Casa Crespo

What it's like to take a cooking class in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Just before 10 a.m. one sunny morning in Oaxaca City, we stepped through an old iron gate into a quiet courtyard. Courtyards abound in the city, but this wasn’t your average courtyard— it had been transformed into a colorful outdoor kitchen with a giant terra cotta tiled table at one end. I took in the bright tablecloths, the dried corn adorning one wall, the paper sculptures suspended above us, the traditional griddle and smiled with anticipation. My friend and I had just arrived at Chef Oscar Carrizosa’s Casa Crespo for a cooking class where we hoped to learn how to make a few traditional Oaxacan dishes. We were about to have a much deeper cultural experience than a mere cooking lesson.

Chef Oscar, a serious yet mirthful man, strode out to greet us and the two other people taking the class. He ushered us over to the terra cotta table and quickly got down to business opening up a binder of recipes for us to choose from. We hurriedly introduced ourselves to our fellow aspiring chefs, a young couple from San Diego. Chef Oscar was outlining a menu, but he needed our input. The class was underway!