Private Traditional Balinese Cooking Experience and Garden Tour in Ubud

This was such a perfect way to spend our day. A drive into the hills from our accommodation to our meeting point was well worth it. Dewa was such an excellent teacher and guide who shared cultural information, stories and his cooking skills and knowledge with us. We came away feeling we had experienced something very special.

Spent 10 days in Bali and this was the absolute highlight. My wife and were looking for a traditional cultural experience and Dewa gave it to us. Being invited into his family home for a meal was an honor and priviledge. This is far more than just a cooking class.

Dewa was so kind and shared lots of stories with us about Bali, the customs, history, traditions. It was a very special experience, one we will never forget.

The trek, the tour, the whole experience was life changing and powerful! Dewa is poignant and wise and lives with a wonderful philosophy that is at peace with his environment and has given me food for thought. The food to eat was even more delicious and I’m keen to try the recipes out when back home

Words cannot describe this experience, there is no doubt that this 'tour' is worth your time. Dewa is beyond authentic, with a smile and a calm voice, he opened the doors not only to his house and village, but to a philosophy of life that holds more truth than anything we own or desire, one that allows us to exist beyond ourselves in close connectedness to nature and the seasons, community and cycles of life. The food we cooked under the family's guidance was delicious, varied and plenty, and I do not exaggerate to say that some of Dewa's words have had an irreversible, amazingly positive impact on my life. Yet, even if adding spiritual light onto your path while in Ubud is that's not what interests you, the time walking around the 'garden', and the discovery of the different wholesome ingredients that are included in these traditional recipes is just a time of simplicity, fun and joy. Also note that this is not one of the tours where there's many other people with you, it's a private tour and has a very different feel not that the other are not usually good, but this was the best cooking tour i've personally done- you also get to keep the recipes. A rich sharing experience that is worth every cent and more. Dewa, thank you so much for your light, Adrien and I shall carry it always. Until we meet again Sensei, I wish you and your family good health and happiness- Astrid.

We were in Bali for 10 days on our honeymoon and were excited to do a cooking class initially looking at some small group classes when we stumbled on this experience. Our time with the host, Dewa was truly a blessing and amazing experience!!! First, this is an incredibly authentic experience.... Dewa met us at a hotel close to his home we were in the vicinity and suggested coming to him and took us first on a walking tour of the local gardens, rice fields allotted to his home and neighbors and also local forest area. He explained so much about the agriculture, the history of Bali, the indigenous and also alien species of plants, herbs etc. We learnt why Balinese families have dogs, and also ducks and so much about the history of the people, the volcanic lands etc. Then back at his traditional compound, we were invited in and had a wonderful experience hands on preparing a multi-course meal, learning about the medicinal uses of all of the spices and ingredients drinking lemon grass tea over a series of days is a natural mosquito repellent!. We had extra food from our class and Dewa asked if we would like to bring our guide and driver who were waiting for us to the meal and they were blown away with the food we made. The is part cooking class, part cultural experience, and part insight into the wonderful mindset of the Balinese people.....thoroughly recommend!!

WOW... I was truly blown away by how good this experience was, I HIGHLY recommend!!!! My partner and I did this on Thursday 3rd August, we stayed at The Stones in Kuta for our week holiday and made the drive out to Ubud, allow a good 2 hours we were a little late due to traffic Dewa and his family are the most kind, loving family, the food was beyond amazing and was so much fun to cook and prepare the meals with them, we also got to keep the recipes!! Their village, home and history behind their generation is stunning. I couldn't recommend this anymore! its a must do! I will be going back to visit them once I return to Bali.

This was definitely an experience, a gift. Thank you Dewa. We love to cook with the best of ingredients and this wonderful opportunity broadened our understanding of so much more. The support given to the local village by Travelling Spoon inc is also a revelation giving a chance for tourists to get up close and involved in village life. Dewa was the prefect host, we learned a lot about Buddhist philosophy and Balinese way of life. And of course the food we prepared was heavenly to us.A big plus seeing the plants growing in the garden and having the recipes to make a similar feast we we get back home. Many thanks Dewa.

Dewa was a most interesting guide and imparted a variety of very interesting facts about the lifestyle and views of the people of his village. Everyone we met was very welcoming and friendly and the whole experience was excellent. Primed with the knowledge of the way that Dewa's village viewed food and it's position in their lifestyle, we weren't expecting very much when it came to lunch how wrong we were! Dewa and a lady from the village explained how to prepare each course of a 7 course lunch menu which involved corn fritters, two chicken dishes and an excellent soya bean dish accompanied by 2 salad courses and a banana fritter dessert. We were involved in the preparation of each dish and each element was explained so that we could write down the recipes. After lunch, we were taken around the garden where the various fruits, vegetables and herbs were shown to us. This was followed by a visit to an area where students were learning art and we were introduced to their teacher and enjoyed a locally prepared coffee. Overall a very enjoyable experience that I would recommend to anyone with a view to learning a little more about Balinese food and culture.

Cooking with Dewa was one of the best culinary experiences I have had! My travel partner and I are both avid travelers, adventurous cooks, and food enthusiasts. Dewa provided an exceptional educational and culinary experience- we both had good opportunity to learn and assist with the cooking process. I felt fully at peace, grateful, and most importantly, FULL, when we concluded our experience. HIGHLY recommended.