Culinary Retreat in Tulum: A Day-by-Day Journey
- Najil Chak
- Sep 2
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 9
In the heart of Tulum's lush jungle, where ancient wisdom meets modern comfort, the residence at Najil Chak hosted its inaugural culinary retreat—an experience far more profound than a cooking class. This wasn't just about mastering mole or perfecting tortilla techniques—it was a four-day immersion into the soul of Mexican cuisine, where every ingredient tells a story and every meal becomes ceremony.
The Heart Behind Our First Culinary Retreat
This culinary retreat wasn't created to impress—it was created to restore. Karen Gutierrez, artist, creative director & co-founder of Najil Chak, envisioned a space where guests could reconnect with the land, food, and the ancestral wisdom that flows through every grain of corn and chile pepper.
"From the very first planning conversations, this experience was designed to honor ancestral knowledge, local sustainability, the joyful rhythm of shared presence and of course, a love for food," Karen explains. Her vision centered on creating an authentic portal back to the essentials—where participants could discover what happens when you slow down enough to truly taste, touch, and transform alongside others seeking the same deep nourishment.
Leading the culinary journey were Doña Petra and her son Juan José, master chefs from Oaxaca whose hands carry generations of family recipes. Their teaching extends far beyond technique—it's a transmission of cultural memory, passed down through countless grandmothers & grandfathers who understood that cooking is part of our identity, and food is connection to the earth itself.
Four Days of Transformation: A Day-by-Day Journey
From molding clay with muddy fingers to grinding mole over an open fire, every day of the retreat offered a new invitation to slow down and savor the real experience of ancient wisdom surrounded by the beauty and harmony of the Retreat.
Day 1 – Grounding in Clay and Community
The retreat opened not with introductions, but with transformation. Guests gathered in a circle, sharing their intentions before diving hands-first into clay—molding, shaping, creating without expectation. This unique grounding ceremony set the tone for everything that followed: patience, understanding, and the magic that emerges when we let go of perfection.
Dinner that night was a vibrant taquiza — a traditional Mexican taco feast where a variety of fillings, fresh tortillas, and salsas are served buffet-style, inviting guests to create their own perfect combinations. Prepared by Doña Petra and Juan José, it became the first shared table of many, filled with color, flavor, and conversation. Fresh tortillas, warm from the comal, became vessels for flavors many had never experienced. The chefs' gentle introductions revealed not just their mastery, but their generous spirits
Day 2 – Dancing with Ancient Ingredients
Morning yoga awakened both bodies and senses, preparing participants for a deep dive into the building blocks of Mexican cuisine. This wasn't just a cooking class—it was cultural archaeology through taste!
Corn revealed its sacred significance as masa was transformed in skilled hands. Chiles displayed their complex personalities—some gentle, others fierce or smoky, all lending deep flavours. Cactus paddles, wild mushrooms, artisanal cheeses, and local herbs with names that rolled off Doña Petra's tongue like poetry filled the workspace.
Participants discovered ingredients they'd never encountered, learned techniques passed down through millennia, and watched simple elements become extraordinary through patience and wisdom. The masterclass culminated in a feast created by their own hands—every bite a discovery, every flavor a revelation - and the pleasure of sharing table together, discussing the nuances of the different salsas, enjoying company & nourishment.
After a well-earned rest, we gathered in the evening for a special restorative immersion in
sound. As the sun set, Ilaria Lisi introduced us to her instruments and the philosophy behind her sound bath meditation. Spread out before the group were crystal bowls, chimes, flutes, rattles and even an ancient gong - just some of the ancient instruments that created frequencies which seemed to dissolve the day's excitement into pure relaxation. As we lay down and allowed ourselves to be taken away, the sounds wrapped around us like silk. Bodies melted into the earth while minds floated free—meditation without effort, healing through vibration.
Day 3 – The Sacred Art of Mole
If there's a holy grail in Mexican cuisine, it's mole—a dish deeply rooted in the history & complexity of Mexican cuisine. Day three centered entirely on this complex, deeply spiritual dish that can contain thirty or more ingredients, each one essential to the symphony of flavors.
Over open flames, using tools unchanged for thousands of years — the metate, a flat volcanic stone for grinding; the molcajete, a stone mortar and pestle; and the comal, a flat griddle for toasting — participants ground, toasted, and transformed raw ingredients into a wonderfully complex paste. As each member added a new layer of tone & texture to the paste, the volcanic stone metate became an altar, where each of us left an offering in the form of our participation. The rhythmic grinding became meditation. Hours passed like minutes as Doña Petra guided each participant through techniques her grandmother's grandmother knew by heart.
The shared laughter, the ache in arms unused to grinding, the moment when disparate ingredients suddenly became mole—these memories lingered long after the last spoonful was savored. As some of you may know, there are many, many different types of mole in Mexico - the best? The one you make yourself, from scratch! This was a unique experience, so different from what one imagines as a cooking class.
Evening brought the ancient practice of the temazcal ritual, a sweat lodge tradition that has purified bodies and souls for over a thousand years. Similar to a sauna in many respects, the tradition allows for relaxation of muscle tension & stress, allowing pores to open & the skin to cleanse. However, in this mesoamerican version, the soul is also invoked to participate: we sit in total darkness, taking turns to listen, speak, sing or chant together. Simple instruments are provided to accompany our words, as the ceremony passes through a number of phases, each representing a cardinal point & element of life. Heated stones and sacred herbs create a warm, womb-like space for releasing, opening, honoring & connecting deeply with the earth and oneself, while holding space for each other.
Experiences like these are at the heart of what we create at Najil Chak. See our upcoming culinary retreats and join us for your own journey of flavor, culture, and renewal.
Day 4 – Living Maya Wisdom
The final day transported participants from Najil Chak's comfortable luxury into a living classroom—the home and cornfields of a local Maya family. Here, in a landscape that has nurtured civilization for millennia, ancient wisdom revealed itself through generous hearts and capable hands.
The family welcomed the group like old friends, sharing not just their food but their way of life. Participants helped build a pit oven—one of many traditional Maya cooking techniques—learned to harvest ingredients growing wild in the forest, tasted honey straight out of the honeycomb and discovered how plates, bowls, cups and cutlery could all emerge from the same garden that provided lunch.
This wasn't cultural tourism—it was cultural exchange. The family's grace, humility, and deep knowledge of the land offered lessons no cookbook could contain. Every gesture revealed how food connects us to place, to ancestors, and to each other. While we participated in making everything the spread that appeared before us was still so surprising in its abundance, color & variety, and the setting was truly memorable. We left not only with new cooking skills and appreciation of how food is part of our everyday environment, but also with hearts full of gratitude and souls contented. If there was an experience that encapsulates the term ‘farm to table’, this is it.
The retreat's final evening exploded with joy as participants learned to salsa dance under string lights, margaritas in hand, hearts full of new friendships and ancient wisdom.
Guest Reflections: Voices from the Experience
These transformative moments are best captured in the words of those who lived them—participants who discovered that this Tulum retreat center offered something far beyond their expectations.
"Attending the culinary retreat at Najil Chak was soul-nourishing," reflects Tristan Thibodeau. "From the moment I arrived, I felt transported—this Art Residence is something from a dream. Every detail was intentional: we danced in the rain, made mole from fresh cacao, and shared meals with indigenous families who welcomed us with warmth and wisdom. This wasn't just a retreat—it was a full-body experience in cultural connection and culinary joy."
Jessica Moreno captures the essence of the real experience: "The culinary retreat at Najil Chak has been one of the most beautiful, immersive experiences I've ever had… We danced under the trees. We cooked, we learned, we remembered."
Behind the Scenes: Creating Magic in the Jungle
Retreats like this don't materialize from thin air. Frank Wall, co-founder and director of operations at Najil Chak, is the Mexico travel expert who orchestrated every detail of the retreat with the same care Doña Petra brought to her mole, each element essential, nothing left to chance. From sourcing the freshest ingredients to coordinating with the Maya family, from ensuring the fire stayed perfect for hours of cooking to timing sound baths with sunset. Frank's behind-the-scenes coordination supported the flow of authentic experience. The property itself became a co-facilitator, its open kitchen encouraging community cooking, its ceremony space holding sacred moments, its jungle setting providing the perfect backdrop for slowing down.
When tropical rain threatened the final night's festivities, creative problem-solving transformed potential obstacles into opportunities for deeper connection. As Tristan noted, they "danced in the rain", proof that when a team truly understands hospitality as holding space for transformation, even weather becomes part of the magic.
The retreat concluded with participants receiving a comprehensive recipe book containing not only every dish they'd prepared together, but additional traditional recipes to continue their culinary journey at home, a tangible piece of the experience to carry forward.
Join our next culinary voyage in Tulum:
This culinary retreat wasn't just an event, it was proof that food becomes medicine when shared with intention. At Najil Chak, we understand that the most powerful experiences emerge when authentic facilitators meet a space designed to hold their vision with care and co-creative support.
Whether you're a chef seeking to learn from traditional cooking and mexican culture, a foodie looking to learn authentic recipies and try amazing flavours, or you just need a break from the fast passed life, this culinary getaway will provide the perfect foundation for learning new skills, surrounded by the beauty of the residence, while experiencing a real transformation. Learn more about the upcoming immersion.
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