Panama's Caribbean coast has a culinary heritage unlike anything else in the country — brought by West Indian workers who came to build the Canal in the early 1900s, enriched by the Afro-colonial community of Colón, and refined across generations into a cuisine that is at once deeply Caribbean and uniquely Panamanian.
This signature four-hour experience combines a cooking class with a cultural tasting. You'll cook alongside a third-generation Caribbean-Panamanian cook: rondon (rich coconut milk seafood stew), rice and beans in coconut oil with thyme, coco bread from scratch, and a traditional cacao drink from raw Bocas cacao.
The cooking is punctuated by stories — of the Canal construction, the neighborhoods of Colón and El Chorrillo where these recipes were carried from generation to generation, and of the politics of food recognition in Panama.
What's Included
Third-generation Caribbean-Panamanian cook instructor
All fresh ingredients for all 4 dishes
Hands-on cooking session
Sit-down meal with everything prepared
Cultural history of each dish
Non-alcoholic beverages throughout
Not Included
Transport to the cooking location
Alcoholic beverages
Printed recipes — available on request