Traditional Cooking Class with Minerva Lopez
Overview
Available languages
6 hours
Mobile ticket
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT:
IT IS NOT A RESTAURANT, I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF A CHEF
I am Minerva Lopez and I am a traditional cook from Oaxaca and I have more than 40 years of experience in pre-Hispanic and traditional cooking.
I invite you to spend a day at my house, with my family, my culture, it is an authentic experience where you will learn to cook as I learned, as if it were with mom!
Our groups are small which makes for an intimate, family experience
The market that we visited is the largest in Oaxaca and it is not touristic, where the locals go to buy our fresh and organic ingredients, here it is possible to adapt our menu to your tastes
There are vegan, vegetarian and meat lovers options.
At home away from the city in a small town, our outdoor wood stove is the best place to cook.
Everything we will eat is prepared at home
MORE THAN A CLASS IS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF FLAVORS AND KNOWLEDGE
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
We will welcome you to my wood stove. I am a teacher of Traditional Oaxacan Cooking and winner of 1st Place in the Meeting of Traditional Cooks of Oaxaca. First I will take you for a walk through the largest market in Oaxaca, you will get to know endemic and local foods and products, this is where we will buy our fresh and authentic ingredients. I will teach you how to prepare from scratch a Mole Negro or Mole Coloradito, Green, Yellow and/or as well as Nixtamal to prepare tortillas, memelitas and empanadas, without forgetting our Molcajete Sauces, as some authentic Oaxacan dishes (ASK FOR THE AVAILABLE MENU FOR THE DATE YOU RESERVE, THERE ARE SEASONAL DISHES, VEGETARIANS, VEGANS TOO) During the cooking class we will drink local fruit drinks and eat quesillo and Grasshoppers while we prepare our dish TO CHOOSE At the end of the cooking class we will taste our dish made with a rich Mezcal and you can take the prepared products with you.
Sample Menu
starter
House chocolate with bread
A chocolate drink is served accompanied with traditional bread
starter
hand tortillas
Learn to make tortillas by hand on a clay griddle or pre-Hispanic stove
main
OPTION 1 Oaxacan Mole
available moles(10) you can choose 1 of them BLACK MOLE reddish chichilo green yellow yellow mixe stew nutty manchamanteles
main
Option 2 Experience with corn
2 different sauces are prepared with endemic chilies and tomatoes Quedillas with pumpkin flower and cheese memelitas yellow mole
main
OPTION 3 OAXACAN TAMALES
The black mole tamale is prepared in banana leaf and two more to choose from -green sauce -slices of chili -bean -sweet
main
OPTION 4 DISH OF YOUR CHOICE
ASK ABOUT THE SEASONAL INGREDIENTS AND DISHES
dessert
Typical Seasonal Dessert
Native or exotic fruits that we buy in the market, seasonal desserts Example roasted bananas Corn dessert (nicoatole) Oaxacan sweets
What‘s Included
seasonal dessert
dishes to choose
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free menu option
Seasonal fruit waters
Local Market Tour
Air-conditioned vehicle
mezcal cocktail
Snacks (cheese, grasshoppers, etc)
Beer or soda
Options
Traditional Cooking Class with Minerva Lopez
Reviews
193 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Best cooking class in Oaxaca
Susan M,,Dec 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This experience was perfect- lots of hands on cooking with local foods. Very authentic cooking methods and catered to our vegetarian needs. Word to the wise - bring an appetite! You will not leave hungry! Best ever!
Thank you for welcoming me into your home!
Devanshu P,,Dec 18, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Minerva offers a lot of different classes. This one was specifically for mole negro. You start with going to a local market which is an experience unto itself and then get a really warm welcome to Minerva's home where you're guided through the whole process. It's a great experience and I'd definitely sign up again for one of the other classes when I'm back in Oaxaca. Amy translated everything for English speakers like me and the snacks and cocktails provided by Tanya (Minerva's daughter) are great as well! 100% would recommend.
An Authentic Cooking Class That Directly Supports Locals
M F,,Dec 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Minerva’s cooking class was a highlight of my time in Oaxaca. The meeting point for pickup was easy to find, and the experience started with a guided visit through Oaxaca’s largest market that truly caters to locals. Having an English translator made everything easy to follow and added a lot of context while shopping for ingredients. From there, we went to a lovely home to cook. Our menu was mole negro, which is both labor and ingredient intensive. Minerva walked us through each step with care, explaining the process and the purpose behind it. The result was incredibly delicious and made the effort feel worthwhile. If possible, I recommend booking with her directly on Instagram, especially if you are interested in a specific menu. The experience felt personal, well organized, and thoughtfully executed.
Wonderful experience!...
Stephenie L,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Wonderful experience! Minerva does a fantastic job of catering to your dietary needs and the provides a full experience.
Book on Instagram!! Fanastic
J2026ZNvivianb,,Dec 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Book on instagram instead of TripAdvisor!!! Fantastic class - such a beautiful spot and Minerva is lovely. 100% would recommend if you book on instagram its much better for her and youll be able to make requests if needed!!
Minerva was knowledgeable...
Jennifer M,,Nov 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Minerva was knowledgeable and a very gracious hostess. Translator Amy made sure no detail was missed. The market and masa stop were educational and fun!
Fantastic experience!
stienv2015,,Nov 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We learned mole making from Minerva Lopez. She is a chef who can cook incredibly well and with great passion! We recommend everyone who would like to do a cooking workshop in Oaxaca to do so at Minerva Lopez!!!
A delightful day with Minerva.
pecapps,,Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful day traveling with Minerva to the market and making incredible mole in Minerva’s beautiful outdoor kitchen. We were surrounded by her lovely garden as we participated in the very complicated process of making mole. Everything was very organized and the food and drinks were delicious. Amy was a great translator.
Definitely take this class!
SpikeNP,,Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It's a wonderful cooking class! I follow Minerva on Instagram and it was great to meet her in person and learn from her. She took us to the local market where we bought a few ingredients. Once we got to Minerva's house, hot chocolate was served, and we were ready to learn! It's a unique opportunity to learn from the master how things are done traditionally. But Minerva incorporated a few modern things (blender) to ensure that we can take what we learn and use it at home. If you don't speak Spanish, no worries, there is an awesome Spanish interpreter.
Love taking this class...
Blanca S,,Nov 1, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Love taking this class was very helpful to know how to make tamales and how to prepare them. Instructor was very knowledgeable. Would take this class again.
From MX$2,000.00
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