Culinary Tours of Oaxaca, Mexico

PILAR CABRERA

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 Pilar Cabrera is owner of Casa de los Sabores Cooking School and popular Oaxaca restaurant La Olla.  Pilar has a degree in food sciences and nutrition; but she learned to cook from her native Zapotec grandmother.  She represents Oaxaca and its cuisine on the international stage, and teaches Oaxacan gastronomy to novices and chefs alike ... in Mexico, the US and Canada.  In 2009, the Government of Mexico honored Pilar by requesting that she represent Mexico at an international Iron Chef competition. In 2011, she taught a group of Canadian apprentice chefs at Stratford Chefs School. Pilar has been featured in magazines and newspapers around the globe, including New York Times and Bon Appetit. Rick Bayless writes, “I would strongly urge anyone with an interest in Mexican food to take advantage of any opportunity to learn from and experience the Oaxacan cuisine of Pilar Cabrera.  She is one of the greats!”

ALVIN STARKMAN

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Alvin Starkman has traveled extensively throughout the central valleys of Oaxaca since 1991.  He has a masters in social anthropology and a law degree. Alvin has been a permanent resident of Oaxaca since 2004.  He is the Oaxaca “Destination Expert” on Trip Advisor's Oaxaca Forums, and consults for documentary film companies working in Oaxaca. Alvin has written over hundreds articles about Oaxacan culture, including restaurant and cooking school reviews. Canadian food icon Elizabeth Baird writes about Alvin:  “Your knowledge of the culture and region [of Oaxaca and its central valleys]  introduced us to so many interesting people, all willing to share their passion, whether it was for pottery, wood carving, frothy chocolate, the best moles or natural dyes.” Alvin is the author of  Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market:  Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances.

Culinary Tours of Oaxaca, Mexico, is a unique culinary concept; your Oaxaca experts provide culinary tours of only the city of Oaxaca and the towns and villages of its central valleys. Experiences range from dining in the best restaurants, to learning to cooking from native Zapotec women in the rural homes, to visiting marketplaces, and learning to cook Mexican cuisine from internationally renowned chefs.