Tacos with a Twist

Mine is the tale of a curious traveler whose love of food and culture led me back to Mexico time and again. These culinary explorations ultimately inspired me to co-found The Little Mexican Cooking School for Curious Travelers with a business partner nearly two decades ago. Nestled in the heart of the Riviera Maya, our school quickly became a beloved destination for food-loving explorers. And a favourite on Trip Advisor!

For eight vibrant years, our school opened its doors three days a week, offering immersive, full-day cooking classes that culminated in multi-course feasts of authentic regional dishes. We welcomed up to 18 guests per day into our modern casa in the charming village of Puerto Morelos, Yucatán, where they were met with warmth, laughter, and the aromas of traditional Mexican cooking. Students left with full bellies, custom cookbooks, branded aprons, and a deeper appreciation for the culinary heritage of Mexico.

Though based in Canada, I wore many hats in our Mexican venture—creative lead, culinary curator, and host. Living in one country while running a business in another brought its share of challenges, but it also gave me an outlet for my artist side and a chance to share my passion for food in an unforgettable setting.

Back home in Quebec, I brought the flavours of Mexico to my community through my kiosk at the beautiful Sainte-Anne’s Farmers Market by the waterfront. For a decade, I served handmade tacos crafted with love: from scratch corn tortillas that were baked on-site, filled with everything from Cochinita Pibil (slow-roasted pulled pork) to Pulled Jackfruit  our flavourful vegetarian option and other yummy specials. Each taco came topped with roasted salsas of your choice and fresh garnishes.

Children were especially fond of my cinnamon and garlic linfused Mexican style refried black beans—an unexpected crowd favourite. My  market stand quickly earned a devoted following across all ages, and became a joyful weekly ritual for many.

So... from the Yucatán to Quebec, this journey has been one of discovery, connection, and of course—delicious food for love- filled gatherings!

Part of my journey in the natural food world was running a Farmers Market of 45 local farmers West of Montreal, and organizing monthly food celebrations. 

Earlier though, in Halifax during the 1980s I spent some time immersed in the emerging health food movement managing Halifax’s first Health Food Store and growing my own alfalfa sprouts to sell to grocery stores. 

Embracing organic ingredients became a way of life—and that philosophy has come full circle through my daughter’s work as an organic vegetable farmer and  co-founder of Ferme Coopérative Tourne-Sol in Les Cèdres, Quebec.

Tourne-sol Farm was an anchor vendor at the Ste-Anne's Farmers Market, during the decade I managed the market. I worked with them to promote their exceptional garlic at the annual Festival de l'Ail / Garlic Festival which brought thousands upon thousands of visitors . My first Cookbook Memoir The Sainte-Anne's Garlic Story, from Farm to Table to Festival chronicles the decade of mounting an elaborate Garlic Festival and tells part of my food story. It was launched at last year's festival and now I will move on to my next memoir project.

Tourne-sols'  farming work is inspiring because it  includes  feeding over 600 families on the West Island of Montreal weekly, it also includes hosting workshops on organic seed diversity and even D.I.Y electrification of traditional farm equipment—pushing the boundaries of what sustainable farming can look like.

For several years I helped them grow their seed brand beyond the Quebec borders, across Canada with over 150 varieties of vegetable, flower and herb seed, as several varieties are bred at the farm, many are heritage crops. 

I’m proud to support their mission, preparing food with their harvests and helping educate others about the power and wholeness of sustainable farming.