Valencia Club Cocina — Hotel in Valencia

First, let me say right up front that this was an amazing experience, one I highly recommend!

Calles (Carlos), our chef mentor, was the most important ingredient in making the experience amazing (and his team, of course!). He was witty, informative, and helpful – yet extremely serious about the paella and its role in the Valencian culture. He has the perfect personality – and bilingual language skill -- for the job.

We were a diverse group of 12 from Australia, Canada, Germany, Britain, Mexico, and the United States that came together to create a three-course meal – two ginormous pans of chicken paella, two frittata-like tortillas made of potato, onion and egg, and sponge cake for dessert (postre). Before we began the meal preparations, though, Calles took us on a spirited tour of their local source of the ingredients we would be using, the Mercat d'Algirós, located across the street.

Back in the kitchen, each of us were given an opportunity to participate in preparing the dishes, whether it was cutting up vegetables for the paella or mixing the batter for the cake – all important tasks. And, lest we feel hungry while doing our “work,” we were provided yummy drinks and snacks to enjoy – namely, sangria, cheese, jamon.

The proof of the experience was in the result when we sat down to eat. Together we former strangers created something wonderful, delicious, and memorable. I may never remember all the cooking tips Chef Calles gave us, but I’ll never forget how special he made me feel as a guest in his kitchen.

So, if you’re ever in Valencia and you’re into cooking or eating – or both, plan to do a cooking class at Valencia...

Our travel agent through Spain Top booked a cooking class with Valencia Club Cocina for us and it was one of the best and most memorable experiences of our entire monthlong trip! Even my ten year old says that (along with the two Segway tours we did) this was the best part of our trip. Our instructor, Zaher, was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!!!! He made the experience brilliantly fun and helped us prepare and cook the tastiest, most delicious Paella, Tortilla española, and Cake. It was one of the best meals of our trip! If we return to Spain I would visit Valencia for the sole purpose of taking another cooking class here with Zaher.. truly an...

The head chef (tall, lanky, man bun, and glasses) was grossly misogynistic and very flirtatious with all of the young women in the class (21 or younger). He consistently made misogynistic remarks to myself, my friend, and the other women in the class telling us to smile more among other things. He was always in their space, putting on one apron for a clearly uncomfortable woman, and holding another one from behind while she made the egg dish and looked afraid. Overall, I would not recommend because of this chef’s abuse of power. He should not be allowed to act in such gross misconduct. Be wary of taking a class here if you...