Hosts: Chef David Sterling and Keith Heitke
Guestrooms: 2
Address: Calle 68 #517 (x65 y67) Merida, Yucatan, Mexico 97000
Click here for location.
Telephone: 999 928 1116 (Mexico),
212 400 1642 (USA)
Email: chefsterling@los-dos.com
Fax: 999 928 1115
Activities/Attractions: Chef Sterling offers half- and one-day classes, as well as two and three day combination cooking/excursion packages that can be combined with your stay in Mérida, as you tour the Mayan ruins and the many historical and natural splendors that the Yucatán Peninsula offers.
Chef Sterling can also design a program specifically for the interests or requirements of a private group.
Every class focuses on ingredients and techniques unique to the region, with a particular emphasis on dishes that can be recreated in your kitchen back home.
Click here for cooking class info at Los Dos.
"As a mixed French-Italian couple, we believe that culture includes gastronomy - so we had to try to learn about Yucatecan cuisine. Since the holidays are a time we share with our children, we spent with them one day at Los Dos. We all enjoyed this wonderful house restored with such taste and fidelity, the warmth of the welcome and the quality of what we heard and made: not only do you learn about making this delicious cuisine but also you get a personal view from sensitive and intelligent hosts who love México and Yucatán. This was a perfect complementary view of the marvelous sites of this area."
"Just a quick note to say thanks for the fun day we spent cooking, eating and chatting together in Mérida - we really enjoyed it. I think I must be still suffering a bit of jetlag. It's 2 a.m. and yet I'm raring to go! Maybe I should get in the kitchen and rustle up a salsa or three. You'll be pleased to know I recreated Moros y Cristianos this evening, although with peas (I didn't have any black beans), so it was more like Martians and Christians than Moors and Christians. Best wishes to you all and thanks again."
"If there was one highlight of our trip to Mexico - and with everything Mexico has to offer, it can be hard to choose - it was attending your school. From my initial inquiries to the final dinner, I was overwhelmed by David's friendly, professional and helpful approach to answering my questions, arranging a menu, and, most important, teaching us how to cook such wonderful food. Thank you, both David and Keith, for an unforgettable trip to Mérida, for your enthusiasm and hospitality, and for making us feel like we were at home. I will not hesitate to sign up for more classes next time we come to Mérida!"
"Your school goes beyond the idea of the typical holiday in México by offering an experience of the culture first hand through taste and a hands-on activity. Now I'm able to go home and say I traveled to the Yucatan and experienced unique cuisine and also got a chance to cook it for myself - all in a stunning setting in the private old colonial mansion of a cook from New York! What's more, I not only worked hard and learned how to cook a lot of new things, but I also felt pampered by the setting, the service & the ambience."
"Even though I've never thought of myself as a cooking enthusiast, I found Chef Sterling's class very accessible and interesting. It was a perfect complement to my first visit to the Yucatán, as the food and preparation is explained in reference to the cultural and historical aspects of the region. Was great to know what makes a certain dish distinctly 'Yucatecan'! And the party after was fantastic!"
"From the moment we set foot in no. 517, we knew that it was going to be a magical time. A most beautiful colonial mansion, with attention paid to every detail from color schemes and furnishings to the surrounding flora - everything extremely tasteful, and yet so very comfortable! This owing to our hosts, David and Keith, who make you feel at home while at Los Dos."
"We found Los Dos to be one of the best experiences with a B&B that we have had in our 25 years of traveling together. David and Keith were perfect hosts, friendly and accommodating. The place is stunning visually and very comfortable. Even though we were there in a hot time of the year, the room was a comfortable temperature and the pool a pleasure after a day of sight seeing. The location is great, convenient to downtown."
"I really enjoyed the classes, the great food, and your guesthouse. I also want to thank you and Keith for taking such good care of us. The table settings were classy and the food for all of our meals was delicious. I am thinking about next time. Thank you so much!!
"Los Dos is a
wonderful experience from the short trip from the airport to the
final goodbyes. David Sterling and Keith Heitke have painstakingly
restored an 1840 home in central Merida with 1000 ft ceilings and
good visibility. The immaculately clean house exudes a calm and
tranquility you feel the moment you step in the
door."
General Information: Enter Los Dos Guest House & Cooking School and you are charmed by a glimpse into the lyrical elegance of life as it was once lived in colonial Mérida. Soaring 18-foot ceilings, sumptuous surroundings, the pool patio and garden, a formal dining room and parlor and the gorgeous Mexican kitchen are yours to enjoy.
You learn to cook traditional Yucatecan dishes in an environment much like that in which they were originally prepared. The first school devoted exclusively to Yucatecan cooking, Los Dos is owned and run by Chef David Sterling.
The setting is a magnificent colonial mansion in downtown Mérida, capital of Yucatán, Mexico. Available for students of the cooking school and others on a first come/first served basis, THE MASTER SUITE features:
- 5.5 meter (18 foot) ceilings and
sumptuous furnishings
- soaring bedroom with a queen-sized
bed and air conditioning
- rolling twin cot can be introduced
for one additional person
- spacious private bath with two large
local stone sinks and a luxurious shower
- doors in the bedroom and bathroom
open to the terrace and pool
THE JUNIOR SUITE is a more intimate setting with:
- 3.75 meter (12 foot) ceilings. The room is bright and colorful,
decorated with a unique collection of Mexican and Guatemalan folk
art
- the bedroom has a queen-sized bed and air conditioning
- the private bath features a local cedar credenza topped with an
elegant stone bowl sink
- doors in the bedroom and bathroom open to the terrace and
pool
Guests of Los Dos are free to enjoy the main floor of the home, which includes a lush tropical garden and pool, terrace with lounging furniture and hammocks, and the living and dining rooms. And students of the cooking school will of course enjoy the Los Dos kitchen.
Payment Accepted: Visa, MasterCard.
Rates: (Prices quoted in US Dollars).
$95-125/night/room
Enjoy a delicious tropical breakfast served on the terrace every morning before you head out for the day’s excursions - or into the kitchen to cook!
"From beginning to end, this is a lovely way to spend a day. Chef Sterling not only knows his onions, but can get you chopping, sauteeing, and eating them in a flash. What a pleasant experience to be working with other cooks, in a beautiful kitchen, producing fabulous food, and using techniques that are new and exciting. It is a day that opens your mind to lots of ways to improve one's own ways of preparing favourites, and plenty of new ideas soon to become favourites. I loved the making of the feast, but the actual feasting at the end of the day is in itself a little miracle. I would recommend this to anyone needing a great big lift."
"I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how much I enjoyed the cooking class. I learned an amazing amount in a very short time and enjoyed every minute of it. I like the fact that you could participate as much or as little as you wanted to. It was a good learning experience and a chance to get to know some interesting people in a beautiful and magical environment. I will recommend Los Dos cooking classes to any friends or relatives coming to visit Mérida. Well done!"
"We spent 3 wonderful nights at Los Dos in Merida. Such a beautiful house - so tastefully renovated and Oh so comfortable. The hosts David and Keith are wonderful and made us feel so at home."
"We had a wonderful time! It was such a unique experience. Thank you for taking us through the intimate life of Mérida. No tour bus could have shown us the market as you did. Priceless experience!!"