Meet
Margarita
Margarita was born and raised in Mexico City, where her lifelong passion for food was sparked in her grandmother’s kitchen. Inspired by her grandmother’s mastery of traditional Mexican cooking, she began taking formal cooking classes at the age of 15. Her love for the culinary arts grew into a successful 15-year career as a food stylist, with her beautifully crafted dishes and recipes featured in several magazines.
Seven years ago, Margarita transformed her passion into a business, launching a cookie company that now offers over 60 unique varieties to a loyal local clientele. She is also the co-author of a Mexican cookbook and is deeply committed to preserving and sharing her country’s rich culinary heritage.
For Margarita, food is one of the most powerful ways to understand a culture. As she puts it, “If you want to understand Mexico as a country, you have to taste its flavors. I want to share the richness of Mexico and its incredible food culture with others.”
What to expect
Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.
In-home meal:
(2-10 guests)
Meet Margarita at her home on a quiet, residential street in Mexico City’s charming Tlacopac San Ángel neighborhood. Weather permitting, your experience will begin in her lovely garden, where you’ll be welcomed with a refreshing drink and appetizers as Margarita shares stories about her life and culinary journey. Her husband Gonzalo, an economist, may join you for evening or weekend experiences when he’s not working, adding to the warm and personal atmosphere.
You’ll then move to their family dining table to enjoy a traditional, home-cooked three-course Mexican meal. Start with a comforting soup such as creamy corn soup or classic tortilla soup, followed by a flavorful main dish like chiles rellenos or chicken stuffed with cheese and served with a zesty salsa verde, accompanied by traditional Mexican rice. End your meal on a sweet note with a homemade dessert like rich chocolate mousse with vanilla crème or crepes drizzled with Mexican dulce de leche, paired with coffee or tea.
Cooking experience:
(2-10 guests)
Start your Mexico City cooking class in Margarita’s stunning and spacious home, where you’ll be welcomed with traditional Mexican appetizers like sopes served with fresh guacamole. This hands-on Mexico City cooking experience lasts about two hours and offers an immersive introduction to authentic Mexican cuisine.
You’ll begin by learning how to make tortillas from scratch - a staple of Mexican cooking - which you might transform into delicious quesadillas filled with huitlacoche or flor de calabaza (squash blossoms). Enjoy your freshly made creations as you move on to prepare a comforting soup, such as creamy chorizo-bean soup or classic tortilla soup.
Next, dive into a flavorful main dish like chiles rellenos or pork tenderloin in tamarind sauce. You’ll also learn to make Mexican rice from scratch, toasting the grains and cooking them with a medley of aromatic vegetables, a skill that’s essential to many traditional meals.
Once everything is ready, sit down with Margarita to enjoy your home-cooked feast, either at her dining table or, during warmer months, outside in her charming garden. You’ll finish your experience with a sweet treat like traditional rice pudding or spicy chocolate mousse, served with coffee or tea.
Perfect for travelers looking for things to do in Mexico City - this is a rich cultural and culinary experience you won’t forget.
Market visit:
(2-10 guests)
Meet Margarita at her home, then take a short five-minute drive together to her neighborhood’s local covered market in San Ángel. This is a traditional Mexican market where locals shop daily for fresh ingredients. During your visit, Margarita will introduce you to a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs commonly used in Mexican cooking. You’ll see fresh tortillas being made, meet her favorite market stall owners, and help select the ingredients you’ll use later in your Mexico City cooking class. The market tour lasts about an hour, after which you’ll return to Margarita’s home to begin your hands-on cooking class.
Notes:
1. Margarita is typically available for experiences Monday through Friday. If weekends are your only option, feel free to inquire as she may be able to accommodate you.
2. Your host can accommodate dietary restrictions including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free. Please let her know your dietary preferences or restrictions when making your booking.
Languages spoken:
English, Spanish
Sample menu
Traveler reviews
The Market tour and cooking class with Margarita was an absolute amazing experience, Enjoyable, educational & fun and the food was absolutely delicious. Margarita was very knowledgeable and the market tour was very informative and interesting. She explains all the different ingredients used in Mexican.m cuisine. Including vegetables, spices, herbs ,etc. Margarita was also very kind and we felt like we knew her for years and she opened up her home to us and she was very warm and it felt very welcoming. Her recipes were very good but not to complex and I know that I will be able to make these recipes when I go home with my family and will be able to find the ingredients. She explained all the step and all the ingredients thoroughly .Enjoyed cooking with her and sharing a meal together .
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glenn
May 28, 2026
My husband and I spent a wonderful afternoon and evening with Margarita. She welcomed us into her beautiful home and made us feel like family. Our trip with her to the market in San Angel made us feel like locals! She explained all of the various peppers and moles and the important differences in flavour and preparation. Margarita is an excellent host and chef and taught us how to prepare several dishes in a way that we can replicate at home. Everything we made was fantastic, but my favourite were the Sopas with huitlacocche. The only thing I regret is not going earlier to spend some time walking around the lovely neighbourhood. We highly recommend this experience with Margarita when you are in Mexico city, you won't be disappointed!
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tanlit
May 21, 2026
Margarita hosted cooking class in her beautiful home which was in a very charming neighborhood. Started out with a trip to the market where we were educated on different mole powders and pastes, herbs and fruits. We even got to sample the produce. Afterwards it was hands-on preparation of our meal of sopes, chicken mole with rice followed by a guava dessert. It was a great experience, very personally catered and it was like having dinner in a good friend’s home.
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george
May 21, 2026
Margarita was a wonderful instructor and incredibly engaging. We cooked a full dinner with appetizers, main course, sides and dessert. The 2 salsas prepared beat anything we can buy in the states, and so simple. Getting to know her and cooking alongside her was a highlight of our stay.
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phil
May 20, 2026
Amazing end to end experience with Margarita. From the market tour identitying ingredients
to her expertise as a Chef, she was very welcoming and and excellent teacher of the
Mexican culinary plates.
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sunny
April 28, 2026
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