Buenos Aires: Argentine Cooking Class & Michelin Chef Experience

4.99

(887 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We ducked off a noisy Palermo street into this bright kitchen, where the first thing I noticed was the smell — wood smoke and something buttery, maybe cheese baking? Our guide, Martín, handed me a glass of Malbec before I’d even set down my bag. He grinned and told us to tie on aprons, “no spectators here.” The whole place felt like someone’s home but with shinier knives. I didn’t expect to laugh so much right away — especially when Martín tried to show me how to crimp an empanada and mine looked more like a tiny pillow than anything you’d want to eat.

There were people from all over at our table, and somehow we all got loud fast. We rolled dough for chipa (the cheese bread — chewy inside, crispy outside), and the chef told stories about growing up in northern Argentina. The music was old tango one minute, then something poppy the next. When it came time for the steak part of this Argentine cooking class, Martín explained why they only use salt — no fancy marinades. He let us poke at the grill ourselves (“don’t be shy!”), which made me nervous but also kind of proud when my piece came out just right. The whole room smelled like grilled meat and oregano and warm bread.

Dessert was flan with dulce de leche (I still think about that caramel sauce), and by then I’d lost track of how many times we’d toasted each other. Someone tried to say “cheers” in Spanish and got it wrong; everyone laughed, including Martín. It wasn’t just about recipes — it felt more like being let in on a local secret for an afternoon. I left full but also kind of wishing dinner was soon — you know?