Farmers Market Tour & Cooking Class in Long Beach

Buy fresh produce at the market, then cook and share a meal in a local's home kitchen.

A private farmers market tour and hands-on cooking class in Long Beach where you shop for seasonal produce with BA, a local home cook and public health professional, then prepare a three-course meal in her kitchen and eat together. The class runs three hours total, includes wine, and accommodates lactose-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets. You choose between a lunch or dinner sitting.

The experience

BA meets you at the Long Beach Farmers Market, where you'll walk or bike through the stalls together, sampling and selecting fresh, seasonal produce. She sources ingredients this way for her own cooking, often mixing what she finds with herbs and vegetables from her own yard and the international flavors she's picked up from living and traveling across several cities. What you buy shapes the menu, so no two classes cook the same thing.

Back in her home kitchen, you spend two hours hands-on: prepping dips, building salads, working through a main course and finishing with dessert. BA guides each step, and her specialty is adapting recipes on the fly. She's lactose-free herself, her son is vegetarian, and many of her friends navigate gluten restrictions, so she knows how to swap and substitute without losing flavor. Wine is included. When the cooking is done, you sit at the dining table with BA and her sons (if they're home) to eat the meal you helped prepare.

This is a 100% private experience, so the market route, the kitchen setup and the timing are yours alone. You pick whether you want the class to end in a lunch or dinner service at checkout.

What’s included

• Private guided tour of the Long Beach Farmers Market.
• hands-on cooking instruction in BA's home kitchen.
• a three-course meal you prepare and share.
• wine.
• dietary accommodations for lactose-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan preferences.

Options for this experience

2 options

Market visit, cooking session and lunchGuide in English · 10:00

Market visit, cooking session and dinnerGuide in English · 17:00

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SundayDepartures at 10:00 and 17:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48h

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Stroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Traveling Spoon

Is this one for you?Choose the lunch option if you want the class to wrap by early afternoon, or the dinner option if you prefer an evening experience. Either way, you're cooking and eating in a private home with a local who knows how to adapt every recipe to what you need.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What kind of food do you cook in the class?

The menu depends on what's fresh and in season at the farmers market the day you visit. BA builds around dips, a salad, a main course and dessert, drawing on local Southern California produce and the international cooking styles she's learned from living in different places. If you have dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free), she adjusts recipes to keep them.

Do you need cooking experience to join?

No. BA teaches hands-on in her home kitchen, so she walks you through each step. The class is built for people who want to learn by doing, not for experienced cooks.

Is the farmers market visit included, or do you pay separately?

The market tour is included in the class price. You'll shop there with BA to select the ingredients you'll cook with, and she'll help you pick produce and navigate the stalls.

Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?

Yes. BA specializes in adapting recipes for lactose-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets. Let her know your needs when you book, and she'll adjust the menu and ingredients accordingly.

How long does the whole experience take?

The class runs three hours total, including the farmers market visit, the cooking in her kitchen, and eating the meal together at her dining table.