted food we were not expecting. Thank you!!"

"One of the best experiences you can book if you want to get to know Mexican cuisine and locals. Our guide was the most wonderful and we had a great time with nice drinks and food. We will definitively book again."

"Alejandro was a wonderful cooking teacher. He was perfect in providing directions for the dish we made, friendly and fun. The shrimp tacos were excellent. It as an amazing experience!"

"We could not have asked for a better experience!! Alex welcomed us in and made us feel like we were at home, right from the beginning. He picked the perfect menu, we thoroughly enjoyed learning about the dishes, while cooking them and sharing the meal together was outstanding! We will definitely be making these dishes again, at home, to share with family and friends. We look forward to cooking with Alex & Ale again the next time we visit Mexico City."

"Taking Alex and Ale’s class was the best thing I’ve done this entire pandemic. I learned a few things and made, without a doubt, the BEST shrimp tacos I’ve ever tasted-in my life!"

"This class was wonderful,fun,light and easy! It made Mexican cooking feel very accessible to my family, and was such an authentic experience! The hosts were very gracious, kind, and educational- I would definitely do this again!"

"What a wonderful experience to travel virtually and immerse yourself in your hosts's culture through history, connection, hands-on learning, cooking, and eating!"

"Simply put, our experience with Alex could not have been better. We learned so much about the neighborhood, the market, the history of both, and of course the food. Alex's apartment is beautifully appointed and comfortable. We had the best time cooking the dishes, and Alex was adept at directing us and sharing information about the meal. He is the perfect host."

"My mother and I really enjoyed this day! We loved the market and took away great, easy recipes! Fun day!"

"My friends and I had the pleasure of experiencing a hands on cooking class and tour of Mercado de San Juan with Alex (unfortunately his wife could not join us). It all started with a trip to the market and it was a joyous sight here to see- one of the best markets I had been to while in Mexico City. After picking up all the items for our dinner, we went to Alex’a beautiful home where the cooking class began. It was such a joyful and fun experience and Alex was so personable, friendly, and a great teacher. I learned so much about local cuisine and culture. He taught us how to make delectable dishes. I had never participated in a cooking class like this and now I would definitely want this to be part of my future trips. Thank you Alex for adding to our wonderful memories of Mexico City."

"We had such a lovely time with Alex and Ale! From the ease of communication before our home cooking lesson to the beautiful and delicious food we made. Such a unique and memorable experience - I highly recommend working with Alex and Ale!"

"Our cooking class with Alex and Ale was a real highlight of our trip. From the visit to the San Juan Market to bustling around in the kitchen learning new things kept us laughing and sharing with Alex. Both Alex and Ale were a delight welcoming us into their home and enjoying the meal we cooked. Can’t recommend this experience enough."

"What a privilege it was to have the opportunity to be in Alex & Ale’s home. Sadly Ale was working, but Alex was so easy going & interesting to chat to. I enjoyed the hands on experience of cooking & feeling totally at home in the kitchen. It was my first experience of “real” Mexican food & I thoroughly enjoyed it. The trip to the market was interesting & I got to try crickets - garlic ones are best! We made red and green salsas which were delicious on chalupas, and flautas ahogadas that we’re divine. I can’t remember what the yummy corn ‘muffins’ were called but drizzled in vanilla syrup were also delicious. Thank you Alex for such a wonderful afternoon, it was a pleasure meeting you and thank you for teaching me a few tricks of the trade! What a great way to start my Mexican food adventure."

"Our tour with Alex was superb. First he took us to a wonderful market and showed us many local specialties. We got a hands-on feeling for the food culture of Mexico City. The venders were friendly and generous with samples. Then, ingredients in hand, we returned to Alex's apartment to prepare several sauces, sides, a main, and dessert. I still don't know how he did it, but he guided us through with amazing organization and attention to detail. And then we ate! Oh my my, everything was delicious. We will definitely want to try these recipes at home. Alex was a kind and generous host who also introduced us to mezcal and micheladas. I guess you can tell, we highly recommend this tour."

"My husband and I took the market tour and cooking class with Alex. He knew a ton about the history of Mexican cuisine and even more about cooking it plus he was great to talk to during the dinner itself! I would recommend anyone going to Mexico City take this tour and class. It’s 100% worth it! :)"

"My sons and I loved our time with Alex. He took us to a market not far from his home that for Mexico City standards was easy to navigate and allowed us to sample some new and unique foods that were delicious. Once we were back at Alex's apartment he guided us through cooking a delicious vegetarian meal that my whole family enjoyed. We loved learning more about the city and it's culture through our conversations and felt welcomed as friends in his home. Highly recommend!"

"We had the best day with Lucia! We were a group of 6 friends in our 30s and this was one of the best experiences from our trip! Lucia met us at the San Angel Market where she showed us many different stalls and introduced us to a couple of new ingredients. Lucia then drove us to her BEAUTIFUL home -- but along the way we stopped for both tamales and tacos from street vendors she knew. Hands down, they were some of the best tamales and tacos we've ever had! Once we arrived, we immediately felt at home! The space is bright, beautiful, clean, and all around lovely. Lucia was an amazing host. We cooked many different dishes, had drinks, listened to music, and learned about Mexican food/culture. It was a highlight of our trip. Following the class, Lucia recommended a great spot nearby to get drinks (absolutely beautiful). Lucia is incredibly knowledgable (she is a professor of pre-hispanic cuisine) and a delight to be around. We would recommend a cooking class with Lucia without hesitation."

"Lucia was a gracious host and led us to explore native Mexican produce and techniques in a relaxed and enjoyable lunch. This was our 3rd day in Mexico, our family (2 adults, 2 children) took an Uber to meet her at the market where we sampled mole and mangos while learning about unique local foods and food prep technique. On the way out, we stopped for green chile tamales before heading to her house to make lunch. Our kids enjoyed helping cook while we prepared traditional hand-made corn tortillas for tacos and quesadillas. We snacked on local fruits while preparing tasty sauces and a sweet fruit pudding. It was a relaxing experience, her home is great, complemented by the excellent view from her back patio. Our kids had a great time."

"A friend and I were visiting Mexico city for five days. We basically came to the city to eat. Thesis: Learn how to cook from Alex. This was the best tourist experience of my trip.Alex is a true chilango and was a breath of fresh air interposed in a series of strange tourism experiences we had over the course of our trip. He teaches english for a living, we were able to have deep conversations about travel, food, and life. He has been cooking for several years and has a solid fund of knowledge to suit an amateur cook such as myself.Our experience began at his apartment where he greeted us with a drink. We had recently finished a bike tour and in my correspondence with Alex (over text) he made accommodations to meet us earlier than normal so that we wouldn’t have dead time between one tour and the start of his experience.We were exhausted and Alex recognized this - in our tour of the market he bought me an espresso. Clutch! Then we had a quick taco at what I would say was my favorite Al pastor street vendor from the entire trip (i ate a glorious amount of different tacos).He talked to us about the history of Mexican food and the history of Mexico City. On the market tour he discussed the uses of different chiles. Then he began to explain to us the importance of mole. For dinner we made chicken enchiladas with mole, chicharron de queso, and corn cakes. We also made guacamole and roasted tomato salsa.He served microbrewed local beer, tequila, and mezcal. He also gave us some amazing recommendations for a market where we could buy gifts for our girlfriends and other loved ones. Truly an exceptional experience."

"We had wonderful evening cooking, talking, eating, and drinking with Alex. He introduced us to several types of mezcal and a new-to-us Mexican beer. The menu he planned for us was catered to our tastes (spicy!) and we can't wait to prepare the dishes on our own back at home. Alex is really a wonderful host and a very patient teacher...it felt like we were just hanging out at the home of a friend. This experience was one of our favorite parts of our time in CDMX! Gracias Alex :)"

"This was definitely the highlight of our trip! Alex had extensive knowledge of regional Mexican cooking, and he clearly knew his way around the kitchen. He individualized our menu for our taste and dietary restrictions easily, and the food we made was SO GOOD! If we come back to Mexico City we definitely want to do this experience again."

"Alex was a fantastic host, teacher and conversationalist. We mentioned we had experience with Mexican cooking already so he was very happy to teach us special dishes including pozole, chicharron de queso and huitlacoche quesadillas, which we had never cooked ourselves before. Even his salsa was a new approach which we will be remaking in Canada as soon as we can. All served with generous quantities of beer, mezcal and agua de jamaica. Alex is warm, friendly and knowledgeable. He was happy to answer all of our questions about daily Mexican life and we learned a lot. His English is perfect, which makes conversation easy and fun.An evening cooking with Alex is highly recommended. It is a highlight of our trip, which says a lot given the number of cultural wonders in Mexico City. Don't miss a chance to cook with him!"

"Alex is a personable, knowledgeable and talented cook. We had fun shopping at the nearby market for ingredients for our 6 dish dinner, tasting tropical fruit and other goodies along the way.Our private class in Alex's home was a highlight of our 1 week stay in Mexico City. We were assigned small tasks to help prepare and learn about the dishes we were making. I enjoyed learning about cooking with fresh and dried chilis. The menu was quite ambitious, preparing several appetizers, the main dish and dessert. Alex made it fun and effortless.Taking a class in someone's private home is so much better than at a cooking school. We felt a personal bond form."

"I have taken cooking lessons practically all over thevworld and this one was up there as one of the best!Alex tookus to the local markets to buy groceries and ingredients for the lesson... explaining histories, cultural significances and the importance of Mexican culinary traditions.The menu items in our lesson in Alex and Ale's adorable and very functional kitchen made was simplistic in design, full of flavour and colour and easy to prepare in any kitchen environment...The culminating meal was on the top 3 highlights of our trip! And... we made two friends as well! CHEERS to Alex and Ale!"

"If you are on the fence about doing a cooking class in Mexico let us put your mind at ease. Vault that fence as fast as you can! As two non Spanish speakers who’d spent the last 24 hours struggling to order as many tacos and beers as we needed (Australians can’t roll their “r”) it was a huge relief to be met by a smiling face and perfect English. We had the most amazing time exploring the San Juan markets with Alex and Ale, going back to their wonderful flat that’s in an amazing historic building right in the mix of downtown. Alex and Ale were so welcoming, informative and extremely generous with the information they shared about their lives. We found out so much about Mexico that we were completely ignorant of. Then there’s the food. Oh my word, that food. Coming from Australia, we have seriously no idea about Mexican food. We both love cooking and often will cook “Mexican for dinner” but after seeing the amazing fresh produce and simple seasoning that Alex and Ale showed us, we won’t be bothering with any of those Tex Mex recipes again. The beer and mezcal flowed, we learned knew skills and had a once in a lifetime meal with two genuinely interesting, funny and generous people. Close the other tabs you have open. You won’t find a better experience than this for your visit to Mexico City to get a feel for modern Mexico. We’re hoping to come back and visit for one of Ale’s taco tours as well as her Puebla tours."

"Excellent experience. Farid was prompt in replying to emails, very kind and considerate. His apartment is lovely and we felt comfortable and welcome. The food was delicious with lots of opportunities to try different food. Farid speaks fluent English and we had many interesting conversations, was great to learn about his family. He had some excellent tips for places to visit and explore in the city "

"I hardly know where to begin it was such a great experience. My friend and I (the lesson was just the two of us) met Ishmael not far from the market and after a short walk we were surrounded by sights and smells and tastes that were just delightful. We got to try cherimoya, the freshest mangos and figs I've ever had, plus edible flowers, and that was just at the fruit vendor. Ishmael suggested the menu--guacamole, lime soup, chicken adobo tacos, zapote and we bought all our ingredients there at the market. We also bought some crickets. Yes, I said crickets, they're nicely crunchy and go great on a guacamole taco. We took an Uber to Ishmael's home (and met several family members) where we started cooking. Besides learning a lot about the ingredients and the recipes, we got to try making tortillas.While we cooked, we tasted frequently for spice/salt levels so we knew we'd like everything. I feel we got a great feel for Mexican cooking, some excellent recipes, and a warm welcome in to Ishmael's home. I highly unreservedly recommend this excursion."

"Our time with Alex and Alej was fantastic. They were both extremely friendly and easy to talk to. They provided us with a great experience and tons of local knowledge. The food we prepared was amazing."

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"Traveling Spoon gave me the chance to connect with a city in a way I had never thought possible. It is one thing to go to a city and travel around but another entirely to get to interact with the people within it. I always find something missing from my usual vacations, something real. But with Traveling Spoon, I felt I actually connected with the culture and learned something about both Mexico City and myself. It was a phenomenal experience that broadened my horizons."