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Summary for: Authentic Mexican food in Prague? A hands-on cooking class helps perfect your guacamole gameAs it turns out, many of us have been eating tacos wrong.
“Don’t bring your taco to your mouth, but your mouth to your taco,” Emmanuel Rivero, chef in charge, patiently explains.
His audience—a misfit bunch of cooking enthusiasts and rice burners—looks on in awe. The trick is all in the wrist and mouth. He leans in and takes a generous bite of a velvety soft corn tortilla filled with grilled beef, peppers, onions, and melted cheese, made with snake-like precision moments ago. Not a drop of sauce escapes, no dribble in sight.
“Whatever you do, do not use a fork and knife to eat tacos,” he adds with feigned disgust. “Just don’t.”
“Should we be taking notes?” a too-studious attendee pipes up. Rivero emphasizes that the goal of this Easy Mexican cooking class is to concentrate on chopping, sautéing, and having fun. The recipes come later.
Exploring new culinary worlds, one bite at a time
Finding fabulous Mexican cuisine in Czechia can be elusive, especially in a place where dousing nachos in ketchup is totally acceptable.
In his chic Nové Město kitchen studio—aptly named Cocina Rivero—the Mexico City native serves up the real deal for those looking to flex their culinary skills at home. He not only delivers on authenticity, excellence, and charming, attentive service but is on a personal mission to teach others that good cooking isn’t “rocket science.”
His Easy Mexican three-course meal approach helps curious culinary adventurers feel confident in the kitchen: guacamole and crispy corn tortilla chips to start, followed by beef (or cactus) tacos with Mexican red rice and caramel flan with berries for dessert. Many of his dishes are from old family recipes—generational secrets that make each ingredient burst with flavor.
Now a longstanding Prague resident, Rivero has been running hands-on cooking workshops for individuals, team-building events, and private parties since 2011. He also hosts one-off dinners in his studio’s courtyard, a tranquil space hidden down an unassuming side street, shrouded in greenery that looks straight out of a Prague fairytale.
Mexican cooking is just one of the specialty courses offered at Cocina Rivero. The culinary school focuses on connecting locals with international chefs living and working in Prague, showcasing the true melting pot this city has become. Additional workshops include how to grill the perfect steak, how to roll your own sushi, and foreigner-friendly courses on Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Indian, French, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisines. And of course, classes on Czech cuisine are available, which can be delivered in English, Czech, or Spanish.
“Everyone can make excellent meals in a few easy steps,” says Rivero, who carefully sources his fresh ingredients from various grocers and specialty shops around the city: Meat from Naše Maso butchery, corn tortillas from Moctezuma Foods, and other authentic Mexican food products not available in traditional supermarkets.
Aprons on, wine poured, guac underway
A large bowl of ripe avocados sits beside a countertop of red onions, limes, tomatoes, and fresh cilantro. Recessed arches along the white plaster walls and a chalkboard highlighting the menu add to a relaxed ambiance. Cocina Rivero feels like you’re having dinner at a friend’s kitchen table. Albeit, a friend who knows how to expertly mix flavors and magically “toast” rice with just a tablespoon or two of oil.
“Keep swirling it around in the pan until it starts smelling a bit like popcorn,” advises Rivero. He’s right, and there is an unmistakable light popcorn smell floating in the air as the pan is taken off the heat, ready for the tomatoes to settle in as the group moves on to the next step.
Everyone’s given aprons and all kitchen tools are provided. Dishes are prepared at a communal cooktop, where attendees can observe each other’s technique or laugh over a glass of wine.
Emmanuel Rivero's Guacamole recipe
Makes 3-4 servings
Ingredients
• 1 ripe avocado (preferably “Hass” – black skin)
• 1⁄4 red onion, finely diced
• 1 medium tomato (you may remove the seeds)
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1⁄2 tsp salt, to taste
Instructions
- 1.Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a serving bowl.
- 2.Finely dice the onion, tomato, and cilantro (including stems). Set aside.
- 3.Mash the avocado with a fork into a chunky paste.
- 4.Stir in onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Mix well.
- 5.TIP: Always prepare guacamole just a few minutes before serving – avocado tends to darken when exposed to air. To store, place cling film directly onto the surface of the guacamole.
Rivero offers some quick safety tips on keeping all 10 fingers intact before diving into the fast-paced cutting action involved with guacamole prep. It’s hard to mess up guac, especially under the tutelage of a patient teacher.
He confidently adapts to the lively atmosphere, seamlessly navigating around the expansive wooden table with encouragement and advice: “Take your time. It’s not a race. Add more salsa. Think of it like the glue that holds the whole taco together.”
The rest of the evening involved cooking, eating, laughing, and drinking. The wine flowed, the background music soothed, and the conversation continued until the flan was served for dessert.
Those in attendance learned to trust Rivero’s instincts, as well as their own. Sure, not everyone’s onions came out expertly diced, but the result was the same: plate-lickingly delicious.
