James Beard Award-winning Chef Iliana de la Vega, of Austin's El Naranjo is hosting several Mexican Culinary Traditions trips in 2024 to four destinations in Mexico. Mexico Culinary Traditions is a culinary travel company created by Chef de la Vega and her daughter Isabel Torrealba. The mother-daughter team carefully curate and guide each tour through an immersive and truly bespoke experience in the culinary traditions of Mexico.
The destination cities for 2024 are Oaxaca City, Morelia, Merida and Mexico City. Each trip is on average a weeklong and limited to just over a dozen people. On the escapes, which have one price that covers all meals, including a cooking session with Chef de la Vega, admission to activities, museums and ground transportation, travelers will explore cities like a local and learn the root of food traditions. You’ll dine at high-end restaurants and walk through markets in Oaxaca and learn about traditional ingredients and how to incorporate them into your own cooking in Mexico City, where Chef de la Vega grew up. In Merida, once the Mayan city T’ho, you’ll see why today it’s called la Ciudad Blanca, or The White City, for the white limestone buildings framing the streets; in Morelia you have the option to extend your trip to visit a butterfly reserve.
It's strongly recommended to book well in advance as spots fill up quickly. As of this printing, some 2024 trips (not listed) were already full. If none of the dates work for your schedule, they also work with individuals or groups to create itineraries for private trips. For more information go to https://www.mexicanculinarytraditions.com/.
2024 Mexican Culinary Tradition Trips
OAXACA CITY, MEXICO
Dates: March 8-14, September 20-26, December 10-16
Price: $4200
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
Dates: October 15-21
Price: $5000
MORELIA, MICHOACAN
Dates: February 8-14
Price: $3800
MÉRIDA, YUCATÁN
Dates: January 12-18, December 2-8
Price: $4500
*Prices listed do not include airfare.