Get the Family Cooking at Escuela de Arroces y Paella Valenciana

If there’s one activity you should partake in while in Valencia, Spain, it’s a paella-making class at Escuela de Arroces y Paella Valenciana. Valencia is the birthplace of the traditional Spanish dish, so it’s especially fitting to try your hand at crafting your own while in the city. Traditional Valencian paella includes chicken and rabbit, but you can also make a seafood or vegetable version.

Escuela de Arroces y Paella Valenciana © Kimberly Krol

There are three shifts offered, from 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; from 1–5:30 p.m., and from 6 –8:30 p.m. We chose the morning shift, as it included a visit to the central market to shop for ingredients. We arrived a bit before 10 a.m., and checked in while waiting for the others. Once everyone was there, the group headed to the market on foot with the help of our exuberant and friendly guide. There was one family in our group with their young son, highlighting the class’s family-friendly appeal.

Escuela de Arroces y Paella Valenciana © Kimberly Krol

Throughout the day, the guide takes photos of individuals and the group, and those are later emailed to you. It was a nice addition, as it allows for candid photos in the midst of shopping or cooking and shots the group might not get otherwise.

I enjoyed the market visit; the place can be chaotic, so it was helpful to have a guide navigate and provide more information on the ingredients we’d use. As we had some people in our group making seafood paella, we also visited the fish section of the market.

Escuela de Arroces y Paella Valenciana © Kimberly Krol

Once back at the school, we donned our provided aprons and chef’s hats and got to work with the on-site chef. Adding the accessories is another family-friendly aspect to the class. We grated, shucked beans, browned meat, stirred and more as our paella came to life. While the ingredients simmered for 30 minutes, we were treated to traditional Spanish foods, like tortilla Española, as a first course, paired with delicious Spanish wines. Once the paella simmered, we added the rice and the finishing touches, before sitting down to enjoy. It was delicious — probably even tastier considering we’d made it ourselves.

After dessert, everyone in the group received a diploma and a traditional wooden spoon that is used to eat the paella, and posed for a photo with the chef. The afternoon was filled with laughs and fun, and it’s an outing anyone would enjoy, even non-cooks.