Seville: Spanish Cooking Class & Dinner with Local Chef

4.92

(250 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I was nervous walking into that little kitchen in Seville. There’s something about cooking with strangers—especially when the chef is actually from here—that makes you feel like you’re on stage. But our chef, Marta, immediately handed me an apron and grinned like we were old friends. The smell of garlic and tomatoes already simmering made it impossible not to relax. We started with salmorejo—Marta explained how it’s different from gazpacho while I tried (and failed) to pronounce it right. She laughed and told me not to worry; apparently my accent is “charming.”

Chopping spinach for the next dish, I could hear the sounds of the street outside—a scooter zipping past, someone calling out “¡Vamos!”—but inside it was just us, stirring chickpeas and sneaking sips of homemade sangria. The paella was next. Honestly, I thought I knew what paella was supposed to taste like, but this one—with chicken and those almost-sweet peppers—was nothing like what I’d had before. Marta showed us how to get that crispy bottom layer (socarrat?), which she said is the best part. She wasn’t wrong.

Dinner felt more like a family meal than a class. There was lemon sorbet with cava at the end—tart and fizzy—and we all clinked glasses even though most of us had just met a couple hours earlier. Someone asked for the recipe for the garlic prawns (which we didn’t even make that night, but apparently sometimes they do), and Marta promised to email us everything. Walking out into the warm Seville night after all that food… honestly, I still think about that meal sometimes when I’m hungry at home.