Cooking from the heart on a beautiful farm - Wonderful experience in Finca Paraiso. I loved everything: the welcome, the stories, the lovely misses Yolanda who taught me to make bread and empanadas, the cooking process, the super friendly dog who greets everyone happily and the enjoyment at the end tasting the fruit of our labor

Wonderful experience with delicious food - Wonderful experience with the young host who helped us bake bread and empanadas. The scenery was wonderful and the food delicious! It felt very personal and we had a great time.

Beautiful views, great bread, and wonderful host - Carolina, the hostess, was super sweet and it was very authentic experience. We met at an open air kitchen space on her family's farm. We used fresh ingredients right from the farm - eggs, milk, and cheese. The bread and empanadas were excellent. It was very casual, relaxing and the views were wonderful. Carolina was an excellent host.

Tasty and cultural experience - Wonderful experience! Carolina is friendly and her instruction was excellent. My kids, ages 9 and 12, really enjoyed it as did the parents! While waiting for items to cook/bake, we got to peruse the cute items for sale and talk to her about her life in Monte Verde. The empanadas and the sweet bread treat (and delicious coffee/cane sugar beverage!) were delicious and served as a filling lunch.

Baking in Monteverde - The overall baking experience was so cool! The young lady and her brother were very courteous and friendly. Not to mention the fantastic view from their back yard!

Wonderful Costa Rican home cooking lesson! - We had a lovely time making bread with Carolina. She is so warm and kind and her English is excellent. Her brother, who does the farm tours, was also welcoming, and we even got to meet the family dog! The open air kitchen has a beautiful view of the valley below and was such a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Carolina told us about the bread recipe, which was passed down by her grandmother. She went and harvested ingredients from their plot and they went right in! The eggs, milk, chives, etc were all from their farm—Talk about farm to table! We also made empanadas and were able to eat those while the bread was rising. Carolina was very prepared and had ingredients in accordance with our dietary needs. We got to talk to her about her schooling, family, and the cultural aspects of Costa Rica that you just don’t get when you’re doing a tour or on the typical tourist adventure circuit. My husband wasn’t sure about doing this but he ended up loving it and telling our kids at home what a great experience it was. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a “real” Costa Rican experience—off the beaten bath, non-touristy, just a chance to get to talk and get to know someone and enjoy personalized Costa Rican hospitality. You do need a car to get there; it’s about 15 minutes down the road from Santa Elena, the town center near Monteverde.

Much more than a cookery class - Relaxed and friendly cooking experience with majestic countryside views- this is a wonderful opportunity to spend time in the kitchen of a working cheese farm with a charming family. Get to stir the dough mixture with a spoon that's been handed down through family generations !

Gaining First Hand knowledge From a Costa Rican Family While Making Empanadas - This was truly one of the most memorable events of our trip. We had the opportunity to engage with a Costa Rican family while learning to bake empanadas. I enjoyed meeting Orlando and his mother Yolanda and his uncle who picked us up at our AirBNB. We learned about the history of the area they lived in and gained some insight as to what it must be like to live in Costa Rica on a farm. The family was very warm, welcoming and gracious.

Fun and yummy! - Beautiful setting on a working diary farm. We enjoyed learning how to make the traditional Costa Rican sweet bread as well as empanadas. They were very welcoming and patient, even though one of us was a baking novice. But equally enjoyable was learning the story of this multigenerational farm and the lives of the surrounding farming community.

Peaceful and filling - The farm is a beautiful setting. Bread making (and eating was a treat). I was disappointed I did not receive the recipes we made to use at home. Especially the empanada!! I make them all the time and bought the flour to make at home ….