The Art of Nixtamal

Culinary Arts

The Art of Nixtamal

Learn the ancient process of curing dried field corn, and the many ways it's used in Mexican cuisine.

Member

$125.00 (any noted materials fee included)

Guest

$148.00 (any noted materials fee included)

Tuition Assistance and Other Policies

Meeting Times
  1. Sun, 5/18/2025 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Sun, 5/18/2025

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Type:
Class, No Prerequisite

Location:
Culinary Arts Studio

Interests:
Cooking

About

Corn is so central to Mexican food and Mexican identity, that there's even a saying that emphasizes this connection: "Sin maíz no hay país (without corn, there is no country)."

Learn about nixtamal (cured dried field corn), its 9,000-year history of cultivation in Mexico, and the many ways it's  used in Mexican cuisine. 

Chef and cookbook author Gino Garcia guides you through the process of nixtamalizing and cleaning the corn. In groups, you'll prepare and enjoy the corn in multiple forms, from pureeing and simmering it to make a traditional and nutritious beverage, to milling the corn by hand into a soft dough, and boiling the whole corn to make one of Mexico's most well-known soups. 

On the menu:

With the nixtamal, you'll prepare and enjoy a pozole rojo (red chile pozole) with chicken and an array of fresh garnishes; freshly milled masa (corn dough) for making Oaxacan tetelas with black bean paste, salsa, and queso fresco; and champurrado, a warm chocolate corn drink flavored with Mexican cinnamon and piloncillo.

BARN’s kitchen facility regularly uses ingredients on the FDA’s major allergens list. This class uses milk (cheese).

 

Allergies and dietary restrictions

BARN's Kitchen is not allergen-free. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions, each time you register for a Culinary Arts class, please check with the studio by filling out this form to see if your restrictions can be accommodated. We can't guarantee to fulfill your request but please ask! Because allergies and dietary restrictions change over time, we don't store your allergy/dietary restriction information.

Materials

A $15 materials fee, included in the price of the class, covers everything you'll need.

Class Policies

  • You must wear closed-toe shoes in the studio. Tie back long hair.
  • Ages 14 and up are welcome.

BARN Policies

Instructors or Guides

Gino Garcia

Gino is a trained chef, culinary educator, and author of Disney Pixar’s Coco: The Official Cookbook. Gino’s style of cooking is inspired by his familial roots in Mexico and his upbringing in the agricultural regions of California’s Central Valley. Currently based out of Seattle, he enjoys hosting pop-up events celebrating regional cuisines of Mexico and Latin America, teaching cooking classes, and building community through food and storytelling. When he’s not teaching, he is busy spreading the gospel of his chef-created, glitter-infused chile salt brand, Salecito, which features lesser-known Mexican ingredients and flavor combinations that glam up snacks and beverages.
Before entering the cooking world, Gino worked as a consultant in the public health sector focusing on issues related to improved nutrition, food access, healthcare, and disease prevention in immigrant and BIPOC communities.

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