Our Personal Chef in Puerto Vallarta

During our last visit to Puerto Vallarta, for my sister’s wedding, we had a little free time, so we decided to do something a little different than our usual walking around and checking out the marketplaces and scenery. Jeff found a tour that included hanging out with our own private chef at his private home, showing us how to cook authentic Mexican cuisine. That sounded like a perfect way to spend an afternoon!

We were dropped off by our Uber driver at our chef’s house, which was a tiny, traditional little Mexican house on a cobblestone street in central Puerto Vallarta. We were warmly greeted by Chef Manuel Zuloaga, aka “Manu”. In getting to know Manu, we learned that after completing culinary school, he traveled abroad and lived in Canada, Spain, and Norway, where he worked in a series of professional kitchens. After being away for six years, Manu returned to Mexico where he could indulge in his love of food from home.

After our initial greeting, we headed back outside to walk a few blocks up the street to the Mercado Cinco de Diciembre, the open air market. On our walk, Manu asked each of us about our food preferences and if we had any restrictions or requests. Then, he started coming up with ideas in his head of what he would cook for us, which is an admirable skill! At the market, there were stalls upon stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables. Manu was so helpful when I kept picking things up, asking “What is this?” and “How do you cook this?”. In the back of the market, there was a tortilleria (tortilla factory), where we got to watch fresh tortillas being made. Manu picked up a bag of tortillas that were still hot off the tortilla press! There was also a butcher, which we passed up, and a fish market where Manu picked up some shrimp for Jeff, but I stayed outside since I don’t eat either of those. Everyone in the market knew Manu and said hello! Before heading back, we stopped at a small booth where I purchased some orange cookies to share for dessert. Unfortunately, though, they tasted more like a digestive biscuit and were very bland (Bleh! 😝). On our walk back to Manu’s house, we passed many bright murals on the walls of buildings, which I adored.

Back at Manu’s home, Jeff and I sat down in his kitchen with a couple of local beers he offered us while Manu did his magic. This was not so much a cooking class, but Manu did show us the correct way to de-seed a pepper and how to blister peppers on the stove. I took advantage of having a private chef to ask him to show me how to correctly chop an onion —something I have been trying to perfect for years (and sadly I still haven’t!), but he was happy to show me how. While we were at the market, I had picked up a chayote, which is a Mexican squash and something I had seen in stores at home, but was mystified by how it was cooked/eaten. Manu picked one up for us, and the first thing he did was cut up the chayote into slices and sautéed it in a little bit of olive oil, serving it with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a side of homemade cream agria (sour cream) that he drizzled on it. This was honestly my favorite dish he made for us! It was so simple and delicious, and since we’ve been home, I have been buying chayotes every chance I get to remake this dish in a vegan version.

The next dish Manu made for us was sautéed nopales (cactus) with mushrooms, onions, and peppers. I may have mentioned to him that I’ve had nopales before and was in love with them, which probably influenced his decision to make this! Again, a simple and delicious dish.

Our third dish was really special. Manu made us mineras (miners) enchiladas with potatoes, carrots, onions and homemade sauce, which are a little different than the enchiladas we are used to eating at home. He told us this open-faced enchilada was the traditional way that miners used to eat enchiladas on the job, as it was a hearty meal and the handheld version was easier to eat. Again, absolutely no complaints here and the presentation was beautiful!

Our last dish was ceviche de cameron (shrimp for Jeff, vegetarian for me) with fresh salsa verde and Oaxaca cheese. The combination of these flavors was so perfect and a refreshing end to our incredible meal. Every component of each dish Manu made for us was made from scratch and with the freshest ingredients, obviously, coming straight from the market. He even grows his own fresh herbs in pots in a quaint little garden on his tiny back patio!

Between savoring every bite and while Manu was cooking each dish for us, we had some wonderful conversations with him, getting to know him better, hearing about his world travel experiences, and comparing the differences between Puerto Vallarta and the U.S in culture and politics. Manu also shared with us taste of his favorite Mezcal, Union Uno, and we finished off our meal with a shot of Ancho Reyes chili liquor, which was one of the best liquors I have ever had. It had the most wonderful spicy/smoky flavor. It may have been the Ancho Reyes talking, but after our meal, I felt like I was in one of those movies where a chef makes a meal that is so good it puts everyone in a dreamlike trance! I was putty for the rest of the day.

We were so glad to have had such a memorable experience and it definitely makes us want to try other experiences like this in other countries. If you have the chance to try something like this, we highly recommend doing it! What a wonderful way to get the chance to hang out with a local, see how they live, and to try some absolutely delicious local flavors!

For more information on this experience and if you would like to book it for yourself, click here.