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Host: Manuela

Marrakech, Morocco

USD
$50-$100 per person

A market visit, cooking class and traditional Moroccan meal in Marrakech

Host offerings
  • House
  • Home cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Manuela

Manuela is originally Italian and has been part of the travel industry for many years. She moved to Morocco with her family and bought a beautiful riad (a traditional Moroccan-style home built around an open courtyard) in an old Jewish neighborhood. Aicha is the chef at the riad and hosts together with Manuela. Aicha comes from a traditional Moroccan family and learned to cook from her mother and grandmother from scratch using only fresh and local ingredients. Aicha only speaks Arabic and Manuela will help translate.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (5-25 guests) Manuela's riad is traditionally decorated with Moroccan arts and crafts and has a beautiful garden area and terrace. Your meal will be served in the dining area, an open space in the middle of the riad or on the terrace on hot days. For the meal, you can expect to be served a soup, either harira or bissara, a starter of briouatte (a sweet or savory puff pastry) or zaalouk (salad of cooked aubergine and tomatoes), and a main dish, a traditional tajine (which can be vegetarian or meat or fish-based) or pastilla (Moroccan meat pie) or tanjia (typical dish of Marrakech) or cous cous. End your meal with a dessert, either traditional Moroccan dessert cigars with cinnamon and apples or briouatte chocolate.

Cooking experience: (1-8 guests) Learn to cook 2-3 dishes in a hands-on cooking class with Aicha (Manuela will be present to help translate). The cooking portion of the experience will last for 1-2 hours and you will learn to make a traditional Moroccan appetizer, main dish and dessert.

Market visit: (1-30 guests) Meet Manuela at the riad and then walk together to the Mellah market, which is a beautiful old market in a Jewish area of Marrakech. This market is bustling with activity and is a major source of spices, food, meat, flowers and other household goods. Manuela will talk about Morocco’s rich history while you walk through the market to buy a few ingredients for your cooking class.

Please note that markets are usually closed on Friday afternoons.

Notes: Manuela can offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and halal meals on request. The riad is also used as a guest house, so you might see other guests during your experience. Your Traveling Spoon experience will be private.

Languages spoken: Italian, Spanish, English, French, Arabic, Darija

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Moroccan salad
  • Bissara (fava beans soup)
  • Tajine (chicken or minced meat or vegetables or fish)
  • Cous Cous (with vegetable, meat and tfeia)
  • Mahalabyyia (milk cream with dry fruits)
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.

Manuela has been in the tourism industry for a while and now owns her own Riad. You will fly with her in the bustling streets of the Mellah and hit the market with local people. You will meet authentic vendors that are really welcoming. The Riad is simply amazing with an interior garden and dining area. All decorated with Moroccan arts and crafts. You can also enjoy the terrace while the food is cooking. The food was so fresh and delicious. Aicha, the chef, will explain to you the regional cuisine and different spices and how to use them. If you want to enjoy 'la dolce vita' type of experience, in a Moroccan way, this is for you!

Chamsi, Traveling Spoon Ambassador

Traveler reviews

5.0 (1)
We loved our cooking class and market tour with Manuela’s team. Monriad is lovely (worth a stay there too), the food was delicious, and we learned a lot about Morocco and its food. Would highly recommend!
- adamsigelman November 12, 2018
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Manuela

$50-$100 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
Not offered Not offered $50
Cooking Experience + Meal
$74 $68 $64
Market Tour + Meal
$88 $80 $72
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$100 $92 $84
Transportation
$34 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
Not offered Not offered $50
Cooking Experience + Meal
$74 $68 $64
Market Tour + Meal
$88 $80 $72
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$100 $92 $84
Transportation
$34 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
11:00am-2:00pm 5:00pm-8:00pm
Market Tour+ Meal
11:30am-2:30pm 5:30pm-8:30pm
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
10:30am-2:30pm 5:00pm-9:00pm

Meet Manuela

Manuela is originally Italian and has been part of the travel industry for many years. She moved to Morocco with her family and bought a beautiful riad (a traditional Moroccan-style home built around an open courtyard) in an old Jewish neighborhood. Aicha is the chef at the riad and hosts together with Manuela. Aicha comes from a traditional Moroccan family and learned to cook from her mother and grandmother from scratch using only fresh and local ingredients. Aicha only speaks Arabic and Manuela will help translate.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (5-25 guests) Manuela's riad is traditionally decorated with Moroccan arts and crafts and has a beautiful garden area and terrace. Your meal will be served in the dining area, an open space in the middle of the riad or on the terrace on hot days. For the meal, you can expect to be served a soup, either harira or bissara, a starter of briouatte (a sweet or savory puff pastry) or zaalouk (salad of cooked aubergine and tomatoes), and a main dish, a traditional tajine (which can be vegetarian or meat or fish-based) or pastilla (Moroccan meat pie) or tanjia (typical dish of Marrakech) or cous cous. End your meal with a dessert, either traditional Moroccan dessert cigars with cinnamon and apples or briouatte chocolate.

Cooking experience: (1-8 guests) Learn to cook 2-3 dishes in a hands-on cooking class with Aicha (Manuela will be present to help translate). The cooking portion of the experience will last for 1-2 hours and you will learn to make a traditional Moroccan appetizer, main dish and dessert.

Market visit: (1-30 guests) Meet Manuela at the riad and then walk together to the Mellah market, which is a beautiful old market in a Jewish area of Marrakech. This market is bustling with activity and is a major source of spices, food, meat, flowers and other household goods. Manuela will talk about Morocco’s rich history while you walk through the market to buy a few ingredients for your cooking class.

Please note that markets are usually closed on Friday afternoons.

Notes: Manuela can offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and halal meals on request. The riad is also used as a guest house, so you might see other guests during your experience. Your Traveling Spoon experience will be private.

Languages spoken: Italian, Spanish, English, French, Arabic, Darija

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Moroccan salad
  • Bissara (fava beans soup)
  • Tajine (chicken or minced meat or vegetables or fish)
  • Cous Cous (with vegetable, meat and tfeia)
  • Mahalabyyia (milk cream with dry fruits)
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.

Manuela has been in the tourism industry for a while and now owns her own Riad. You will fly with her in the bustling streets of the Mellah and hit the market with local people. You will meet authentic vendors that are really welcoming. The Riad is simply amazing with an interior garden and dining area. All decorated with Moroccan arts and crafts. You can also enjoy the terrace while the food is cooking. The food was so fresh and delicious. Aicha, the chef, will explain to you the regional cuisine and different spices and how to use them. If you want to enjoy 'la dolce vita' type of experience, in a Moroccan way, this is for you!

Chamsi, Traveling Spoon Ambassador

Traveler reviews

5.0 (1)
We loved our cooking class and market tour with Manuela’s team. Monriad is lovely (worth a stay there too), the food was delicious, and we learned a lot about Morocco and its food. Would highly recommend!
- adamsigelman November 12, 2018
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
Not offered Not offered $50
Cooking Experience + Meal
$74 $68 $64
Market Tour + Meal
$88 $80 $72
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$100 $92 $84
Transportation
$34 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
Not offered Not offered $50
Cooking Experience + Meal
$74 $68 $64
Market Tour + Meal
$88 $80 $72
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$100 $92 $84
Transportation
$34 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
11:00am-2:00pm 5:00pm-8:00pm
Market Tour+ Meal
11:30am-2:30pm 5:30pm-8:30pm
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
10:30am-2:30pm 5:00pm-9:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.