He says these ticketed demonstrations are much different than his typical, day-to-day restaurant work because it requires a separate skill set.
“You have to be cooking, explaining, entertaining, and answering questions while still preparing several courses for the guests,” Valenzuela, 54, tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Of course, sitting down and sharing a meal at the end is also very important, too. Eating is part of the education because you need to know what the end product is supposed to taste like.”
Valenzuela grew up in a family of teachers, so these classes are integral to his approach to cooking as a whole. And when the veteran chef eventually retires from the hustle and bustle of the industry, he sees himself continuing to teach others how to prepare traditional Mexican dishes.
His next class happens on Saturday, June 21 in Tampa, where attendees will learn the ins-and-outs of grilling proteins while enjoying a dinner of grilled shrimp, charred salsa and a surf and turf entree with grilled octopus, picanha steak and a few sides. A dessert of grilled pastries, vanilla ice cream and cajeta (goat milk caramel) round out the $99.69 cooking class and dinner.
“When I first started teaching classes I tended to focus on more elaborate recipes that were harder to execute. But eventually I learned that people want to learn something that’s more practical in their everyday lives,” Valenzuela says. “And then some people just want to eat and that’s OK, too—not everyone wants to cook like a professional chef.”
“But I still love teaching about the history, ingredients, techniques and traditions of Mexico…that’s very important to me,” he adds.
Not only can cooking classes be a fun activity with friends, family, or even strangers, but they can also be a straightforward way of learning how to craft restaurant-quality meals at home.
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This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2025.