Mexican cooking class in Cozumel?

[vplsh]

Thanks for the pics of the cooking excursion, my wife will LOVE this.....and I will too, the Grouper looks great!!

 

 

It was really fun and delicious!

 

Enjoy!!!

[jam82]

I want to know more about the cooking class with Josefine. How long does it take? How much does it cost? How much travel time is involved? Are you able take your new knowledge and use it at home?

[hobbit81]

hi all! we are headed to Coz next week. I'm trying to decide if to book thru ship or independant and been reading this thread. After our last snorkle trip thru the cruise we swore we wouldn't book thru cruise again but the thread is making the trip to playa mia sound really fun. Those of you who did book thru the cruise, did you feel rushed? or crowded? those of you who did independant, was it easy to find? (and no i'm not concerned about the booking thru cruise vs independant problems as i've never had problems getting back to the ship in time or anything else cruise ships warn about)

 

I really like both the reviews about this one as well as Josephines. help me decide! i gotta do something soon! too many choices and I'm running out of time...:eek:LOL

[vplsh]

We don't book through the ship that often- usually only when we're afraid of missing the ship. However, this excursion was definitely worth it. When I went the 3 of us who were cooking rode in the front of the bus taking all the beach break people over to Playa Mia. We were shown to the cooking area as soon as we got off.

 

I'd highly recommend it- even though it is a ship's excursion! LOL!

[linedancer]

Sounds like fun -- we just might do this

 

irene

[MoreMilesPlease]

Hi All,

 

We are back from the cruise and had a fun time. The three of us, me, my husband and grown son-in-law, did the Mexican Cooking at Playa Mia. It has to be booked through the cruise line.

 

The tour included transportation to and from Play Mia, the cooking class with open bar, use of the beach and facilities after the class, open bar at the beach and the buffet at the beach.

 

The actual class was a lot of fun. Louis is a fully trained chef and is very much a showman. He has a fun personality and makes the class worthwhile. He has two assistants that take care of all the mundane things like drinks orders. Tequila shots are offered as well as mixed drinks, beer, juices, and soft drinks. If you glass is empty it won't be for long.

 

Our menu consisted of

 

Huaraches, a version of a challupa.

 

Grouper Vera Cruz or you could choose chicken

 

Cookie towers

 

All of the prep work was done. Everything was chopped, diced, and prepared. They have everything already portioned out and bring it as you need it. The facility was spotlessly clean and Louis stresses cleanliness and hand washing. So no prep work needs to be done. It means that you can have fun and just cook the food following Louis's instructions.

 

Nothing was spicy but everything was tasty.

 

After we prepared everything we got to decorate our plates. This is how you knew what food was yours. The final cooking of the fish was done in the back kitchen.

 

We went upstairs to a dining room overlooking the beach and were served our creations. Again the drinks flowed freely. The food was very good and tasty. The grouper portion was a good size and was very fresh (no fishy smell).

 

Everyone had a good time. Many pictures were taken. Because this is more of a fun class, my husband really enjoyed it. All the grunt work was done and you just got to cook the stuff following simply instructions and demonstrations.

 

I would recommend this class to anyone who wants to be a bit more active for a few hours and learn a couple of simple recipes. There is nothing difficult about this class. No prep, no clean up. no worries.

[hobbit81]

I just got back from my cruise to Cozumel and want to say thank you to all who recommended this excursion. I do not normally book thru the ships but because of the recommendations of this particular one I did. I will have to say it was one of the most, if not the best one i've ever done. (with exception of scuba trips) I would highly recommend it to anyone.

 

We did everything as the above poster stated, had many drinks, lots of fun!

[musicmatters]

Can you tell me more about the class at Mr. Sancho's. I'm not looking for a party, but more about the cooking.

[vplsh]

Can you tell me more about the class at Mr. Sancho's. I'm not looking for a party, but more about the cooking.

 

 

We took a cab to Mr. Sanchos and were met by Oliver who directed us to the cooking area. It was just my daughter and I- they had just started this activity. We made our own margaritas (any flavor) then began the preparation of our rice, guacamole and beans. We did all the chopping and prep work for those 2 dishes, as well as making our beverage- an iced jamaica tea. Then we received the already- cooked chile rellenos and ate. It was very nice. I asked about recipes and they gave me a paper and pen to write it down! I suggested they print them up for people,like they do at Playa Mia. Don't know if they have.

 

You can see pictures if you click on the link for the Carnival Destiny in my signature. They're on pages 2 and 3 of the album. We enjoyed it- more cooking, less playing.

[webprinter]

If we were to take the cooking class that RCCL offers, would we be able to come back early or does it take the entire 5 hours? I want to do the cooking class but I also want to have time to shop in Cozumel. Also, is the chicken an option at all the classes? We will be traveling on the Voyager in early March. What about the one that Josephina offers? Is chicken an option at that one and what was the cost and time involved. I would prefer the one that is the most authentic and I don't care about the free drinks. Thanks.

[vplsh]

You can come back early, but you'd have to pay for the cab. If you stay for the whole time you would take the bus back.

[MoreMilesPlease]

If we were to take the cooking class that RCCL offers, would we be able to come back early or does it take the entire 5 hours? I want to do the cooking class but I also want to have time to shop in Cozumel. Also, is the chicken an option at all the classes? We will be traveling on the Voyager in early March. What about the one that Josephina offers? Is chicken an option at that one and what was the cost and time involved. I would prefer the one that is the most authentic and I don't care about the free drinks. Thanks.

 

 

If you do the Play Mia cooking class lasted about 2 hours. You can leave early and take a taxi wherever you want to go after the class. We left after the class and went to town. Someone will be at the taxi stand and ask which ship you're on. That way they won't go looking for you when the bus is ready to leave.

 

Authentic depends on what you consider authentic. At Playa Mia we did all the cooking except the final baking of the entrée. We pressed the tortillas but did not mix and knead the dough. We put together the food from already chopped and diced ingredients. Playa Mia was a fun hands-on class. We made authentic Mexican food and were given the recipes after the class was over.

 

From what I understand, Josephina's is more of a watching class. She takes you to the market and shows you what to buy and how to but it in Mexico. She does the prep and cooking while you observe most of it.

 

Both are authentic it just depends on what you want.

 

For me watching someone prepare food isn't very fun. I can do that watching the Food Network. I wanted a low stress enjoyable way to learn a couple of authentic recipes. My husband is not a cook but was happy to participate and enjoyed the demonstration and the hands-on cooking he did. The Play Mia excursion worked for us.

[marshhawk]

How much walking is there with the Josafina class? I think my friend would want to do this when our husbands are scubaing, but she cannot walk or stand for long periods of time.:(