Baja Culinary Fest at Cocina Que Canta

We hop in the little sprinter van waiting for us at the Mission Bay visitor Center.  There were two big tour buses as well, but somehow those filled up so fast we were left to the overflow vehicle.  Lucky us!  Turns out that we had quite a fun bunch of people along with us.  Sergio, one of the event organizers, provided a wealth of Baja food & wine knowledge and kept the front of van thoroughly entertained. In back, myself, and my good friend Adrianne were crammed in with two other crazy women, Tammy and Gail.  What a crack up those two were.

As we arrived in Tecate and wound through the streets, it was getting more crowded by the minute.  We were almost to the gate of La Cocina Que Canta, but first we had to get through the throngs heading in and out of Rancho La Puerta’s Dia de Los Muertos altar competition.  Wishing we could go see everyone’s amazing work, we passed by and quickly turned onto the cooking school’s property.  To say it was stunning is an understatement.

This property is an idyllic vision of what rural, rustic, Mexico might be like… in your dreams. Or a movie set. Its utterly perfect.  Set under a giant Mulberry tree, the beautiful kitchen gardens sprawl to all sides. Neat rows of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, bok choy, and so much more. Colorful Zinnias are everywhere.

Set up in the middle of all this beauty were 15 of Mexico’s most talented female chefs and business owners.  In a male dominated industry, it was a breath of fresh air to see so many incredible ladies kicking ass and taking prisoners.  I managed to taste most of what was being offered.  There was so much, it was a little hard, but I rallied and got it done between running around and taking photos. Such a hard day’s work.