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Join Bany Vargas for a hands-on workshop celebrating traditional Oaxacan ways of turning maize into a meal! Explore nixtamalization, the process of using an alkaline solution to soften the outer hull of a corn kernel. Nixtamalize criollo maize from Oaxaca, take turns making tortillas and salsa, and enjoy the results of your efforts: delicious tetelas and tacos with salsa and queso fresco.Members $35, non-members $45. For ages 14 and up, and children must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited, so register online today:
https://tickets.sbnature.org/events/49dc023a-0736-078f-0553-b54251cd982b
Instructor is bilingual and ready to support Spanish-speaking participants by request.
About the Instructor
Bany Vargas was born in Telixtlahuaca, Oaxaca, and immigrated to Santa Barbara, California, at age 8. Though raised in the U.S., her Oaxacan roots remained strong—tied, as her grandmother said, to the traditional burial of her umbilical stump in her hometown. After 27 years, she returned to Oaxaca to reconnect with her heritage. A trained chef, Bany shifted her focus from commercial kitchens to traditional Oaxacan cooking, learning directly from her grandmother, Chaguita. This journey led her to create Chocolate Chaguita, a brand honoring ancestral methods like stone-grinding cacao on a metate. Today, Bany is dedicated to preserving and reimagining Oaxacan culinary traditions through chocolate, mole, and masa-based dishes.
Discover the entire series of Culinary & Folk Arts of Oaxaca workshops:
October 19: Maize, Masa, and Tacos*
October 20: Making Chocolate*
October 21: Cooking with Insects*
October 22: Paint Your Own Alebrije
October 23: Mexican Metal Art
For more information, contact [email protected].
*Get a series ticket for all three culinary workshops: Members $100, non-members $130
Tetela photo by Celeste Camarillo and Bany Vargas
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA, United States, California 93105
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