We woke up in a good mood, ready to face the world — or at least the parts of it that didn’t require a 7.58-mile hike first thing in the morning. None of us managed to roll out of bed early enough to make it to Escaleras del Fortín. Instead, we slept in and took our sweet time getting ready for the cooking class at Casa Crespo.
The walk to Chef Oscar Carrizosa’s school was about four miles — just enough to feel like we earned the feast we were about to make. Casa Crespo wasn’t just a cooking class; it was a four-and-a-half-hour deep dive into Oaxacan culinary history, culture, and tradition.
The moment we arrived, Chef Carrizosa wasted no time — he whisked us off to the local market to shop for our ingredients. Back at the kitchen, he had us chopping, peeling, roasting, and grinding in no time. We prepped mountains of vegetables, simmered broths, hand-pressed tortillas, and stirred giant pots of mole, all while Chef layered in rich stories about Mesoamerican cuisines and the ancestral techniques that had been passed down for centuries.
One of the highlights was the caldo de piedra — stone soup — a dish traditionally prepared by men to honor women, elders, and the community.
Chef placed a fiery hot river stone into each bowl full of fresh ingredients — fish, shrimp, shallots, garlic, cilantro, epazote, tomato, and salt — and in a matter of minutes, the stones boiled the soup right there at the table. It tasted incredible: fresh, earthy, and alive with flavor.
We also made four different types of mole — including a yellow mole crafted from endemic Oaxacan chiles. Chef even showed us a special tortilla press dedicated to imprinting the image of the Virgin Mary into tortillas.
For the tamales, we worked with masa flavored with acuyo. Instead of the usual banana leaves, we wrapped our tamales in corn husks — simpler, but still delicious.
We also made hand-churned Oaxacan artisanal chocolate ice cream, rich and slightly gritty from the cacao. We toasted our hard work with shots of mezcal — two shots in, and I was feeling myself. Good food, good company, good drinks. What more could you ask for?
The walk back and we came across several stray dogs in our path — a normal sight here — and a few even decided to accompany me for a while, tails wagging. If I could have scooped them all up and brought them home, I would have. They were ridiculously cute.
Paradise always comes with a price though, the mosquitoes found me irresistible. I had to stop at a pharmacy to load up on DEET and antihistamines because I was breaking out into full-blown hives from the bites. My friends said it’s because I must have “sweet blood.” I just cried internally and tried not to scratch.
We passed by several basilicas — or maybe they were just grand churches (iglesias?), I wasn’t sure. I didn’t step inside since I’m not Catholic, but from the outside, they were breathtaking and set against the endless Oaxacan sky.
I’m normally a black-clothes-only kind of person, but even I couldn’t help but fall for the technicolor placed all over the city: the murals, the flags, the candy-colored buildings.
Oaxaca is such a walkable city, and every street was a feast for the eyes.
Back at the Airbnb, we started making evening plans. We scrapped the idea of a late-night mezcal tour — tomorrow had an early wake-up call, and honestly, after walking 10+ miles a day, our bodies needed a break.
Instead, we made dinner plans at Tierra del Sol, a rooftop restaurant recommended by locals. We kicked things off with a comal de picaditas y memelas — corn tortillas topped with fried beans and Oaxacan cheese. Simple, salty, satisfying.
We tried the garnachas too, though secretly, I thought the ones at Las Quince Letras were better — no shade, just facts.
The Tlayuda Oaxaqueña with mushrooms was massive and hearty — practically a pizza in tortilla form
Then for dessert, we ordered pan de elote, basically cornbread with ice cream. It was okay, a little mid, if I’m being honest. Good, but not memorable.
Overall, the food was decent, but if I had to rank, Las Quince Letras and Criollo had my heart. Still, sitting on a rooftop under the stars, surrounded by laughter and the hum of the city, made it all worth it.
We made our way back home, did some laundry, showered off the day’s adventures, and promptly passed out into the deepest food coma of our lives.
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