Mole poblano at Mesones Sacristia in Puebla, Mexico (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

I’ve taken dozens of cooking classes throughout the years in towns across Mexico. And among my favorites were two classes I encountered just last month, days apart. The first was in the town of Puebla at Mesones Sacristía, a quirky boutique hotel and restaurant where chef Alonzo Hernández showed me how to make mole poblano the way his grandmother taught him to make it. That’s what this post is about. (The second cooking class was in Punta Mita at the luxurious Four Seasons resort, where chefs Richard Sandoval and Philippe Piel sparked up the beachside grill for fresh octopus that had been pulled from the sea earlier that day by local fishermen. But that’s a story and recipe for a future post, coming soon.) Continue reading →