A Peruvian cooking class was at the top of the “must do” list when i researched things to do in Lima, Peru.  I had some time to fill and thought “why not?”  Well, really, I thought “OMG, they need to work miracles if they can get me to cook and the food would be edible” (smart guys, you don’t share your creations, you eat what you make) at SkyKitchen Lima.

SkyKitchen looked fabulous – a rooftop venue which is actually a private apartment in the Miraflores neighborhood that has been converted to a cooking studio while also making use of the outdoor patio/balcony space.  They offer two classes a day – one lunch and one dinner class. After the Lima bike tour in the morning and a local lunch, I was excited to learn more about Peruvian cooking.  Upon arrival, I was met by Christian, a German man who speaks English.  He would show me around the kitchen, demo space and outdoor area while we waited for the others to arrive.

I would then meet Chef Jurac, who spoke only Spanish.  The chef would explain the steps and Christian would translate and assist us.  There would be only three of us in the lunchtime class – two men joined me in class – both a wealth of travel stories and experiences.  So while I was afraid of being really, really, pathetic in class, the men and I were all on par which was nice (their wives sent them separately as neither knew each other).

 

 

Our prep area was setup nicely and we each got a colorful apron to wear (and purchase if we wanted a souvenir).  After each course was prepared, we would sit down to slowly enjoy it with the wine that one man brought with him (it is BYOB).  Once finished the course, we would then get up to start cooking our next course.  We would start by building an appetizer made of potatoes, avocado, a local spice added and some chicken.  It was tasty with a kick of hot from the spice.

Our next course was a ceviche and since I don’t eat fish, they modified my course to be vegetarian. Avocado stuffed with vegetables.

The main entree was something that we can all enjoy – steak frites with rice (I know double carb/starch)

Our dessert would be a local fried donut (picarones) – sorry no photos, we ate them all so quickly while they were hot.

Now without photos, no one would believe that I was cooking – so here is the proof.

Christian and Jurac were excellent, they quickly sent us the recipes by email after class so we can make the courses at home. I would definitely recommend visiting the SkyKitchen in Lima.  The only thing I would have changed would have been to do this on my final night before going to the airport for the late flight back to the U.S. (my JFK flight left after midnight).