Isthmus Cooking Classes: Discover Unique Flavors and Experience Tehuana Culture

Join Betsaida in her hands-on cooking class in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, and discover unique flavors from the Tehuana culture. Learn traditional dishes and explore the local market for fresh ingredients. No cooking skills required!

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 56J7+PM La Capellanía - Firstly, we’ll meet on a specific point, we’ll go to a local market to get the freshest ingredients that we’ll cook according to the day’s menu. Then, we’ll go to my house where I’ll teach you to make all the dishes from start to end. After that, we’ll eat & enjoy together all the food we cooked, we’ll enjoy it with…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bottled water
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Lunch
  • Snacks
  • Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Meal Options
  • Molotes de plátano
  • Garnachas
  • Lechecilla
Additional Information

Hi I’m Betsaida originally from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, I want to invite you to my house in a hands-on cooking class to get to know & discover unique flavors from the Isthmus gastronomy, while you learn about the Tehuanas & our culture.
I’ll teach you to cook the most traditional & outstanding dishes that I’ve learnt through generations in my…

Location
Jardín Carbajal
Calle Macedonio Alcalá
Cardín Carbajal is close to Santo Domingo Church, at the end of the pedestrian street to the north. We'll meet up and drop you off at the only fountain at Jardín Carbajal, I'll be carrying a beige or black tote bag.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(51 Ratings)
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36abbyn
Feb 13, 2026
A welcoming and educational experience! - If you want to have a great meal AND start to learn about Oaxacan cuisine, take this class! Betsaida and her team organize an unbelievable day, with a trip to the market, then back to her beautiful kitchen space to cook and learn, and eat! But it's not just a yummy meal - you will come away with some real knowledge about the ingredients, as well as some of the cooking tools and techniques. Be ready to really cook and not just stand by and watch! The size of the group is small, which allowed for real conversations with the other participants about our collective travels and food experiences. I've taken other cooking classes that are fun but forgettable, where I ate well but didn't learn much. This is the opposite of that and will be a highlight as I look back on the trip to Oaxaca.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
962savannahl
Feb 4, 2026
Amazing experience - We had an incredible experience cooking with Betsaida. From start to finish, we learned so much about local food culture, ingredients, cooking processes, and tools. Her cooking expertise is informed by her family traditions, local ingredients, and intuition, and she shared all of this with us with so much kindness and she truly opened the doors for us to learn about and fall in love with the food of Oaxaca. We made salsas, tortillas, molotes, mole negro, and mango sorbet with mezcal flambed plantains. Betsaida encouraged all of us to be involved and present in as many steps of the process as possible. I cannot recommend this experience enough. It has been a highlight of our trip to Oaxaca. ¡Me encanta Oaxaca!
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Craigdeanna
Jan 10, 2026
Unequaled quality and experience. - What an incredible experience. Betsaida was a a wonderful host from the moment she picked us up, through the shopping at the market, directing us on how to cook an amazing meal, and delivering us back to the drop off point. She was 100 % genuine profession, warm and welcoming. We’ve visited Oaxaca many times and eaten at some amazing restaurants. After taking this cooking class, I can honestly say, instead of going to a great restaurant in Oaxaca and buying an excellent dinner, take this class, become part of the process, and with Betsaida’s gentle and humorous coaching, create and share a world class dinner with family and new friends. You’ll also learn about the culture, laugh, drink mescal, and have an experience that surpasses any dinner I’ve had in town. One piece of advice, come hungry!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ppastre
Nov 26, 2025
Fantastic & Fun Small Group Cooking Class - Bethsaida is a cheerful, friendly woman that gave our group of friends a fun and informative cooking class. I truly appreciated the small class size that allowed each person to have a hands on experience. The large kitchen space provides an ideal environment for cooking and viewing the process of each person's tasks. Bethsaida created a fun and joyful atmosphere. I liked that we were able to eat after each course, and did not have to wait for one big meal at the end. I have taken cooking classes around the world, and this was my favorite cooking class experience. I highly recommend Bethsaida's cooking class.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharon
Nov 17, 2025
Delicious cuisine with wonderful teacher - We also went on a food tour with Bethesaida the day before. From that, we knew that Bethesaida was a warm, friendly, and well-loved resident of Oaxaca. She treated us like family, making an effort to talk to each one of us and really get to know us. Our groups, in both cases, responded in kind and our time together was most pleasant. We started our day with a trip to the market to buy the ingredients for our meal. Then we went to Bethsaida’s home. The kitchen in which we cooked was large and well-equipped. And the food she taught us to make was absolutely delicious. It was a day we will remember always. We highly recommend booking this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N3098ghbrittanyr
Nov 13, 2025
Amazing cooking class! - I'm so glad I booked this cooking class! It was such a wonderful experience. From the market buying fresh ingredients, to the lovely outdoor kitchen and we had a great group. It was intimate, educational, and memorable! We learned recipes that we can recreate back home. Book this experience, you won't regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mehdibb4460aa
Oct 27, 2025
Unforgettable - We spent part of our honeymoon in Mexico, and our day with Me Encanta Oaxaca was our absolute favorite experience of the entire trip. We booked the private class and spent almost the whole day with Betsaida cooking, eating, drinking, talking about our cultures, and just laughing together. It never felt rushed or touristy, it felt like being welcomed into someone’s home and family. The food we made was incredible (and there was a lot of it), but what really made it special was Betsaida herself. She’s a wonderful teacher, warm, funny and genuinely interested in sharing Oaxacan culture, not just recipes. Very highly recommend. If you’re in Oaxaca, do this. It’s honestly unforgettable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karenwilsons
Oct 14, 2025
Best-Ever Cooking Experience - Me Encanta is a must do experience in Oaxaca! Bethsaida is an exceptional chef and teacher. From purchasing fresh herbs and meal ingredients from market venders to making green mole and other delicious authentic dishes, including cafe de olla, the entire day was unforgettable. It was the highlight of our visit to Oaxaca! I can’t recommend it more highly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Florianel807
Aug 15, 2025
Amazing cooking class ! - Amazing exeprience ! We highly recommend, we had a great time with Betsaida ! Thank you for sharing so much about traditions, dishes, customs !
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Fearless281768
May 10, 2025
The best cooking class ever! - The most complete and hands on cooking class we’ve ever taken! Betsaida was delightful, experienced, and gave attention to detail from the market to plating of the delicious meal! Her assistant was always there to assist to make for a smooth running class. Her beautiful kitchen took my breath away! It is a long day so would recommend for teenagers and older. We came away full of amazing food and a rich cultural experience. Recommend in every way!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $124
up to 3 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).