Must do…best part of our Panama trip - Such a great experience, we would definitely do again! We doubt we’ll come across a better experience, including going to the market, having good conversations, and making great food! We came home and made the tamales for our family…definitely a hit! One thing to know ahead, don’t expect to eat until 4-6 hours after your class starts, so you may want to eat something right before, as drinks were plentiful and they were great hosts! Jorge and Edwardo knocked it out of the park!

We had an incredible... - We had an incredible time, we learned so much!!! And the food we made was delicious. We highly recommend this tour!

Great class, and tasty food! - Overall, the class was great. I attended with my family, including two middle school kids, who really enjoyed it. The trip to the markets was interesting and it was neat to buy the ingredients we used for the class. The class did run longer than advertised. It ended up going for closer to 5-5.5 hours and not the 4-4.5 listed. We spent most of that time preparing the food and we didn't eat any of the courses until the end. The food was still great, but I wish we could have prepared one dish at a time and eaten throughout the class instead of waiting until the end for all courses.

Great market experience. - The market tour was equally as fun as the cooking. The cooking was very well organized yet still hands-on, and the food was delicious. They were very flexible to accomodate vegetartians.

Would do again!! - Amazing time with Jorge!! Our family enjoyed every part of this experience, from shopping at the market to learning about the cultural foods to preparing the dishes, it was an overall wonderful experience!!

Panama Cooking Class: Immersive Market Visit and Cultural Culinary Experience - My wife and I have taken cooking classes in several countries. With that in mind, not all cooking classes are created equal. In Morocco, it was more of a demonstration. In Vietnam, we cooked Banh Xeo, but didn't do any of the shopping or prep work. In Greece, different members of our group took turns preparing three different dishes. This included the prep work, but not the shopping, and not everyone cooked every item. Panama Day Trips 4-Hour Guided Cooking Class was the most comprehensive cooking class we have taken in our travels. After booking the tour, I realized that I couldn't plot the address in Google, so I emailed the tour operator and was quickly sent a link that made the starting location very easy to find. We were also sent a couple of reminder emails prior to the tour, so communications with the tour operator were great. We had not trouble finding the restaurant, which is as centrally located in Casco Viejo as a business could be. It is located on the main square. We arrived a few minutes early, giving us a few minutes to speak with the owner, Jerin, and learn a bit about his own personal story as well as receiving some tips regarding other tours during our visit. As our class of eight fully arrived, Jerin introduced us to our Chef/Guide, Jorge. Jorge also provided us with some of his personal background and his passion for good food. After an overview of what to expect, we headed out toward the market. Jorge ensured we all had umbrellas for our trek, as it looked as if rain was imminent. However, we lucked out and didn't actually need them. Our Market trip started with the meat market, which was immaculately clean (we have been to meat markets in many countries, and none have ever been this clean). The market has sections for the various types of meat. We didn't make a purchase as the restaurant only uses free range chicken. After visiting the meat market, we entered the vegetable market where our ingredients where our vegetable ingredients were gathered from one of the vendors. While gathering the vegetables, we were given some additional history on the market and local cooking and traditions. After visiting a stall with fresh (and amazing) chicha (juice), we headed to the fish market. The fish market was not as impeccable as the meat market, but was also relatively clean. It didn't have an excessive fishy smell, which was a great sign. After walking through the market we visited a vendor who filleted a fish that Jorge selected whole (which allowed him to ensure both freshness as well as to ensure it was the type of fish we were paying for). With ingredients in hand, we headed back to the restaurant. Our cooking class was thorough. While Jorge did the majority of the cooking, the class participated actively in prepping ingredients. We were provided with the drinks of our choice. My wife had an incredible passion fruit sangria while I explored a couple of different options. The dishes we prepared included ceviche (two of use who don't eat seafood were provided a casava alternative that was prepared for us), chicken carimanola, chicken tamal and platano en tentacion. The tamal was massive compared to what I am used to seeing (the Mexican version of tamale). Platano en tentacion was a combination of plantain, rum (optional), passion fruit juice, and sugar cooked down to a nice sauce. We had incredible conversations with Jorge and Jerin while we cooked, learning a great deal about local culture while preparing our meals. We also got to learn a bit about each other, all eight of us sharing a passion for travel. After a full afternoon of cooking and conversation, we settled in for our meal. The food was great, the atmosphere was awesome and the experience was fun. Jerin also told us to reach out if we have any questions unrelated to the tour. Jerin and Jorge were great hosts and gave us a memorable experience. As mentioned at the beginning, this was the most comprehensive cooking class we have been to during our travels. Highly recommended.

Great food and history - Great experience. Lots of good food and information about Panama. The market trip was enlightening and the amount of food you get will definitely have you full. Would highly recommend.

Awesome and different experience! - This was an awesome way to experience the Panamanian culture and explore Casco Viejo. Jorge and Jerin were great guides into this culture and food! We started at the markets where Jorge explained what ingredients we needed to purchase while trying a few different things there. We then walked back to the restaurant where we got to make ceviche as a group, learn how to make a delicious chicken tamale, sweet plantains, and carimañolas. We got to eat and drink with our new group of friends and really enjoyed the all around experience! After cooking, we got to eat together while learning about our cooking group, Jorge and Jerin. Was a wonderful experience and would highly recommend this to anyone traveling in the area.

Amazing class!!! - It was such an interactive and informative class! Everything we made fresh and from scratch! Went to the local markets to buy ingredients so you know exactly what you need to recreate at home. Definitely 100% reccomend this and will be booking cooking classes on all vacations from now on. Only negative is that the class says 4 hours but it was more like 5 and a half which is fine just don't make plans for anything after incase it runs long. The whole staff was helpful and attentive and it's amazing they a wide variety of dining options including vegan which is hard to find out there. Give this class a try you won't regret it!!!

One of best Cooking class experiences to date! - This was an amzing cooking class. Jorge, the chef instructor, is personable, knowledgeable and the recipes were fun to make and even better to eat! We were lucky that there were only 3 of us attending that day which made the 4 hours feel like hanging with friends. I highly recommend this fun experience and the visit to the markets was eye opening! Enjoy it!