Oct
October 6-13, 2024
Whole Hog Week at La Villa Bonita! Chef Ana’s great-grandmother Josefina was one of the most revered butchers in the Cuernavaca market. It has always been a desire of Chef Ana to keep the tradition of pork butchery alive in her family and teach it to others. This is snout-to-tail at its FINEST and Chef Ana will show you the best butchering techniques.
WHOLE HOG ITINERARY
Oct 6-13, 2024
Important! This schedule is posted to give the guest a general idea of our 7-night package schedule on a normal week. The schedule may change to take advantage of seasonal dishes, ingredients or the interests of our guests. LVB reserves the right to modify this schedule and the dishes contained therein.
Sunday – Make yourself at home!
Chef Ana is a master of the signature cocktail, including this Ancho Reyes Gavilan with grapefruit.
Guests arrive at MEX (Benito Juarez Mexico City International) with airport pickup provided by La Villa Bonita (please check shuttle time frame). The trip takes 1.5 hours from Mexico City to La Villa Bonita. Guests are greeted upon arrival with a delicious homemade cocktail such as Chef Ana’s famous Margarita made with her own Calamondine Orange liquor along with snacks such as guacamole, cheeses, home-made salsa, and totopos.
Later that afternoon/evening, guests will enjoy Chef Ana’s 4-course chef’s table gourmet dinner made from primarily local ingredients grown in the garden or from local providers. Dinner is served in our ample open-air kitchen or above the kitchen in the elevated dining area with a 360-degree view of the mountains. Chef Ana will explain her dishes to the guests and also discuss how the week will unfold.
Monday – Visit the Free-Range Pig Ranch
Pigs live a good life with Georgina at Rancho el Troje as free-range pigs.
The day begins with Chef Ana’s famous big breakfast with fresh fruit, biscuits, homemade jams, and jellies along with a new traditional Mexican main dish each morning. Today guests will accompany Chef Ana to visit the free-range pig ranch El Troje with Georgina. The pigs live a great life and are treated humanely. Today we will field dress the pig and create relleno (blood sausage). We will bring the pig back to La Villa Bonita and make a selection of guisados for tacos as well as salsas. Learn how to use red, white, or blue masa made from ancestral corn varieties produced locally and make your tortillas and place them on the comal with Mari your “ama de llaves” during your stay at La Villa Bonita.
Tuesday: Let Learn the Cuts
The week starts by learning how to do the picnic, quarter, section, and then individual cuts.
The day begins as always with a fabulous breakfast, a trip to the market to select ingredients, and to meet the local butcher and cheese vendor. Guest return to LVB to quarter and section the pig, learning about all of the respective cuts of the pig and learning how to extract them.
Today we will make Pozole Rojo, which is a rich full-meal soup prepared with different parts of the pig. We will also learn about skinning the pig, which will be used for chicharron and also start the process of curing our bacon and ham, which will be salt-cured and brined.
Cooking each day generally goes from 11 to 2:30 in the afternoon with lunch of dishes prepared in the open-air kitchen or the elevated terrace with wine and beer service as well as coffee or tea with dessert. An agua fresca made with fruit or horchata, Jamaica, or tamarindo accompanies each lunch.
The Walking Locavore & Chicharrón Wednesday
Visit master butcher Don Domingo in his workshop to taste the most delicious chicharrones right from the big copper pots.
Guests will have an early morning visit with master pork butcher Don Domingo to learn how he makes the most incredible chicharrones. We will enjoy tortillas, salsa, and the local meaty chicharron. A delicacy! The most delicious thing you can eat is chicharrones right after being prepared.
Today guests will join Chef Ana on a walking/eating tour of the Tepoztlan market, visit the Ex-Convent and museum as well as try a wide variety of local delicacies in the market. Walk, learn, and eat like native delicacies such as itacates, pancita, cecina, and traditional Morelos quesadillas. Today is the farmer’s market day in Tepoztlan with an opportunity to see the wide variety of ingredients and dishes that Tepoztlan has to offer.
After the walking-eating tour, you will have the afternoon on your own to relax or explore.
Thursday – Cochinita Pibil!
Delicious! Pork ribs wrapped in banana leaves over a wood flame to create the most delightful cochinita pibil.
After a hearty breakfast, guests will dedicate the day to preparing a traditional Yucatecan treat – cochinita pibil made from pork ribs and cooked over a wood flame, wrapped in banana leaves in a clay pot sealed with masa – delicious! Today we will also continue the process of preparing our bacon and ham.
Friday – Bacon, Ham, & Carnitas
We start with a fabulous breakfast as usual and begin our preparations to enjoy the simple grandeur of pork carnitas. This sweet and tart dish will leave you wanting more. We will also try out ham and bacon, which we will have slow-smoked throughout the week.
Saturday: Your Day, Your Way.
The seed arch is a local attraction. Every year a new scene is created solely from seeds that show an element of local history
After your delicious breakfast, you have a day to enjoy on your own. Take a hike, enjoy the weekend artisan market, go out for lunch, or relax. Today is a day to do whatever your heart desires.
Sunday: Departure
After breakfast, we will organize our return to the Mexico City airport and count the days until we see each other again for a new culinary adventure.
Tepoztlan, a “Pueblo Magico” ( or magic village) is located about 5280 ft. above sea level and roughly 1 hour 15 minutes south of Mexico City making transportation easy (we pick you up in the Mexico City airport and bring you back). Because of its incredible “eternal spring” climate, Tepoztlan is a year-round destination where our award-winning packages take place.
La Villa Bonita is located on the upslope of the Tepozteco mountains with a privileged perch above the town and an incredible view of the ex-convent below. We are a 15-minute walk to the central downtown circuit so there is not an excessive amount of traffic in front of La Villa Bonita but we are just minutes away from the centro and zocalo.
See Tepoztlan in Chef Ana’s Episode on Disney Digital
Due to its year-round average daily temperature of 83 F/28 C, Tepoztlan has become an off-the-beaten-path destination for those who want a wonderful climate with a picturesque, authentic, and traditional Mexican backdrop. Tepoztlan’s temperate climate with prevailing sunshine, its wonderful adobe facades, incredible local festivals, and ancient cobblestone streets attract Mexicans and foreign tourists from all over the world who seek a traditional, small-town environment.
Tepoztlan is one of the most unique, authentic, and safest places you can visit and has a lower crime rate than most cities and towns in the US. You will get this understanding in the first 15 minutes after setting foot in the village. It is a place that time seems to have forgotten with time-honored culinary traditions, wonderful local produce, and a very enjoyable pace of life focused on family and friends.
Tepoztlan is made up of stubborn townspeople and subsistence farmers who vigilantly guard their traditions from change, which makes it an ideal destination for the “foodie” and the traveler who seeks to experience a rich culture. “Tepoztecos,” as they are known here, appreciate the foreign tourist because you appreciate their culture. You can walk anywhere day or night and people will say “hello” to you, be cordial, but not overburdening.
This Magic Village with its mystical vibe is known as the “Sedona of Mexico” and consists of a very small, tight-knit community where people are very content with their lifestyle — a full social calendar that consists of constant cultural events, celebrations, and festivals during both the week and weekend. In Tepoztlan, you will hear the enveloping sounds of the community, the church bells, the rooster crowing, the occasional firecracker and music wafting through the valley. So, enjoy your stay and when you go home, please tell everyone about your experience in the “hidden culinary jewel of Mexico.”
Whole Hog Week
October 6-13, 2024
Whole Hog 7-NIGHT
4
HANDS-ON COOKING SESSIONS WITH TRIPS TO THE DAILY MARKET, FARMER'S MARKET, AND TORTILLA MILL
HANDS-ON COOKING SESSIONS WITH TRIPS TO THE DAILY MARKET, FARMER'S MARKET, AND TORTILLA MILL
7
NIGHT STAY
NIGHT STAY
BIG BREAKFAST EVERYDAY
MEX AIRPORT PICKUP & RETURN*
TRIP TO FREE RANGE HOG PRODUCER TO SELECT HOG OR BUTCHERING
LEARN HOW TO SECTION AND TO DO ALL OF THE CUTS FROM HALF OF A HOG
MEET MASTER BUTCHER DON DOMINGO TO LEARN HOW TO DO CHICARRONES AND CHALES IN HIS SHOP
MAKE INCREDIBLE PORK DISHES SUCH AS COCHINITA OVER AN OPEN FIRE, PORK WITH PERSLAIN, MANCHAMANTELES, LONGANIZA, SAUSAGE, HAM, BACON, POZOLE AMONG MANY OTHER DISHES, SIDE DISHES
GOURMET CHEF'S TABLE WELCOME DINNER (SUN)
PDF MANUAL WITH RECIPES
LUNCH OF DISHES PREPARED ON ALL COOKING DAYS WITH BEER, WINE, & COCKTAIL SERVICE
WIFI, DAILY MAID SERVICE, AND LAUNDRY SERVICE
$ 2,199.00 USD plus tax
PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
+ $499 USD plus tax
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
5% DISCOUNT FOR PAYMENT IN FULL OR HALF NOW AND HALF ON FIRST DAY OF MONTH PRIOR TO ARRIVAL
La Villa Bonita No-Change-Fee Guarantee!
We want you to enjoy your vacation at La Villa Bonita and we know that things may come up that preclude you from joining us. While we do not accept cancelations or refund payments, if you need to change your reservation for any reason you can do so once without penalty and subject to availability. You will receive a credit towards the same experience that you can apply to a different date or different experience. If you choose a more expensive experience you will need to pay the difference. Please contact us for further details.
Payment Options and Sales Tax
You can receive an additional 5% discount by paying in full upon making your reservation or you can pay full price paying half to reserve and half due on the first day of the month prior to arrival. The 5% discount is not valid with any other discount, sale or promotion. We will send you an invoice by email that you can pay online or you can call us and we will receive your payment information. Prices do not include 16% sales tax which will be added to the final price of your package. Tips for the staff are not included.
Welcome to Chef Ana´s mountain home that was specially designed for her culinary program. The property consists of 6 guests rooms all with private baths. Each room has a different design and are very comfortable. All rooms have a king bed and some rooms have the possibility of 2 twin beds or 1 king. All rooms have french doors that open up to a common courtyard with incredible views of the surrounding mountains and steps from the open-air kitchen.
La Villa Bonita is built in a citrus orchard on a hectare of terraced land, complete with an herb and vegetable garden. The specially-designed open-air kitchen is complete with a living area, three sinks, lots of cooking and prep space as well as a 360-degree view of the majestic mountains. Above the kitchen sits our 16-person-capacity glass table with an incredible panoramic view of the Tepozteco mountains, the ex-convent, and the town below. La Villa Bonita is located in a very quiet residential area of town away from the downtown hum.
ikcw - Davenport, Florida
"Absolutely worth it!"
ivey1982 - Montreal, Canada
"Chef Ana is an amazing host and guide to the culinary world of Mexican cuisine and passion for life, food and her culture."
mymexicotours - Santa Cruz, California
"We all had a great time together during our days in the kitchen with Ana preparing some wonderful traditional dishes."
UMysGMo - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"The experience provided by Chef Ana and her husband Robb is truly amazing."
- Included
- Not Included
La Villa Bonita offers Chef Ana Garcias’ award-winning culinary and cultural vacation experiences in our specially-designed resort in the foothills of the Tepoztlan valley.
Contact Info
Start your Mexican culinary adventure now! Dates available year-round. Contact us for the most up-to-date availability.
+1 (631) 994-3436 // US
email: [email protected]
