Looking back on our annual journey to Medellin, the highlight of that trip was the cooking class we took. Yes, four old farts absolutely enjoyed spending four hours at the market and in the home of our hosts learning how to make the “street food” of Columbia.

We got to know the oldest market in the city (Placita de Florez), buy the ingredients for a 100% hands-on cooking class and learn how to prepare the most popular street food in the country: arepas, empanadas & patacones. We were taught how to make different doughs, fillings and sauces. Our hosts shared some secrets and recipes that were later E-mailed to us so we could share with family and friends. We tasted some tropical fruits at the market as well as an Arepas de Choclo con Quesito (Sweetened Colombian Corn Cakes with Fresh Cheese), and made a mojito cocktail from scratch. In the end we enjoyed all of our preparations with ice cold beer, and a great view of downtown Medellín.

Our hosts

Ana Maria and Libardo have worked in their own restaurants for more than ten years, and the last four years have been dedicated to cooking classes; first in Rio de Janeiro, then in Cartagena, and now in their hometown, Medellín. As travelers, they believe that taking a cooking class during ones vacations is the best way to get closer to the local culture and the people (we totally agree). You can contact them at cookinmedellin@gmail.com

Travel Tip: We found this experience on several sites; Trip Advisor and AirBnB and found the AirBnB more affordable ($34 vs $40)

One last note: When Ana Maria found that one of our group was having trouble accessing local currency, she walked with us to a bank and stayed with us until he completed a successful transaction. Now that’s customer service!