A Food Tour to the Magical Mexican Town of Oaxaca
Chocolate, coffee, culture, mole, mountains, and more!
If you’re ready for a week of exceptional eating in a completely different cuisine, digging into incredible history that goes back thousands of years, and surrounding yourself with bright colors, kind people, and beautiful sights—all in a magical midsized town in Southern Mexico—check out the Zingerman’s Food Tour that Managing Partner Kristie Brablec has put together to take 12 fortunate folks to Oaxaca in the first week of February 2027. Oaxaca is, quite simply, an outstanding and super delicious destination.
I had the pleasure of spending a week in Oaxaca last winter, and all I can say is, “Wow!” Amazing food, the historical home of mole, gorgeous weather (80° F, dry, and sunny every day), rich history that goes from ancient times to late-19th-century anarchists to modernist galleries, an array of authentically artisan shops, and an impressive number of exceptional coffee spots—you can seemingly get a really fine shot of espresso every couple of blocks. Oaxaca has great museums, abundant markets, and excellent restaurants—what more can I tell you? It’s a positive place to be! By the end of my week, I was wondering if Tammie and I should start looking for a house there!
Oaxaca truly seems to possess almost everything I’m intrigued by. The food is extraordinary—Anthony Bourdain once said that it’s defined by “ancient indigenous traditions and ingredients.” Its history is equally compelling, shaped by repeated efforts to build healthy nonhierarchical communities; author Staughton Lynd writes about the many “experiments in government from below” that have happened in Oaxaca over the centuries. And its present—for anyone interested in organizational design, as I am—is fascinating for the collective, communal constructs Oaxacans designed for themselves 20 years ago. For those of us who live, like I do, in places with cold winters, it also offers my ideal kind of weather: no humidity and a wealth of warm sun. Oaxaca is wonderfully walkable, too.
The Zingerman’s Food Tour to Oaxaca next winter will kick off with a lively class on mole making to get you into the spirit of the region’s classic sauce. That’s followed by an in-depth field trip to a local maker of artisan mezcal. Plus there are mountain hikes, a visit to a remarkable regenerative farm, a class on Oaxacan chocolate-making traditions (replete with plenty of tasting), an excursion to Zapotec archeological sites, colorful market visits, and so much more. Kristie is incredibly passionate about Oaxaca, and that passion shines through!
