About this Event
Día de Muertos — Mole, Pan & Memory
In this interactive workshop, Chef Paola Solorzano invites you into the kitchen to experience the celebration through the dishes that belong at its table. You will make every component from scratch, learn the stories behind what you are cooking, and share the meal with the people who made it beside you.
What we will make from scratch
Pan de muerto
Soft, fragrant, and unmistakably tied to the season of remembrance.
Mole poblano
A deeply layered Mexican sauce built with patience, technique, and history.
Arroz a la mexicana
Made properly: flavourful, balanced, and worthy of the mole beside it.
The parade came later. The meaning came first.
We will look beyond the now-famous catrina parades and painted faces to understand what Día de Muertos has meant across generations and communities in Mexico. Paola will share not only the tradition, but also the cultural, historical, and economic context behind the celebration and the food. You will leave knowing more than how to follow a recipe: you will understand why these dishes matter, where they come from, and what they carry.
Everything is ready for you
All ingredients and materials
Everything required for the recipes and activities.
Recipes. So you can return to the dishes after the workshop.
Apron and utensils. Provided for use during the experience.
A shared dinner. We sit down together to enjoy what we have made
A take-home tasting. A sample of what you cooked to enjoy later.
Learn from expertise — and lived experience
Your host is Chef Paola Solorzano: Mexican-born, with 20 years of experience in the culinary arts and 15 years as a caterer. Her perspective comes from professional practice and lived knowledge. She will guide you through the technique, but also through the stories, context, and culinary wisdom that cannot be reduced to a recipe card.
What you will take with you
Practical cooking skills. Recipes you can make again. A taste of what you created. And a richer understanding of Día de Muertos — beyond the version made for the camera.
Event venue & nearby stays
Rily Kitchen, 26 Sousa Mendes Street, Toronto, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.