into the heart of oaxaca
Dia de Muertos
Oct 25-nov 3, 2026 | 10 Days
During this season in Oaxaca, families build altars to honor their loved ones, prepare the foods that belonged to the transcended, visit gravesides and celebrate together through ritual and long-standing traditions. This isn't a tour where you observe from the outside. This is Kaelin's invitation into that world as part of their family.
Chef Kaelin grew up in Etla between his mother's cooking school and his father's tomato ranch. Día de Muertos is his favorite time of year. Every Day of the Dead, he celebrates with the Oaxacan families and artisans he's known for years, cooking, eating and sharing at their tables. On this journey, he brings you into those relationships.
Our latest news from the kitchen
This spring we launched specialty cooking classes at the ranch: four focused, full-day experiences, each built around one of Oaxaca's most important culinary traditions. Designed for private groups, it’s a hands-on journey from start to finish.
DAY EXPERIENCE
Market Tour & Cooking Class
A full day of Oaxacan cooking, from the market to kitchen and recipes to take home.
Since 1994
FOOD Tours in mexico
OUR STORY
Susana Trilling arrived in Oaxaca in the late 1980s with a question: how do you learn to cook in a place that isn't yours? She answered by settling in, building real relationships and opening her home to students. Thirty years later, Rancho Aurora remains the center of everything we do. Today, led by her son Kaelin, Seasons of My Heart offers cooking classes, week-long immersions and culinary tours throughout Mexico and Europe. But the foundation hasn't changed: the belief that food is learned best when you're sitting at the table with the people who know it.
COOKING CLASSES
Explore our themed cooking classes at our ranch in the beautiful Etla Valley
FOOD TOURS
Seasonal curated tours to culinary destinations in Oaxaca, Mexico City, Yucatán and Europe
CHEF’S INTENSIVE
We teach young and seasoned chefs in the Oaxacan and Mexican food traditions
CHef’s Table
A dinner experience at the ranch celebrating our native and local ingredients
Discover Oaxaca
October 1-8, 2026
DEcember 3-10, 2026
AN immersion INTO OAXACAN CULTURE
Your gateway to exploring Oaxaca’s vibrant culture through its extraordinary gastronomy. Whether it’s your first visit or your seventh, this enchanting region promises new discoveries as you delve into its culinary traditions, rich history, and cultural heritage.
Chef Kaelin’s Newsletter
Relleno Blanco: A dish I'd never heard before
Cooking underground in Pomuch, Campeche: Relleno Blanco Yucateco
I never know what we're going to cook at Diego's.
That's part of why I love going. Our Yucatán tour always passes through Campeche, the colonial city with a vibrant market, before we drive 40 minutes north to Pomuch, a small Mayan village.