Panama City: Afropanamanian Cooking Class & Shared Meal

4.91

(148 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I showed up late because I got lost looking for the right building—my Spanish is still a work in progress. But as soon as I walked in, the smell of sautéed onions and something sweet (maybe coconut?) hit me, and suddenly it didn’t matter. Our host, Mari, waved me over with a big grin and handed me an apron before I could even apologize properly. There were already a few people chopping plantains at the counter, laughing about how uneven their slices were. I felt instantly at ease.

Mari started us off on empanadas—she showed us how to pinch the dough just so, though mine kept popping open at the edges. She didn’t mind; she said “that’s how you know it’s homemade.” We talked about her family’s recipes from both Panama and Ghana while stirring coconut rice (the steam smelled like home even though it wasn’t mine). At one point, someone tried to pronounce “mkate wa sinia” and everyone cracked up—honestly, I still don’t know if we ever got it right.

The best part was sitting down together at this long wooden table that looked like it had seen a hundred meals before ours. We passed bowls of jollof rice and seafood curry around until everyone had tried everything twice. It was loud and messy and honestly just felt good after so many days eating alone in restaurants. If you’re looking for a day trip cooking class in Panama City where you actually get your hands dirty—and maybe make some new friends—I’d say this is it. I still think about that coconut rice sometimes.