SOUTHERN BAJA CULINARY ADVENTURE

MARCH 2024 (7 nights)

PRICE: $4,500 DOUBLE OCCUPANCY. $500 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

DEPOSIT: $1,000

This trip has been moved to March 2024

Email Shelley at Shelleystable@gmail.com with any questions or to express an interest in 2024.

LIMITED TO 12 TRAVELERS

About Southern Baja Culinary Adventure

After our successful cooking adventures to the East Cape of the southern Baja peninsula in 2020, we invite you to join us for a magical cooking journey where we will base ourselves in a spectacular former fishing village, Cabo Pulmo.

Our March, 2024, Baja adventure is a collaborative effort between Chef, teacher, and cookbook author, Shelley Wiseman; editor and cookbook author Joy Stocke; and Chef Judith Castro Lucero, who was born and raised on the East Cape. Judith began her career cooking for her father, uncles and brothers at the family fish camp in Cabo Pulmo.

You will stay in private eco-villas at Serenity Reef overlooking the Sea of Cortez where we have a large outdoor kitchen for the cooking lessons. Accommodations are solar-powered, well-equipped and appointed.

In addition to an array of Mexican-fusion cuisine, enjoy an introduction to local specialties like Coctel de Mariscos – refreshing fresh-caught seafood in a chilled tomato broth; Chiles Rellenos - Poblano Chiles stuffed with Shrimp and Cheese; a Molcajete- meat or seafood cooked and served in a Molcajete (stone mortar) with rajas and cheese; Birria, melt in your mouth tender Mexican Brisket, and Tepache de Piña, a refreshing fizzy drink made from fermented fresh pineapple.

The peaceful enclave of Cabo Pulmo lies within the Cabo Pulmo Marine park,  a UNESCO World Heritage site, called The Aquarium of the World, by explorer Jacques Cousteau and home to the only hard-finger coral reef on the west coast. Cabo Pulmo is one of the last places truly off the grid in a region under threat of mega-development. The village’s pure water bubbles from an ancient aquifer. At night you’ll have an unparalleled view of the stars. You’ll fall asleep to the lapping of waves and wake up to migrating whales playing on the horizon.

We will meet you at the airport and a chauffeur-driven van will whisk you to Cabo Pulmo and the sea (about 1 1/2 hours drive). You will settle into your room before gathering for a welcome toast and supper

Included Activities

Activities include a daily culinary experience, a snorkeling and whale-watching morning on the water, and a guided walk through the desert with Joy, a former resident of Cabo Pulmo and an expert on the local flora and fauna. Each morning, feel free to join Joy for a gentle Hatha Yoga stretch class and guided meditation - food for the soul. We will also visit local organic farms and enjoy a tasting of Mexican wines at Mozza, an outpost of Chef Nancy Silverton’s Mozza LA. You will also have free time for swimming, hiking, relaxing, or bird watching (including a parade of migratory birds such as California Blue Birds, Baltimore Orioles, and Western Cardinals).

We will spend our last night in the lovely colonial town of San Jose del Cabo for a tamale cooking class at a nearby organic farm, a curated dinner, and free time for shopping.

More about our hosts:

Shelley Wiseman, owner of Shelley’s Table, is the author of two Mexican cookbooks, Just Tacos and The Mexican Gourmet (with co-author Maria Dolores Torres-Yzabal). Shelley has been leading culinary tours since she lived in Mexico City in the nineties and worked with Marilyn Tausend of Mexican Culinary Adventures, helping organize the tours on the ground.

 Joy Stocke, Founder of Tree of Life Consulting and Publishing, LLC; has published a memoir of her travels in Turkey, Anatolian Days & Nights: A Love Affair with Turkey and a cookbook, The Tree of Life: Turkish Home Cooking. She has given culinary tours to Turkey as well as Baja, has taught cooking classes at the famed Rancho La Puerta spa in Northern Baja; and will regale you with stories of the culinary history of Baja.

 Judith Castro Lucero, Chef extraordinaire and third generation resident of Cabo Pulmo, will share her techniques, specialties and lore from her childhood when her family lived in a fishing camp and made their living from the reef

A portion of your fee will go to support the Baja Coastal Institute (BCI), founded by a group of residents, researchers, and visitors to this unique region in the world, with the desire to give back to this land that has given so much to them. Both the owners of Serenity Reef, our host hotel; and Joy herself serve on the board of the Institute.

Space is limited for your once-in-a-lifetime culinary journey into a rare and beautiful world. There, you will experience Mexican Cuisine amidst the natural beauty of land, sea and sky; embraced by technicolor sunrises and brilliant night stars.

Please let us know if you are interested in this trip by sending an email to ShelleysTable@gmail.com so we can keep you updated individually and answer any questions you may have.