Mavi Graf does great cooking classes, I have taken several, but she will also come to your…read morecondo/home and prepare a meal for you. It's so relaxing to spend the evening in and watching Mavi and her assistant cutting and chopping and mixing and then you get to taste! She'll answer all your questions and even make you a special cocktail. Oh, and does all the cleanup. Check out her website and if a private chef is anything you've thought of doing, I couldn't recommend anyone better.

A fantastic experience! Mavi is informative and fun. From making our purchases at various markets…read moreto creating the dishes in her lovely home, the afternoon was filled with laughter and the joy of cooking together.

Excellent foodie experience and one of the absolute best we've had in 20 years of travel. Other…read morereviews describe the food prepared and the home and cuchina. The wood fire roasted salsas and tortillas we made were simply over the top. Rosie and Emma created a fun, educational, and yummy day for us. Groups can be as large as 10, but today it was just the 2 of us. Highly recommended!

We had the BEST time with Rosie and her family. Highly recommend this experience for authenticity…read moreand multigenerational fun. Communication with Lorna (Rosie's daughter) was easy, and booking simple. The meeting location was conveniently located across from the cruise ship port. Rosie was easy to spot, and welcomed us warmly. The market tour portion of the day was a highlight, as we saw a tortilla machine and tasted a delicious tamale. The van to get us to both the market and to Rosie's (and back) was safe and well maintained. Upon entering Rosie's home, we were immediately awed by the beauty. She lives in such a gorgeous inviting home, that is perfectly set up to accommodate her tour. Participation was easy, directions clear, food delicious. Everyone in our party, from the 13-year-old to the 70+ year old grandparents enjoyed the experience. We would absolutely go back the next time we are in Puerto Vallarta.

I spent two weeks in March of 2019 in Puerto Vallarta and took private classes every morning,…read moreMonday through Friday, at the Spanish Experience Center. Teachers, staff and fellow students were all very nice and curteous. I learned and practiced so much and felt accomplished in the end. All that while having fun and making new friends. I highly recommend this school. They also offer a hands-on cooking class once a week which is great for mingling with other students and you can learn a bit more about the culture and people of the region.

Wowowowow. Seriously, I've been to a few Spanish schools…read morenow in different parts of México, and this one is the best. The school is cute, easy to access, and teachers are incredible. 10/10 stars. I would 100% feel secure in recommending this place to anyone who wants to study Spanish. I'll be coming back in the future. My only complaint is that I didn't get to spend enough time here learning from the great teachers. :(

We booked our first lesson for yesterday with our two visits=ing friends and we had a FANTASTIC…read moretime! We learned the history of PV, Gabby's restaurant, and all of us received a digital copy of chefs 95 page cookbook. We started with a trip to the markets to purchase our lunch supplies, then we headed back to the restaurant to cook the dishes (as a group). We ended up producing a full "Taco Cart" worth of condiments, Ceviche, Chicken Mole (the sauce has 40 ingredients alone!), Guacamole (two ways), Mexican Rice, and Margaritas. The class starts at 9AM and ended at 2:30PM, it's a full day and a FULL lunch. Plan to eat a light or late dinner that night. Would 100% recommend this class :)

Had a wonderful birthday celebration in San Jose! Francisco and his family were wonderful hosts…read more The food was great and the hibiscus margarita not to be forgotten. Thank you for a fantastic evening!

What an amazing experience! There were six of us (3 couples) and a family of 4 (older parents with…read moregrown daughters) in the class. Miriam welcomed us into her home for the class - so much more comfortable and intimate than a restaurant setting. The evening started with margaritas and Miriam telling us about the village in Mexico where she grew up. She talked about the importance of food to their community and the importance of community and family to food. Very interesting perspectives. Then we moved to a large table where each couple had a set-up. We used a mocajete (lava rock mortar and pestle) to grind fresh cacao beans and spices to make Mexican drinking chocolate (for dessert). This was a cool experience and the result was delicious. We proceeded to make 3 more dishes, including chilaquiles and pork tamales. Everything was super organized and efficient, and we never felt like we were waiting. Oh, and it was so tasty! And I feel like we could make these dishes at home - can't wait to try! After class was over, we all walked down the hill to Miriam's Bar where we had cocktails (not included) and had the opportunity to buy some of Miriam's spices and sauces (get the Chilli Crack!!). I highly recommend this! We will definitely do this again next time we are in PV!

My husband and I met Miriam two trips ago as she was selling her hot sauce at the farmer's market…read more At that time she told us about her cooking class, but we couldn't fit it in during that trip. When we started planning our next trip (last December), the first thing I did was book a cooking class. It was very hard to choose which week, as all of the menus looked amazing! I ended up choosing the taco class because I thought I would be most likely to be able to recreate those recipes at home. We were joined by a large family, and started off with a great margarita demonstration by Kyle. He gave us some great tips including making our own simple syrup and using fresh limes instead of using triple sec or other mixers. Our margaritas were delicious, and a perfect way to loosen up before the main event. While we were enjoying our drinks, Miriam took center stage and gave us her background, which is quite interesting and impressive. I won't spoil it for you! Next, she had all of us describe our relationships with food and cooking, to get a better idea of how to work with us throughout the class. It was a great way to start. We then moved over to the kitchen, where we paired up in front of our stations - with cutting boards, molcajetes, and the food items for our first step, which was a tomato sauce for our potato tacos. Miriam gave us some background information about molcajetes, since most of us had never used one before. She then gave us our instructions and we started working away at our salsa. She made her rounds and made sure we were all feeling comfortable and having fun. Next, we worked on a pineapple salsa for our al pastor tacos, an avocado sauce for our fish tacos, and a fresh veggie salad. Miriam made everything fun and easy, and used our stories to personalize the experience for each of us. Next, we sat down at the beautifully set table, and Kyle poured us wine while explaining Mexico's history of winemaking. All the while, Miriam's assistants were prepping the rest of our meal. We were served our salads, then tacos dorados (cheese and potato tacos) with our tomato salsa. Next, we enjoyed al pastor tacos with the pineapple salsa we made. For the items that we didn't make in their entirety, Miriam explained the process, and pointed to the recipe books we would be taking home. Then Miriam did a demonstration on how make a simple breading to bread fish for our fish tacos. We then got to enjoy our fish tacos with the avocado sauce we made. Finally, we finished our meal with a demonstration of how to make an easy mousse with lemon curd, fresh fruit, and meringue. All the while, Kyle kept our wine glasses full, the conversation flowed, and Miriam made sure that we left with a new bag of tricks. She talked about balancing flavors (acid, sweet, salt, etc.) and textures (crunchy, soft, etc.), and encouraged us to talk about the food we made in terms of the components, bringing about a new appreciation for savoring each bite! I can't say enough about how informative this experience was, and how much fun we had! Miriam and Kyle and the rest of the team made us all feel at home. I am certain that we will take another class from Miriam on a trip in the future.

Good communication and delicious food!! We'll definitely use them again!!…read moreThank you again!

Exploited and Overcharged in a Foreign Country -- Ambushed for Cash With No Clear Bill or…read moreBreakdown. I hired this chef months in advance to cook for my luxury wellness retreat in Mexico. What I got was an unprofessional, disorganized, and manipulative experience that disrupted the retreat. She dodged providing a clear quote for months. I sent the final menu and grocery list a month before the retreat and offered to pay her in full two weeks out--still no total. I asked again on Days 1 and 2 of the retreat. Nothing. She told me to budget $500 USD for groceries based on a detailed list. Many of those items were never purchased, yet she brought at least 10 bottles of wine after I asked for 4. We didn't use them all, but I assume I paid for them. The breaking point came after I let her know the tortillas she left out were moldy and gently told her I knew she hadn't been at the villa when she claimed to have checked them. She quickly messaged me: "Can you come into the kitchen?" What followed was an aggressive, sudden demand for cash--tens of thousands of pesos--on the spot. She yelled at me, refused the Wise payment method we'd agreed to, and said she didn't trust me not to cancel it. She quoted one amount, which I agreed to, then raised it by $600 USD without explanation. She sent a screenshot of a Notes app in Spanish and handed me a pile of receipts I couldn't read--no itemization, no breakdown, and no way to verify what I was being charged for. Based on our original pricing, she overcharged me by at least $1,000. I was cornered in a foreign country, scrambling to pay her. Two guests had to come to the ATM with me because of withdrawal limits. I had to call the house staff to witness and record the exchange as proof of payment. It was stressful, and completely derailed the retreat. I missed my evening yoga session trying to handle it, and had to cancel the next morning's session as well while onboarding a new chef. The food was mediocre, never served hot, and often not enough. One morning we ran out of eggs, and she told my guest there were no extras. Yet when she quit and packed up, she took multiple trays of eggs with her. She routinely left raw meat on the stove all day, fruit out to attract flies, and food dishes on the table overnight. She never wiped the dining table or cleaned the kitchen. I had to clean before breakfast each morning. She also blocked my guests from entering the kitchen--the only place they could get water--and I strongly suspect she was using my groceries and kitchen for other clients. She once said she was "coming to bake," though there was no baking on our menu. Her social media showed her hosting another event the day after she quit--convenient timing. She also brought in a bartender without my consent on night one and served full alcoholic drinks, even though we'd agreed it would be a mocktail-focused retreat. Finally, she prepared "quesadillas" with mushroom filling--despite one guest's allergy--and insisted I leave them out unrefrigerated. Guests staying behind discovered they were covered in fuzzy white mold. She claimed it was heirloom corn. It wasn't. She also lied about being at the villa when she wasn't. When I calmly told her I knew, that's when the cash ambush happened. Two yoga sessions were lost, but more importantly, she created fear, confusion, and emotional stress for me and my guests. She was dishonest, aggressive, and unprofessional.

Amazing family dinner in our Punta Mita Villa! Wendy was fabulous to work with and created a dining…read moreexperience that we couldn't have enjoyed more! Absolutely delightful (and delicious) stay-at-home evening!

Hired Wendy & her brother Tony for my best friend's birthday in PV--they went above and beyond!…read moreWendy was communicative and flexible with the menu, and day-of everything was flawless. Décor, food, taste--BEYOND. Her unique touch was in every detail. I'll be hiring this team again!

Don't let them ruin your friends birthday party I don't know…read morehow they get all the 5 stars but my experience is quite different from what other reviews have shared. I was promised cocktails, filet mignon and lobster but the minute they arrived they asked me to show them how to make cocktails. Later after cooking for 3 hours, they present me with overcooked cheap cut steak that's definitely not filet mignon. Lobster is no where to be found and when asked about it they said the lobster wasn't looking good when they could have let me know when they went shopping earlier that day.

We had chef Jonathan prepare a dinner for us and it was beyond amazing. So much so we had him back…read morea couple of nights later to prepare dinner using the mahi mahi our guys caught that day. Margaritas, Appetizers, entree and dessert. We had more food than the four of us could eat. He did all The shopping and all the clean up. For me it was the best event of the entire trip.

I can't say enough good things about these two lovely sisters (Carla and I'm sorry I forgot the…read moreother's name) who run their own little cafe and home-made chocolate factory conveniently located in 5 de Diciembre in PV. I called them one afternoon because I needed a gift for some other beautiful Mexican people, and they graciously and at last minute made me a beautiful box of hand-made chocolates. They were so amazing! Not only were the chocolates good, they were huge! They also have a cute little cafe that serves up delicious coffee and desserts. At Costa Rica 1382, 5 de Diciembre, a five minute walk from the top of the Malecon. See you next time I'm in PV! :)