Hands-On Latin Cooking with Chef Nancy in Baltimore: Paella, Croquetas and Empanadas

Cuban/Spanish Cuisine is a hands-on cooking class led by Chef Nancy at Pierpoint in Baltimore, Maryland. Over three lively hours you'll work alongside a small group to learn a menu rooted in Iberian, Caribbean, and Andean traditions: classic paella, aromatic Mayan chicken, crisp Peruvian steak croquettes, and golden empanadas. The class is both demonstration and practice — you’ll measure, season, and shape each dish so recipes become muscle memory rather than just a card in a drawer. The classroom is an urban kitchen where a wide paella pan, heaps of spices, and bowls of fresh produce stand in for scenery. Key features include the paellera for socarrat-building rice, saffron and short-grain rice for depth, dough-rolling stations for empanadas, and a frying station for croquetas. While not a natural landscape, the menu nods to the Chesapeake Bay region; local seafood techniques and Mid-Atlantic produce often inform ingredient choices when available. What sets this experience apart is its balance of technique and flavor. Chef Nancy walks students through regional methods — how to coax flavor from toasted spices and how to time components so pastry and rice finish together. The course is intimate (up to 10 people), which means close instruction, a ready tasting circle, and the chance to ask the kind of questions that turn a recipe into an at-home habit. Pierpoint also offers limited off-street parking that Chef can direct you to. Feel free to call us when you are on your way. This class is more than recipes; it’s a hands-on survey of Latin culinary threads that have influenced Baltimore’s kitchens for decades. You’ll go home with tangible skills — building paella’s caramelized base, shaping croquettes, and sealing empanadas — plus a clearer sense of how Spanish, Cuban, and Peruvian techniques intersect and diverge. Located a short walk from Baltimore’s waterfront and neighborhood parks, the class functions as an urban companion to outdoor days — after a harbor paddle or market run you can translate catches and produce into finished dishes. Supporting this small class keeps local culinary expertise in the neighborhood, links visitors with neighborhood farmers and fishers when possible, and enhances a stay in Baltimore by pairing active outdoor time with hands-on food culture. Practical notes: the three-hour format suits weekend visitors or a weekday evening; the small class size makes this a good option for date nights, cooking-curious travelers, or culinary-minded groups. If you want to bring local flavor back to your own kitchen, this session gives you teachable techniques rather than gimmicks. In a city known for seafood and neighborhood markets, this workshop stands out by connecting global Latin recipes to local ingredients and practical technique — the kind that keeps you cooking long after you leave the table.