Traditional Cooking Class in Oaxaca: Home-Cooked Meals with Minerva Lopez

Immerse yourself in the authentic flavors and traditions of Oaxaca with Minerva Lopez’s traditional cooking class. Learn to cook like a local in a small, intimate setting, using fresh, organic ingredients from the local market. Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or meat lover, there’s something for everyone. Join us for a unique culinary experience that goes beyond just a class.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • C. Monterrey 1370 - You are invited to experience the warmth of a wood stove.
    The host is a Traditional Oaxacan Cooking instructor and a 1st Place winner at the Meeting of Traditional Cooks of Oaxaca.
    The experience begins with a tour of Oaxaca’s largest market, where participants will discover endemic and local foods and products, and purchase…
What's Included
  • Local Market Tour
  • Lunch
  • Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free menu option
  • Seasonal dessert
  • Seasonal fruit waters
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Snacks
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Beer or soda
Meal Options
  • House chocolate with bread - A chocolate drink is served accompanied with traditional bread
  • hand tortillas - Learn to make tortillas by hand on a clay griddle or pre-Hispanic stove
  • OPTION 1 Oaxacan Mole - available moles(10)
    you can choose 1 of them
    BLACK MOLE
    reddish
    chichilo
    green
    yellow
    yellow mixe
    stew
    nutty
    manchamanteles
  • Option 2 Experience…
Additional Information

Please be informed that:
This is not a restaurant, and the operator does not consider themselves a chef.
Minerva Lopez is a traditional cook from Oaxaca with over 40 years of experience in pre-Hispanic and traditional cooking.
Guests are invited to spend a day at her home, with her family and culture, offering an authentic experience where they will…

Location
Gral. Antonio de León 1
General Antonio de León
WE CAN AGREE ON A PLACE OF DEPARTURE OR THE ZOCALO OF THE CD OF OAXACA, IN FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL. ALSO IN THE LESCAS CO TOURS OFFICE, THEY ARE FRIENDS OF MINE AND CAN WAIT IN THEIR OFFICE ANTONIO DE LEON NO. 1 LOCAL I IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS YOU CAN CONTACT ME BY CALL OR WHATSAPP +529512903409
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(204 Ratings)
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Danqueiros
Apr 23, 2026
Authentic Cooking Experience - I did a fair bit of research trying to find which would be the most authentic mole cooking experience. I'm very glad that we selected this one as right from the beginning we were picked up at the meeting location in an air conditioned bus, went to the market to select all of the ingredients that we were about to use to prepare the mole and then drove out to the countryside to a beautifully authentic home where we proceeded to get step by step instructions on how to make a beautiful mole negro. The experience was professional and authentic, end to end a great day. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nunes4
Apr 2, 2026
Learn From The Master! - This "class" was everything you'd expect a great cooking class to be. Fun, informative and hands on. Our host was a wonderful and patient guide. Just getting a feel for moving the soft, freshly pressed, masa from the press to the comal and then flipping it without burning your hand! We learned to make a variety of classics including a woderful mole and two spectacular salsas, all to be consumed later in the afternoon. The market experience (the largest in Oaxaca!) was wonderful as well. If you want to learn some of the basics of Mexican cuisine, and you want a master to teach you, this is the class for you. What a blast!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Philiptoft_a
Mar 30, 2026
Such a cozy experience... - Such a cozy experience that I wouldn’t imagine not doing while visiting Oaxaca. Learning the traditions around cooking mole and being able to take this home with us is exactly what we were looking for.
Review provided by Viator
Florentinaj2026
Mar 18, 2026
We love Minerva and her family - We had a good time learning to make the best mole from an expert!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shanm820
Mar 6, 2026
Five Stars - Talent- patient and educational. I loved my opportunity to learn from Minerva and her family/staff. The market trip was definitely a highlight, too. One of my favorite markets ever!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elena_s
Feb 25, 2026
Best travel experience ever - It was the best experience of the whole trip to Mexico, Doña Minerva is incredible. She is an amazing chef, strong woman and she uses food to employ women and help them by building an amazing community and sharing her huge knowledge with foreigners like us. It’s the best experience to both learn new dishes, learn about local culture and also support a female owned business and community. I will remember this day forever.
Review provided by Viator
Jorgeat159qd
Jan 25, 2026
Very good and authentic experience. - Minerva is a great exponent of authentic Oaxacan cuisine. She and her family greet you in their kitchen with great kindness, having taken a tour of the supply center to buy the ingredients needed to prepare the meal. Foreigners have a good translator who not only translates them but also explains the local context. Excellent food, everyone participates and everyone enjoys the cooking. The transport very good and with air conditioning. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debbie_d
Jan 12, 2026
First rate cultural cooking class! - Minerva is an accomplished cook who is well known in the community. Our translator Amy was excellent sharing with group many cultural aspects of not only preparing mole but also life in the local area. The setting is Minerva’s lovely garden and outdoor cooking area. (outside of town about 20 min.)
Review provided by Viator
Worldexplorer53
Jan 9, 2026
a highly recommended experience - we were 4 adults, all foodies and experienced cooks, who totally enjoyed this excellent hands on class to learn the techniques and components for creating a delicious molé. This is a family presentation passing along what they have learned growing up in their family. this class would appeal to a person at any level of kitchen skill. we all learned and appreciated the sharing of ideas.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ana_h
Jan 6, 2026
Amazing experience we won’t forget! - This was an unforgettable and unique experience and we are very grateful for senora Lopez welcoming us in her kitchen. We opted for the corn experience and enjoyed making salsas, mole, tortillas, empanadas, and memelitas. The food was some of the best we’ve had on our whole Mexico trip! Senora Lopez is very kind, patient, and knowledgeable. We are also so grateful to Amy, the expert translator, who explained many things to us, including some of the historical context behind Oaxacan cuisine. She was very friendly and kind, as was the rest of the team. Thank you senora Lopez, Amy, and the whole team! we recommend this experience to anyone who is in Oaxaca and is curious to learn more about some of the most traditional regional dishes.
Review provided by Viator
From $115
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).