Los Dos Cooking School in Merida, Mexico; Remembering Chef David Sterling

[Bob and Janice Kollar]

In pursuit of the holy grail of Yucatecan Mexican cuisine we selected the renowned “Los Dos” cooking school, created by the famous chef David Sterling, which is located in Merida, the capital of Yucatan state. We were not disappointed.

Merida Orientation

In the course of booking the class we developed a rapport with David and he proved to be a remarkable source of information about his beloved Merida.

He answered our multiple email questions with points of interest, places to stay and provided a list of his favorite restaurants and surprisingly there are many in this small but bustling city.

We chose one of the oldest hotels in the city, Casa Del Balam (House of the Jaguar) for its charm, authenticity and central location which is in the heart of the “old town” area and it turned out to be a very good choice.

The Los Dos Cooking School

Credentials

David Sterling founded the “Slow Food Chapter of Yucatan” in 2009 and in 2014 he authored “Yucatan: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition” which won the James Beard Foundation Best Cookbook of the Year Award in 2015…a huge accolade, indeed.

His school was the first to specialize in the cuisine of Yucatan and has been featured in several magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet, and Travel & Leisure, as well as television exposure with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Rick Bayless, and Martha Stewart.

We asked ourselves, “What are we getting involved in?  Is it over our skill set?  This is some serious stuff… can we hold a spatula to it?”

The Experience Begins

After a light breakfast we hailed a taxi to Calle 68 No. 517, Colonia Centro and arrived in front of a non-descript doorway on a street of colorful but similar facades.

 

We hesitantly knocked on the door which opened onto an oasis garden courtyard within the walls of a magnificent colonial mansion dating back to the mid-1800s.

There, we were welcomed by our gracious host, David, and our cooking journey begins with a smile and a handshake.

Entrance to the courtyard

The foyer

Poolside garden area

Living room area

Now THIS is a kitchen

Welcome to Los Dos Cooking School

David greeting his guests and serving a light breakfast

We were escorted into the home and introduced to 8 other students who were mingling around a breakfast buffet of homemade pastries and fruit.

David began the session with a very knowledgeable as well as entertaining history of Yucatan and Yucatecan cooking.

A Brief History

The Yucatan Peninsula is located on the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, and as such the land mass became a magnet for early traders seeking access to Mexico.

The cultural tapestry of the Yucatan is based on the foundation of the ancient Maya tribes and a blending of the Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Lebanese and Caribbean merchants that visited over the centuries.

 We learned about the unique cooking techniques, a wide range of spices, marinades, adobos, pastes diluted with sour orange juice, sauces from nuts, and of course, the infamous Habanero chile, one of the hottest in the world.

The knowledge transfer was reinforced by actually smelling and tasting some of these new ingredients as they were passed around the room in assorted containers during David’s discussion.

Class Field Trip to the Marketplace

The first stop was a sampling of traditional street food.

We enjoyed tacos al pastor which is slices of meat (usually pork) from a spit-grilled rack known as a shawarma (introduced by Lebanese immigrants) onto a corn tortilla topped with a slice of pineapple.

Carving the "trompo"

Tacos with pineapple slices

Getting Provisions for the Class

Chef David led us on a market tour in search of today’s ingredients.

The blocks-long Central Mercado is in the heart of the city, filled with everything from fresh produce, spices, raw and cooked meats, bread, pastries, and even household items, clothing and toys… a rural form of Costco.

A person could spend hours exploring and relishing the colors, the sounds, the aromas, and vibrancy.  But we had a mission…

Tomatoes for the Pollo Pibil and other sauces

Banana leaves to wrap the Pibil dishes

Soar Oranges (Naranja Agria) a key ingredient in many dishes

Yucatan is one of the largest producers and exporters of Habanero Chile peppers

It starts with special corn kernels

Ground into masa

Pressed and sold by weight

Back to the Casa and the Actual Cooking Class Begins

 Armed with our new aprons and cookbooks, we begin our lesson

Some of the ingredients from the Mercado

Making tortillas starting with a ball of masa and a great instructor

 

OK… it goes like this

 

Panuchos (bean filled tortillas) appetizer - some assembly required

 

Panuchos Y Salbutes

 (bean-filled tortillas with lettuce, tomato, shredded chicken and pickled onions)

Out of the Garden and Into the Kitchen

Group therapy…

Charing chile peppers

More Hands–On Fun and No Gloves Allowed

Preparing marinated chicken breasts for the Pibil

Hands-On with achiote paste and naranja agria marinade

Ready for the banana leaf wrapping

The assembly process; watch closely as you are doing this next

Wrapped and ready to go

  

The Grand Finale… ¡Buen Provecho!

 The table is set

Crema De Cilantro (Leek and Potato Soup with cilantro)

Pit-Smoked Pollo Pibil wrapped in banana leaves

Unwrapped and ready to plate

Chicken in Achiote Sauce with traditional pickled onions on the side

Flan De Chocolate Con Kahlua (David made this in advance)

Our class picture

Promotional Video

By coincidence, our class participated in the filming of a promotional marketing video which was captured by a professional crew.

http://www.los-dos.com/media/vid2.html

 

Summary

Our class prepared an amazing, totally hands-on meal from “scratch” under the ever present and encouraging David.

The outcome was a testament to his teaching skills and talents.

We walked back to our hotel with the knowledge that we done good… hold that spatula high.

Epilogue

And as a shock to us, recently from the Los Dos website:

It is with tremendous sadness that we report that the founder of Los Dos Cooking School, David Sterling, passed away in November. His Yucatecan cuisine cooking classes were adored by everyone who participated in them over the years, not only for the wealth of culinary knowledge he shared, but for the hands-on cooking experience accompanied by David’s dry wit and original personality. 

 

But Los Dos Cooking School lives on!

No one can replace David, he was truly one-of-a-kind!  However, Los Dos continues forward under the direction of David’s faithful right-hand-man, Chef Mario Canul.

 

After all, what is the hurry… be inspired… get out there and enjoy life

© 2017 Inspired Travel Itineraries with Bob and Janice Kollar

© 2017 Picture Credits Bob & Janice Kollar