Cooking with Chela and toddlers - Chela is the best! We cooked the most delicious food with her and our two toddlers. We brought toddler knives with us and she accommodated them and their desire to help so perfectly. Craving that pollo con arroz. Wish I had purchased her recipe book!

Culinary experience - While other tours/activities leave you a memory or two, this one gives you a life skill or allows you builds on what cooking skills you already have. I also leaned that this helps to support another program where local kids are thought how to cook, which I thought was very cool. As someone who has not generally been comfortable cooking much, but especially using oil to fry food, Chels worked with me to get through my discomfort. I had a great time, learned to cook some Costa Rican dishes and got to eat the results.

Authentic Costa Rican cooking - We had a very nice evening cooking class with Chela and her assistant. Our family, with 3 girls, really enjoyed getting the hands on cooking experience. The food turned out delicious. We learned a lot and have a much greater appreciation of Costa Rican food and culture. We love the fact that we are supporting a woman owned business in a small rural community while having a great time. Definitely would recommend for families with kids.

Must do in la fortuna - Great hospitality , great food and walked out knowing more about the Costa Rica cooking experience. Chela and her team is top notch and they care about what they do.

A must do experience! - Simply wonderful evening spent cooking and eating traditional costa rican food by the heat of the fogon. One of the highlights of our 2-week family trip. A must do if you enjoy cooking, eating and sharing stories.

Cooking with Chela - My family just enjoyed an authentic Costa Rican cooking experience with Chela and her assistant. The kitchens in her restaurant were wonderfully atmospheric - as was cooking on a “fogon” - and we all loved it. My 15 year old claimed it was his best experience of our trip to CR. Can’t praise it highly enough. And Chela is a very lovely host and teacher!

The BEST experience in Costa Rica!! - Wow!! We had the most AMAZING beautiful experience with Chela. We were just expecting a fun cooking class, but instead we also gained some new friends. This was by far an experience that we are thankful to have had on our visit to Costa Rica. On top of it all, Chela made my daughters 16th Birthday so special. We had laughs, We told stories and We learned to make a DELICIOUS Costa Rican meal. I will never ever forget this. Pura Vida!

Definitely a highlight - This was definitely a highlight of our time in the La Fortuna area. My husband and I and our two 15 year olds got to make a traditional Costa Rican meal in a traditional kitchen. Chela was very hospitable and friendly. We invited her to sit down to eat lunch with us. I would highly recommend this experience for anyone looking to immerse themselves further into the Costa Rican culture than just your regular tourist sights.

Great Costa Rican Cooking Class with El Fogon de Chela - I can’t say enough good things about the cooking class we did with El Fogon de Chela! From when we arrived to the time we left, we were welcomed like family. We are a family of 3, my 14 year old never cooks, so this was a real treat for him! Said it was one of his favorite things he did. Said he’s going to be making patacones on the regular now! We got to learn so much about Costa Rican cooking and culture and try things we never would’ve tried before! Both Isela and her assistant were the sweetest! She even gave us a cookbook to take home with us! One of the highlights of our trip for sure!

An Exquisite and Delectable Authentic Cooking Experience - Wow. What an amazing and beautiful experience. We found Chela’s cooking class and begged her to squeeze us into a class since she was all booked up — she was kind enough to oblige and I am beyond grateful she did. Chela does not promise private classes, but goes the extra mile to make each class as small and intimate as possible. There were four of us in our class. When we first arrived, she offered us an array of beverages and allowed us to choose recipes from her cookbook to make. The recipes are passed down from her grandmother and are all authentic Costa Rican cuisine. She, along with two assistants, then walked us through the recipes and taught us a number of techniques, including how to make a tortilla from scratch and shape it by hand. Once we were done cooking, we sat down for the 5 course meal we’d cooked — followed by a rice pudding dessert that Chela and her team had prepared for us in advance. The class itself is very hands on, but the team is kind enough to help with prep and do your dishes for you, cleaning up for everyone as you go. We of course bought the cookbook once we were done so we could recreate the magic once we return home! A few additional notes — the space itself is stunning and beautiful, with twinkle lights adorning the facility, a beautiful wood burning stove, and an immaculate kitchen. Moreover, Chela’s story is incredible. She started the business during the pandemic and convinced others to take a chance on her, and I am so glad that she appears to be thriving. I was thrilled to be able to support a local and woman-owned business, and I encourage anyone reading this review to run and book a spot for a one-of-a-kind experience. You will not regret it, and I can guarantee the food will be some of the most delicious you have while in Costa Rica.