Yucatán Cooking School Brings Tourists to Merida, Mexico

Chef David Sterling’s Courses Teach Native Yucatan Dishes

Mérida, México – June 2004 – A series of innovative cooking classes that feature the native dishes of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula are now being offered year round in this historic colonial city, known for its blend of European architecture and Mayan traditions.

Called “Los Dos” and located in a renovated historic home five blocks from the Plaza Principal in Mérida where horse-drawn carriages take tourists past colonial mansions and colorful parks, the cooking school is one more reason to make the trip to Mérida when visiting the Yucatán. The school has two guest rooms that are also available for overnight stays during the 1, 2 or 3-day classes.

Owned by Chef David Sterling, who moved to México from New York two years ago to fulfill his dream of opening a cooking school, Los Dos teaches a variety of traditional Yucatán dishes such as Cochinita Pibil, Sopa de Lima and Queso Relleno. Rich desserts such as Caballeros Ricos and Helado de Chocolate Mexicano are made as well. The courses also cover the how and why of the basic native ingredients – from the ground spice pastes known as recados, to the many forms of dried and fresh chiles, as well as indigenous herbs, vegetables and spices of the region.

The courses may also combine excursions to local pueblos to highlight ancient Mayan cooking methods such as the pib, a hand-dug pit lined with stones in which meats wrapped in banana leaves are cooked over hot coals. Students also accompany Sterling to the famous market in the downtown historic district of Mérida – which spans six square blocks and has everything from cilantro to fresh fish – to buy the day’s ingredients.

Regardless of the length of class chosen, all participants in Sterling’s classes help prepare the meal, sitting down to enjoy it at the end of the day in the grand Los Dos dining room. The spacious room is complete with antique Mexican furniture and high ceilings – very high: from floor to ceiling in the Los Dos house is 18.5 feet.

The kitchen – a traditional Mexican cocina filled with Talavera tiles from the state of Puebla – was designed for seating while learning. A swimming pool, which is visible from the classroom and located in the home’s lush courtyard, allows participants to take a dip between lessons.

Classes are now being held year-round at the school, which opened last year. Fees are reasonable – from $50 for the half-day course to $225 for the 3-day workshop. Rates to stay at the guesthouse are $95 a night for the Junior Suite and $125 for the Master Suite.

Prices, menus and schedules are outlined on the school’s Web site, www.los-dos.com or by e-mailing at info@los-dos.com. Calling is another option as rates to Mexico have gone down in recent years – from the U.S., dial 011, 52, then the Los Dos number is 999-928-1116.

Los Dos is the first school of its kind to focus exclusively on Yucatecan cuisine. And Sterling’s love for Yucatecan food and its Mayan-Spanish history comes through as he teaches.

“It’s a cuisine that has long been overlooked, which is amazing to me since Yucatecan food was possibly the first ‘fusion’ cuisine,” Sterling said. “It’s a clear blend of ancient Mayan cooking and Spanish techniques, and ingredients with just a touch of French and Caribbean added to the mix.”

The school has enjoyed a steady stream of participants since opening last fall – mostly local expatriates who live in Mérida wanting to learn how to cook the local dishes. Last fall, the school was one of the most popular stops on the annual Mérida English Library tour, and Sterling practically had a waiting list for his classes.

Although the summer can be a hot time to visit the city of Mérida, the beach town of Progreso and the nearby fishing villages on the northern Yucatán coast are a half hour away and offer a calm and economical respite from the heat. Flights to Mérida on Continental run often and connect to most U.S. cities.

For additional information, visit the Los Dos website at www.los-dos.com.
|