Barcelona Cooking Class & Wine Pairing, Barcelona

Get to know Barcelona through its gastronomy, but take the experience a step farther and learn how to make some of the country's most popular dishes. Your host is a professional chef, and your venue is The Paella Club's beautiful historical building with a modern kitchen setup just behind the city's famed Mercado La Boqueria. When finished, you'll have enjoyed five different courses, mastered how to make paella, and sipped Catalan wine throughout the experience.

No cooking class in Spain starts without a drink, so get to know your host and fellow students while sipping a glass of cava, the region's most famous sparkling wine. Then, get a quick introduction to local gastronomy, learning about traditional techniques, ingredients, and cultural influences. You'll also learn why paella is the country's signature dish.

When ready, you'll get set up at your designated workstation with all the necessary ingredients and tools. Almost all the ingredients will be prepped for you, aside from those that require specific techniques you can learn and try. The first dish is simple yet traditional, and you'll enjoy it right after preparing it. Pa amb tomàquet is something every Spanish household knows and loves, and although it's famous throughout the country, it originates in Catalonia, Aragon, and the Balearic Islands. If you're familiar with the language, you can probably guess it's bread and tomatoes. Enjoy soft yet crusty french bread slathered with a mix of grated tomato, high-quality extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and salt. 

Next, you'll learn how to make paella with a full workshop, which takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. Your instructor will reveal what they call the "10 secrets of paella." Step one is, of course, taking a sip or two of local wine! Then, at the end of the class, you'll sit with your host and classmates to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Eating family style, you'll enjoy your paella, plus a seasonal entree prepared by your professional chef host. The entree depends on when you take the class, but it includes local, regional, and seasonal ingredients, which are very important to Spanish cooking. And to polish it all off, enjoy dessert, plenty of Catalan wine, and great conversation.