On our way to the Galapagos, as recommended, my wife and I arrived a day early in Quito and decided to spend the day with Galapagos Connoisseur cooking and walking through the historic area. Our experience was exceptional. The morning began with Andres picking us up at our hotel a driving to the central market. We spent time walking through the market learning about and tasting the many fruits and vegetables which we don’t see in our typical American markets. We then drove a short distance to the cooking school where Magdalena and Sylvia spent the next few hours teaching us how to prepare several Ecuadorian dishes including Potato Soup, Shrimp Ceviche, Fried Plantain, a delicious Ecuadorian cocktail and juice. This was a very hands-on, participatory experience and we learned ways that we could recreate these dishes at home. Throughout the morning, we were able to converse about Ecuadorean family life and culture easily, as Magdalena and Sylvia speak excellent English. We also booked the afternoon experience, so we did not return to our hotel and rather just continued to talk and relax. Overall, we had a delicious meal and learned much about Ecuadorean cuisine, We give this experience our highest recommendation.

Our afternoon experience began after spending the morning with Magdalena and Sylvia preparing several Ecuadorean dishes. We began walking through the historic district, celebrating the Fiestas de Quito so the squares and streets were quite full. On our own, particularly after the cautions from our State Department, we might have felt uncomfortable. However, with them it became a relaxing and exciting experience. We stopped to sample some fresh Ecuadorean ice cream and eventually visited the Minka Chocolate Experience where we sampled over a dozen different chocolate bars after a brief lecture on the production of chocolate from seed to table. Then we walked back to the cooking school where we prepared Empanadas, Quimbolitas, and coffee. Magdalena and Sylvia taught us the traditional Ecuadorean way to cook these and we look forward to trying them in the USA. Spending a whole day with Andres, Magdalena and Sylvia was an extraordinary and delightful way to experience Quito and we recommend it without any reservation.

What a great experience, touring a market and learning some delicious Ecuadorian recipes. I can't wait to make the soup at home. Highly recommend!