Cooking class in Cozumel

[Meliki]

My boyfriend is really into cooking, and was looking for SOME authentic experience on this cruise. So I was thinking that I'd try the Playa Maya cooking excursion, but I was wondering how authentic the food you made was. I just read about Josephine's kitchen, and was wondering if that was more something that I'd be interested in booking. Were there any other authentic cultural experiences to be had in Cozumel? He was hoping to eat a lot of authentic food, but the boat of course doesn't seem to have too much.

[kwbound]

We are going to Cozumel on a land trip July 1 -5. We have signed up for Josephine's cooking class while we are there. She gets really good reviews on TripAdvisor. It seems like it will be a more authentic experience because you are in her home. I will post a review when we get back.

[Dubsolute]

I'll be looking for your review of Josephine's. I'm very interested in doing this.

[mamaza]

Also looking forward to a link if this is good experience.

[kwbound]

Also looking forward to a link if this is good experience.

 

 

Here is a link to information on her class. If the class is as good as the pictures look, it is going to be good!

 

The cozumelmycozumel website has a lot of good info for visitors.

[jackdiamond]

We would be interested in the experiences of anyone who has visited Playa Maya sans the cooking excursion. In other words, how was the beach water and sand quality? Also, was there an entry fee for the beach etc. only; and, what did it include?

Additionally, I have heard of another beach called Nachi_______; and, I wonder if anyone has visited same.

Thank you.

P.S.-We have visited Chankanab, Paradise and Mr. Sanchos beach; hence, no comment is requested with regard to the aforesaid.

[Garn]

Here's the review of Josefina's I posted in April:

 

Here's what I said in my review:

My father and I went downtown to “Josefina’s Kitchen” for cooking lessons. This isn’t like the big tour group “cooking classes” where the point is to down as many free drinks as you can with 50 other people while making pico or guacamole. No, this is a private lesson, just the two of us, in the kitchen of an excellent cook. She first took us to the local market. It’s amazing- it’s only 4 blocks from the main street, but we didn’t see a single tourist. She took us to the produce seller, and showed us how to pick out the best fruits and vegetables- mangos, avocados, cactus leaves, tomatoes, etc. The next stop was the fish monger, where she pointed to a beautiful grouper, that the seller then proceeded to fillet and skin. After that, it was the masa stall, for the corn meal to make tortillas. We then walked back to her house, and began cooking. We made red and green salsa, guacamole, a Mayan salsa with dried pumpkin seeds, grouper ceviche (served with a Dos Equis, of course), homemade tortillas, quesadillas, refried beans, more grouper with a Mayan sauce, fruit tea, and margaritas. All of it was delicious, although I might have left something out. A delightful woman, who was an excellent teacher (my father’s a professor, and commented on her teaching skills).

 

I really was an amazing experience, well worth the cost. You can email Josefina at "jose65bis at hotmail dot com".

[MrsPete]

My husband would LOVE this cooking class. She lists numerous meals on her website -- do you get to specify what you want to cook when you make your reservation?

 

I have four teenaged girls though, and they're definitely not old enough to go "do their own thing" in port, even a safe port like Cozumel. Would this excursion be fun with two adults and four girls ages 12, 13, 16 and 16?

 

Maybe I could send HIM to the cooking class, then he could meet me and the girls at the beach later. I could end up the winner in that scenerio in more ways than one!

[Garn]

Sorry for the delay in responding...

 

Yes, you specify which entree you want ahead of time. We told her we wanted the Mayan fish, but to use whatever fish looked best. We ended up with a gorgeous (and delicious) grouper.

 

As for whether it would be fun for the teens, I think it depends on whether or not they are "foodies" at all. If they aren't that interested in cooking, or eating, then it's probably not a good choice, but if they are, it's a great experience. If we return to Cozumel, I intend on bringing my 8 and 13 year olds.

 

Josefina's house is probably 4-5 blocks from downtown, so depending on how responsible the kids are, you could probably have them shop for a couple hours while you cook (at least if you both have cell phones).

 

We split up our group like you said- my father and I cooked in the morning (we asked Josefina if we could come early), and joined the others at Mr. Sanchos around 1:30.

[Yeldarb]

Hi Garn,

 

Base on your review we've booked Josefina's kitchen for our upcoming cruise. I'll be sure and post a review as well.

 

Cheers!

[kwbound]

We took Josephina's class last Thursday. Our experience was much the same as Garn's description above, except there were three couples in our party. Since there were six of us, we got to pick two different entrees. We made red snapper spiced with anchiote and tamale casserole, along with refried black beans, avocado dip, tomatillo sauce, pumpkin seed dip, cerviche, mango/cucumber salad, pumpkin flower quesadillas and nopals (cactus). She had a very sweet assistant, Claudia, helping and her handsome son came and made wonderful margaritas - a regular batch and a batch of mango margaritas. We also had beers and hibiscus tea. For dessert we had coconut ice cream. Everyone had to make a tortilla and after the class each couple received a nice diploma for our efforts. I'm going to try and post some pictures...hopefully it will work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is Josephina's perfect tortilla on the left, and my raggedy one on the right!!

[mamaza]

Thanks for the review and the pictures... great pictures.... more, more.

 

We plan on doing Cozumel again in Jan 2011, doing a Mexican cooking class has been our plan for a long time now, (we hoped to do one in the Mex Riv but the cruise got diverted) and I hope she is still doing the class as it will surely be in our schedule. Maybe we got lucky as sometimes the best is worth waiting for.

[1123mrk]

The cooking class sounds great! How much did it cost per person? We have a group of 7 cruising in December, but some are children and might not be interested. How far in advance did you book it? How long did the class last? Thanks!

[kwbound]

We were going to pay $79 per person, but because another couple was added the price went down to $69 pp. We booked a few weeks in advance. We met at her house at 11 and I want to say the class was over about 2, maybe a little later. That included the market time. Here is the website: http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/CozumelCookingClasses.html

 

I highly recommend the class. Not only do you get to learn how to cook some local dishes, you get a wonderful meal and you get to learn something about the people that actually live in Cozumel. If you do the class, make sure you let us know what you think.

[1123mrk]

That's great information, and if we do the class, I will let you know!

 

Another question - we have young people ages 19, 16, 12, and 10 in our group. Would this be appropriate for them, or would they be bored out of their minds?

[kwbound]

I don't think they would be bored at all, especially if they have any interest at all in cooking or other cultures. The market is interesting, with tons of stuff to explore. And Josefina can assign them jobs during the lessons. In our group one person had to juice all of the limes, one person had to cut the fish for cerviche (that was my job), one person had to mix the batter for the tamale casserole, someone had to slice the poblanos, etc. Everyone had to clean and slice their own nopal (cactus) and everyone had to make their own tortilla to earn their diploma. You might tell Josefina to assign the chores to the kids before she gives them to the adults in order to keep them busy. They will be proud when everyone is enjoying the meal they helped prepare.

[1123mrk]

Thanks, Donna! I will let you know how it goes!

[coasterwiggs]

How far is it to walk from Josefina's house to the market and back again? I have some mobility issues.

[kwbound]

How far is it to walk from Josefina's house to the market and back again? I have some mobility issues.

 

It is about two blocks. And except for the main avenue by the water, and the blocks directly around the square, we found the sidewalks in Cozumel to be in pretty bad disrepair. If you use a walker or cane you would probably be able to negotiate it. If you are in an electric scooter, it might be a little more probmatic. You might have to ride it in the street, and traffic is a little scary.

 

I would suggest that you contact Josefina, or Carey who does Josefina's correspondance for her, and explain your situation. The market trip is only a part of the overall experience. If you think the walk will be too much, you might be able to wait at the house with Josefina's assistant, or maybe meet the group at the market and catch a taxi back to the house. I'm sure they will be able to help you figure out something.

 

Good luck.

[GTJ]

Last night, on Top Chef Masters, the chefs "interviewed" prior contestants before selecting three each as their sous chefs. One prior contestant answered Rick Bayliss's question about prior travel to Mexico by stating he had been to Cozumel, to which Bayliss quickly relied that "Cozumel doesn't count."

 

While Bayliss did make a broad statement, it is largely true. You're unlikely to find in Cozumel anything much better than what can be found in the United States. This is not an area known for cuisine, and further it is oriented almost exclusively to tourists. You may find a rare sparkle in this culinary desert if you're lucky (Josephina's may ba sparkle). Enjoy Cozumel for what it is, have some fun, but don't expect too much in the way of cooking.

 

Rather, save your effort for parts of Mexico that have fabulous cooking, and where the cooking schools are wonderous. In particular, look to take such classes in Oaxaca and Puebla, generally regarded as the home to some of the country's most fabulous cooking (especially the moles from each city). Obviously, you can't do this in a short shore excursion from any port (other than, perhaps, Huatulco), so you may have to make a separate trip to one of these places if cooking is a serious interest.

[spoonful]

Did anyone have any concerns about price? I love to cook and was at first very attracted to this excursion. It seems like you are paying alot of money to help cook a meal that I wouldn't pay more than 10 bucks for from my local corner restaurant. perhaps i am used to access to lots of authentic international foods because of where i live but it just seems like so much money.

[donnachipper]

I love cruise critic, for the wonderful ideas that you get. We are booking this class on our upcoming trip. She e-mailed me back and said she was free that day but said I needed to contact cozumelmy cozumel.

 

How did you pay for this class? Did you pay ahead of time with a credit card or when you got there? Hopefully the cozumel site gets back to me.

 

Donnachiper

[luvtocook]

Do you have to take a taxi to her home & if so, how long of a ride is it? I believe we will be docking at the International pier.

[KAWS]

Did anyone have any concerns about price? I love to cook and was at first very attracted to this excursion. It seems like you are paying alot of money to help cook a meal that I wouldn't pay more than 10 bucks for from my local corner restaurant. perhaps i am used to access to lots of authentic international foods because of where i live but it just seems like so much money.

 

You're not just paying for a meal. You're paying for the whole fun experience of the day. Yes you get to eat the food and no it's not "gourmet" and it also includes all drinks (alcohol too - and be careful when they start with the shooters!!:eek: Those did me in!). It was just something a little different and the day was really fun and the crowd was fun loving. We had a wonderful day and to us, it was worth the $$.

 

Sorry - thought you were talking about the Playa one. That's what I was referring to here. I haven't taken the one with Josephine.

[mamaza]

You're not just paying for a meal. You're paying for the whole fun experience of the day. Yes you get to eat the food and no it's not "gourmet" and it also includes all drinks (alcohol too - and be careful when they start with the shooters!!:eek: Those did me in!). It was just something a little different and the day was really fun and the crowd was fun loving. We had a wonderful day and to us, it was worth the $$.

 

Sorry - thought you were talking about the Playa one. That's what I was referring to here. I haven't taken the one with Josephine.

I think that goes for all the cooking classes, whether the meal is big or small, gourmet or snacks and salsa or just some local fare. The idea is to have a good experiece, and you do pay for that. Most excursions are payment for the experience and not value of the items you get ... kayaks, jetskis, bus tours, etc. I think the meal is a bonus in this case.

Actually, I have the same bone ref "Johnny rockets" on RCCL ships. It use to be free, then a free coupon for returing guests, now only a free shake. They started charging because: 30 seats; 3000 passengers. It's really always beem more about entertainment than food, so they charge (IMHO)to limit the entertainment to those interested enough to pay for it. Well, off my soapbox.