An Amazing Authentic Cooking Experience - If you want an authentic taste of Costa Rican culture, then this cooking class is hands down worth every penny. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience cooking with Chela, and it was the highlight of my recent vacation to La Fortuna. The setup is incredible - an open-air kitchen with an old-world style wood-burning stove. All of the food was delicious and plentiful - and so was the wine and beer. She let us select our options for meat and vegetables, and taught us how to prepare the most scrumptious meal. She also sent us a digital recipe cookbook so that we can make the recipes at home. More importantly, she has the best personality - told us about her life, her children, and her professional journey. I felt like I was sitting down for dinner with an old friend. I am more than happy to support. What a fantastic experience!

Amazing experience! - What an amazing experience. Our family of 4 (6 and 8 year old) had the most wonderful time. There were plenty of options to choose to cook, helpful hands on cooking, great ingredients, delicious food, and excellent conversations. This is a little off the main path but an experience not to miss. 10/10!

Delicious and Fun Dinner - We loved cooking with Chela! When we got there she had us pick the foods we wanted to make and she offered us some drinks. She educated us about the foods and culture. My boys even had a great time too and learned from it as well. We got to enjoy the food at the end and it was delicious!! Chela was fun to work with and we thought it was a fun and unique experience while on vacation. I highly recommend her!

Perfect! - Chela was fantastic! This was over 20 minutes from our hotel and after a busy week we debated going for a moment, I'm so glad we went! Her knowledge and her food were exactly the cultural experience we were looking for. She's cooking her grandmother's recipes that she learned as a girl while giving back to her community. I can't recommend this enough.

AMAZING Family Cooking Experience - This was one of the many highlights to our trip in La Fortuna. From the minute we walked in we felt like family. We were allowed to choose from her Grandmother's cookbook the items we wanted to cook. We made, chicken, rice, fritatas, empanadas, plantains and rice pudding. My two boys, ages 16 and 15 had an awesome time helping chop, stir and make the food. This was a great family experience I will remember always. If you are gluten free there are options for you as well.

Highly recommend! - I’ve never taken a cooking class before, so I was a little skeptical about how much I would enjoy myself. I had a blast. Chela is super welcoming and everything is super well organized. It was my husband and myself, along with a family of five who we did not know. We all had pretty similar tastes, so we decided to cook family style. Everybody was super accommodating with my food intolerances, which was greatly appreciated. The experience was very family friendly, but people are working with a hot outdoor stove. (You just may want to keep that in mind depending on your children’s personalities or ages.) I highly recommend this experience. I love that we got to choose the food that we made, and the food was delicious. It’s also a great experience during the rainy season. Even though the sky opened up during our time, and we were cooking outdoors, we were completely covered. It’s a nice activity where you can stay dry!

An exceptional experience - This was a highlight of our trip to Costa Rica. It was such a fun family learning experience! I would recommend to anyone. 10/10

Unforgettable Cooking Experience with Chela! - While visiting La Fortuna, my family booked the El Fogón de Chela cooking experience—and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip! We had never done a cooking class before and thought it would be something fun and unique, especially during the rainy season. We couldn’t have been happier with our choice. From the moment we arrived, Chela made us feel right at home. She greeted us warmly, handed us a cookbook, and encouraged us to choose as many dishes as we wanted to make. While we browsed, she offered us drinks (beer, soda, and water) and gave us all the time we needed to decide. We ended up making empanadas, pollo achotado, arroz con pollo, ceviche (which I accidentally over-salted—thankfully Chela saved it!), and arroz con leche. The cooking process was hands-on, fun, and filled with laughter. Once the food was ready, we sat down with Chela to enjoy the meal together. What made the experience truly special was Chela herself. As we ate, she shared stories about her life, her love for her community, and the incredible work she does to support those around her. She is truly a remarkable person, and we felt honored to have spent the evening with her. If you're looking for something fun, interactive, and meaningful to do with your family in La Fortuna, I highly recommend this experience. We’ll absolutely visit again if we return to the area!

Chela is the best! - Chela is the best! Our family (4 -2 of which are teenagers) had an outstanding time. The food was amazing and Chela made sure we were all very involved in the process. She also shared wonderful stories about her life and Costa Rica. I highly recommend this experience.

Very interesting - A great evening! We cooked several dishes and it was delicious! Chela is very generous, she gave us pictures they took as well as recipes. She explained several things about the cuisine of the area. I highly recommend.