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A Taste of Oaxaca: an interview with chef Susana Trilling
for the Seventh Mole. That project showed me that I liked to write. “This is an all hands-on cooking program. We might make cheese, learn about making tamales, squash vine soup, using the ancient tools in cooking. Our school is very modern and equipped with traditional tools. People can pick whatever recipe they want to work on and they work with a team depending on how large the class is. All of the ingredients are laid out on trays, cleaned, et cetera. I lecture. We talk about ingredient substitutions, as well. “The classes run from six to 26 students. We can hold 30, but limiting it makes it easier for everyone to learn. For the week-long or weekend classes, the number of total students varies from 12 to 18 maximum." Some of the most popular classes include Day of the Dead cooking; the Mushroom Hunt — which is a collaborative effort with the Mycology Society from San Francisco; and the culinary tour series that takes participants on a journey through different parts of Oaxaca. Trilling says she plans to expand the tours to the five states below Oaxaca including the Yucatán. “People attend from all around the world,” says Trilling. “There are a lot from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, US, Europe. It is very exciting for us.” With all of these people coming from all over the planet, she never knows who exactly is in the audience. “One day, a woman came down here from a PBS station in New York — she did a long weekend course with me. I did not know who she was but, on the last day, she asked if I would be interested in doing a television series. I thought it sounded really great. I figured that I could just stand up there and cook and it would be great. I didn’t know that I would have to write it and produce it among about 100 other things. I wanted to have a lot of local people in it because I am not Oaxacan. I felt the only way to do a Oaxacan show was to have a lot of Oaxacan people in the show. “I wrote all of these people into the script. We shot for 7 1/2 weeks in the state of Oaxaca, then we went up and shot 3 1/2 weeks in the studio doing the cooking portion. It was really interesting because we had all of these adventures. I would then try to follow up and work on the book. Then we would go back to scouting for shooting — it was really nutty, buta lot of fun, and a lot of work. It became a major project that overtook our lives. Now I think, looking back, it was a lot of fun, but there were things we could have done differently. Next time, we’ll do something different. “I felt it was really good to have all of those local people in the show. It gave it a lot more depth than it would have had if it had been just me in a kitchen cooking because it is so unique with regard to how the dishes are prepared, why they are prepared, where they are grown — it is all so much a part of the culture here. The food is very much a part of the culture.” Although it is not really open to the general public, Trilling’s ranch also includes a bed and breakfast. She says that it is mostly reserved for people signed up for the week-long and weekend cooking courses. As for Trilling’s future, she plans to expand the Cooking School’s culinary tours into the states south of Oaxaca — Tabasco, Chiapas, Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. “I just got back from there,” she says. “It’s fascinating. It is still very traditional in a lot of ways. It is very similar to Oaxaca, but different. Of course, I want to keep doing the Oaxaca thing, but I just want to learn more and expand a bit.” Trilling also has hopes to do another television series and book with the focus on the Yucatán. She also has a dream of writing a book of vignettes of the different parts of Mexico with a few recipes thrown in. In the meantime, you can make your plans to head to Oaxaca to learn the art of Oaxacan cooking or if that’s a little pricey for ya, keep a look out for Trilling’s next visit to Central Market’s cooking school in Austin. She comes here at least once a year to teach her trade. “I love cooking and I love to be able to share it with others,” adds Trilling. By the way, Trilling says that the school is a great place for honeymooners — one or both of you can learn a few cooking tips! For information on Susana Trilling, Seasons of My Heart Cooking School, and her book, visit www.seasonsofmyheart.com. |
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