Market Visit and Cooking Lesson: Learn to Cook Authentic Mexican Food with a Modern Twist

After completing culinary school he traveled abroad and lived in Canada, Spain, and Norway where he worked in a series of professional kitchens. After being away for 6 years, Manu returned to Mexico where he could indulge in his love of the food from home.

Now happily settled in Puerto Vallarta, Manu is a private chef, and works in the tourism industry. Manu lives in a small, but cozy house located close to the center of the city. He is experienced in catering to all types of tastes, allergies, and dietary restrictions. 

Meet Manu at his home before setting out for the Mercado Cinco de Diciembre, located a short five minute walk away. Together you will browse the stalls where you will have an opportunity to experience all the sounds, smells, and colors of a traditional Mexican marketplace. You will visit fruit and vegetable stands, a tortilleria (tortilla factory), a carnicería (butcher), and a pescadería (fish market), and learn how to choose the best ingredients from each. Upon returning to Manu's home, you will utilize all the fresh foods you gathered in order to create your meal together.

Join Manu in his kitchen to learn how to prepare a meal together. During your hands-on lesson, you can expect to learn how to make dishes such as mahi mahi ceviche, shrimp sopes, smoked marlin tacos, and flamed plantains; all with traditional techniques and ingredients. You can expect to cook for about an hour before sitting down to share the meal together.

Manu's style of cooking is rooted in authentic Mexican cuisine, but includes influence from Asia and the Mediteranean. You can look forward to enjoying dishes such as fresh ahi poke with avocado, sopa de elote con rajas con crema (corn soup with creamy poblano peppers), platanillo de res (boneless beef shank) with nopales (cactus), and cacao arroz con leche (rice pudding with cacao).

Please note: this is not a professional cooking class, rather than an experience to visit an authentic, local home to meet a local person and share the culture and cuisine together.