Thelmas Cooking Class – RY Marketplace

by •

-Cultural immersion with a local family from an outskirt town around Antigua

-Getting to know our traditional cuisine-Cooking and enjoying the meal you have helped prepare, alongside the family 

-Going outside of your comfort zone for an eye opening experience into how we Guatemalans live 

Description

Spend the morning or evening at home with Doña Thelma or Juana in their traditional Guatemalan style wood fire stove kitchen – Doña Thelma and family have been cooking for a long time and are experts in our local cuisine, Thelma started cooking since she was 12-years old and has been making tortillas since the tender age of ten! She is a kind and patient mother of nine with an inviting nature that will make you feel at home right away, now Thelma has more help with family members that work with tourism and cant now get by with amazing english skills Teresa, Thelmas youngest is the most outgoing and also helps out with a massive smile and charisma. Under their careful instruction you will peel, chop, dice and learn to roast the delicious array of seeds and spices for delicious Guatemalan Pepian.
Here a small description on what the class entails: depending on the weather, and season. We have 2 options:

  • 10:00am or 4:00pm – Arrival and greeting with Family and Remotes, participants are greeted with a welcome drink (either Hibiscus cold tea or Lemonade, chilled with purified ice) – The family introduces themselves with the group and talk a little about the meal they are going to prepare. A family member interprets and translates every step of the way .
  • 10:15am // 4:15pm Wash Hands and disinfect – Only after this process can the participants of the family (Thelma and Daughter and helpers) also participants can proceed to take off masks.
  • 10:25 am //4:25pm Start the lemonade – Because of the setting- we want to keep ourselves hydrated as its a traditional home, and could get warm, we also have fans that will be set up for you to enjoy the experience without overheating.
  • 10:45am // 4:45pm Veggie chop-up for Rice and Pepian – Meats should be already chopped and in the cooking broth ready to put in the heat, you don’t have to deal with the meat chop up as its quite intense.
  • 11:00am // 5pm Pepian Preparation, and Tortilla making. You should help with putting all the veggies that are chopped for the rice, preparing the rice, while putting the veg to cook, as the veggie option needs 30 mins and the meat needs 1 hour. Thats why the chicken broth should be already on the fire.
  • 11:35am // 6:35pm Start Tortilla making. Try to do your tortillas. This is the most fun part as its quite difficult to make handmade tortillas, and locals are experts at this. 
  • 12:00 // 7pm set up table! – Make more lemonade if necessary, clean areas, and prepare the blending of the Pepian sauce, and last preparations in the kitchen and dining area outside. Set the buffet when ready.
  • 12:30 // 7:30pm Enjoy lunch or dinner! it also includes an optional soda and or beer. You can purchase more if the midday sun is warm, why not?

Meet our local host

The host of this event is “La Familia del Cafe” Thelma is Fredy’s wife. She is an Expert in local cuisine and well known for her flavours in her traditional kitchen at La Familia del Cafe. If you signed up for the Coffee Experience you already got delighted by their smiles, knowledge in coffee and exportation. And now, you can enjoy a real traditional cooking class that is a unique experience to RY. It also gives you more inside details of how we live and cook our meals, apart from spending an amazing life cherishing time and enjoy a meal you have prepared by a local family.

Who this experience is good for

-Foodies and people interested in Traditional food-Folks who like very cultural an local experiences-Anyone looking for a family orientated meal

-People who love cooking

-Food – Lunch or Dinner – Veggie options will be accommodated

-Drinks – Alcoholic Beverage – a Beer for the meal-Drinks – Hibiscus tea (Jamaica) or lemonade upon arrival

-Transportation – Round Trip from San Miguel Escobar

-Private instruction – given by a family member with good english
-Aprons – just in case you don’t want to get your clothing dirty

-Bring personal water bottle

-Difficulty Level – Easy – a good opportunity to see how we locals live-Timed to adapt to dry or wet season in the area, most remotes like the evening option as its after work hours-Minimum to operate: 13 people-Maximum Capacity: 20 people

-Deadline to book: 3 days prior to the start of the experience

What is the refund policy?

If you need to cancel your booking, no problem! Just send us an email at [email protected] with your Order # and let us know. If you cancel within 24 hours, you’ll receive a full refund. If it’s outside of the 24 hour window, don’t worry – our Local City Team will take a look and do their best to issue a refund if possible. Keep in mind, some financial commitments may have already been made, but if the minimum number of participants for the event is still met, we’ll do our best to give you your money back. If something unexpected comes up – like extreme weather or last-minute cancellations from our suppliers, don’t worry! In those cases, we’ll automatically process a refund for you. Just allow us 7-10 days to complete the process.

What happens if my booking is changed/cancelled due to weather?

Let’s be real – no one can control the weather, and sometimes things just don’t go as planned. But don’t worry, your City Manager is here to help and will do their best to come up with a solution if an event is affected. We understand that everyone’s schedule is different, so while we can’t guarantee a make-up option will work for everyone, we promise to try our hardest. If you’re unable to attend the make-up date, no problem – we’ll give you a full refund for your booking.

I have a discount or gift code, can I use it to complete my purchase?

Yes, once you add your item to your cart and check out, you will be able to input the code before completing the purchase. If you need help finding your code, please double check your inbox. You received an email from Marketplace with the code.

Can I book for a friend / family member?

Sure! We welcome your friends and family coming to visit you while you travel the world. We do, however, reserve the right to deny access to Friends / Family who are over using RY Services. 

I haven’t received a booking confirmation email, can you help?

Please reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll help. In some cases, you may have multiple emails associated on the Marketplace and this is causing some confusion. Reach out and we’ll do our best to sort it out! 

If I cannot attend, can I transfer my ticket to someone else?

Yes, you may transfer your booking to another Nation Member or Family/Friend. Please notify the City Manager as soon as possible to confirm the change. Please note, in the case of special dietary requirements, we might not be able to accommodate special requests on last minute changes. Any bookings that require advanced ticketing linked to an individual’s ID might not be approved. 

Will I be able to work on this experience? 

If you have to check in with work at any point during the scheduled time, we recommend confirming with the City Manager before booking.

I’m a Nation Member but not on an active program, can I still book? 

We will always prioritize Remotes who are traveling with an active program on experiences. You may be able to book but there is a chance the City Manager will reach out to let you know we have to release your spot for an active Remote. If you’re in a city but not traveling with a program, we recommend reaching out to the City Manager on the Hub to confirm before booking.