As you know, I love to bake. I don’t have quite the same passion for cooking, but I do enjoy it, especially when cooking gives me an opportunity to learn about local ingredients and local culture around food. I cook dinner six nights a week and I’m always looking for local flavors to add to dinner. Back when we had a home base in the states, we subscribed to many different meal kit services- Blue Apron, Plated, Freshly, Home Chef, Sunbasket, Hello Fresh, etc, etc. My favorite was always Blue Apron because they do a really nice job of including one random ingredient that is uncommon—something not easily available in my local grocery store. Side note: Blue Apron also taught me how to cook and meal plan… when I was well into my thirties!

I was excited to stumble across the Via Cocina Food Train Cooking Class experience on Airbnb. There are dozens of cooking classes in the Airbnb Experiences section in Medellin, so what made this one the one I wanted to try? First, the name: “Social project cooking class and tour.” Hmmm… a social project cooking class? The description intrigued me even more! See how Brian describes his class below:

When you arrive at our training center, we'll start with a short tour of the project space, from the ground floor modern kitchen to our green rooftop where we'll pick fresh organic herbs and vegetables for the recipes we'll enjoy. I'll explain the social transformation of Medellin's Buenos Aires neighborhood, pointing out infrastructure and projects that can be seen from the rooftop in the breathtaking surrounding mountains. I'll also share the challenges and successes of building the training center from scratch with my own hands.

Back in the kitchen, we'll put on our aprons to prepare a delicious meal with traditional, less common Colombian dishes (rarely found in restaurants), paired with popular dishes from our community project transforming local produce into healthy flavors from around the world. But before we get cooking, we'll have an exotic fruit tasting and prepare a fresh juice for the meal. After cooking we'll enjoy the food and photos in our unique colonial style patio space, where I've recuperated city heritage with hundred year old doors and windows. And the best part: your experience has social impact, directly subsidizing cooking classes for low income Colombians!

You can see what caught my eye: a green rooftop with fresh herbs and veggies? Local produce into healthy flavors? Subsidizing cooking classes for locals? Sign me up!

We found our way to Brian’s completely renovated space in the beautiful neighborhood, Buenos Aires. The more we explore the neighborhoods in Medellin, the more I realize how unique each one is, what a sense of place each has, every one different than the next. Brian’s passion to mentor and train locals on small business management as well as managing home and business finances was inspiring. He has even dedicated space and equipment where locals can learn in real life and can sell their products directly to the public while they save money to purchase their own equipment and begin their new business. All of this is subsidized in part through the cooking classes he offers to people like us.

What a project to take on! After we enjoyed learning about the project, it was time to start cooking some delicious lunch. I learned how to make my very own coconut oil! We used it in our rice. Jim has never been a fan of rice, until now! Fresh coconut rice is definitely on future dinner menus now. A dessert with a few secret spices and no added sugar had me drooling. (I’m not sharing the details of the dessert until I get to Colorado and can make it for my friend Lisa!).

Learning cooking techniques from a chef that has traveled around the world cooking with locals in their homes was a total blast. Whenever I think we are well-traveled, I meet someone that has been to all the places I haven’t been to yet, like Namibia!