Chef Julio Castillon creates the best Mexican salsas, authentic mole tamales, and more. This cooking class features a walking tour of the Mercado “market” the kitchen, and bring your own ingredients. Plus you cook what you eat. Reservations required.  Contact [email protected]

About the Chef and Cooking Class instructor

Originally from Puerto Vallarta, Julio Cesar Castillón Pérez was born in a practically all culinary surrounding along with the founding of the then, Gaby´s, a Mexican fast food, in 1989. “It was a time in which downtown Vallarta was full of life and all the government offices, banks and stores were concentrated in the center of the city, thus, in its first stage, this Mexican fast food was becoming famous even offering the traditional three course meal like many small restaurants called “fonditas” did.”

Although his academic university formation is lawyer, from the UNIVA in Puerto Vallarta, his vocation for the kitchen was never interrupted. “Some time ago, in Puerto Vallarta, there was only one technical career in gastronomy, so I had to wait to study my career that I am about to finish as a lawyer”

For many years, he took professional courses on Italian, French and Mexican cuisine, bakery, administration and cost among others. He also been the assistant to re known chefs and worked in like La Palapa.

Julio is a young dynamic chef with clear ideas a with a high sense if responsibility, he has been a fundamental part in the transformation of Gaby’s restaurant in its new stage in the past nine years.

For him, it is an honor to cook Mexican food, he has taken different specialities that include the development of recipes with pre-Hispanic techniques. “Now, at the restaurant, we have taken the challenge if being the local spoke person of Mexican gastronomy in Puerto Vallarta, that is the reason why I want to continue putting all my efforts to represent it and make it transcend in my city and region”