Seasons of my Heart

Chef Susana Trilling and Chef Kaelin Ulrich’s collaborative Traditional Oaxacan Cooking School

Meet Chef Kaelin

Kaelin, raised in Oaxaca, developed a deep appreciation for food and Mexican cultural traditions while growing up in a family immersed in cooking. He spent his youth at his mother's cooking school, Seasons of My Heart, and accompanied her on various TV programs, including the PBS series, Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey through Oaxaca, Mexico. Inspired by his mother's commitment to authenticity, Kaelin recognized the transformative power of cooking. He values the practice of growing one's own produce and sourcing quality ingredients, which he learned while working on his father's tomato farm.

In 2010, Kaelin started as a line cook at Omni La Mansion del Rio in San Antonio, TX. He then progressed to become the lead line cook at Omni's Mokara Hotel and Spa in 2012. Kaelin continued his culinary journey as a sous chef at Hugo's in Houston, TX, specializing in Mexican cuisine. He further honed his skills as a sous chef at Caracol, focusing on Mexican coastal cuisine. In 2015, Kaelin became the executive chef at Bajo Sexto Taco in Nashville, TN. in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Seeking new experiences, he staged at renowned establishments like Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Eleven Madison Park, and Noma's pop-up restaurant in Tulum, MX in 2017. In 2018 Kaelin served as a Chef Consultant at the Michelin-starred Oxomoco, a wood-burning Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn, NYC. After Oxomoco, Kaelin opened La Calenda for renowned Chef Thomas Keller in Yountville California, an authentic Mexican restaurant.  In  early 2022 he moved back home to Oaxaca, but he is still an active chef consultant for La Calenda.

Kaelin's journey has now led him to Seasons of My Heart Cooking School, where he has joined as a partner and CEO, bringing his passion for Mexican cuisine and commitment to authenticity.


Meet Chef Susana - The Founder

Susana Trilling is a chef, teacher, caterer, author, TV host, food consultant and directora of Seasons of My Heart Cooking School. She started to cook professionally in 1974 and her first chef job was in 1976. She was a sous chef at Sweetish Hill and Fonda San Miguel in Austin, Texas.

She was a chef/owner of 2 NYC restaurants in the '80s, Rick’s Lounge and Bon Temps Rouler, and ran her catering business, Seasons of my Heart. She was invited to cook in Fremantle, W. Australia for the America’s Cup race.

Susana has lived in Oaxaca since 1988, where her two sons were born and raised on their ranch outside of the city.

Classes and catering had very humble beginnings in her home kitchen and Bed and Breakfast in 1993. In 1999, the SEASONS OF MY HEART Cooking School was formally inaugurated in a beautiful handmade space housed under a huge dome in a rural setting.  It's been called "the  temple of good food " and is a wonderful place to host classes, parties, events, filming, etc.

Currently doing food consulting and teaching online.

Although I have explored many different types of cooking in my forty+ years of being a chef, La Cocina Mexicana is the closest to my heart. My maternal grandmother used to run a little fonda in Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Her Tex-Mex food was based on the most incredibly chewy flour tortillas, crispy corn chalupa shells stuffed with pinto beans, and exceptional hot tamales. The cupboard was full of her famous homemade jams, fruit of the large variety of trees she nurtured in her yard.

As a child, her kitchen was the center of my universe. Something about the aromas and the language spoken over steaming cups of coffee seemed exotic and mysterious and was embraced wholeheartedly.

Oaxaca invited a deep appreciation of Old Mexico and the mixture of cultures. Here, time had stood still and I was enchanted by every burro laden with corn going to the mill; every horse-drawn cart filled with alfalfa for the cows and horses and I was filled with laughter at the sight of the strutting guajolote, wild turkey, puffing up his chest, to impress his mate.

I admire the women who balance huge trays of watermelon slices or other countless products on their heads; carry babies on their backs in woven rebozos, and maintain beautiful altars for their patron saints in their homes and market stalls. Now, after living here many years, I still love to explore the village markets and see many changes, but still feel the magic, see the beauty, and am eager to always learn more about the histories and the stories.

When I came to Oaxaca, I was introduced to the other end of the food chain. I had long been a chef, but had never grown a thing in my life. I actually thought that beans grew on trees! What a revelation to grow, harvest, and eat my own produce! The village neighbors and market women nurtured my biggest passion– the Oaxacan kitchen and its enormous range of delicacies.

I really felt a part of the community when my partner and I grew flowers for Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) and I sold them door-to-door. The village women proudly shared with me the traditions surrounding their holidays. In some villages, the ancient food customs have been preserved for over 1,000 years, and that is what gives the food its unique flavor, as well as spectacular native produce grown for these special occasions. 

Worldwide fascination with the culinary delights of Oaxacan cuisine has earned recognition as a very special place, with a unique cooking style. This is why I love to be here, teaching and cooking real Mexican food.

In 1993 I wrote My Search for the Seventh Mole, my first cover story for Chile Pepper Magazine that became my first published book, now in its 5th printing!

In 1999, I published my second book, Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey through Oaxaca, Mexico (Ballantine Books), and hosted a 13 part TV series for PBS by the same name. In 2000,  the cooking school moved out of my home kitchen, and the “Temple of Cooking ”was inaugurated, initiating a whole new phase in teaching, catering, and hosting people from all over the world. 

In 2016,  Milpa: From Seed to Salsa, written and published in collaboration with CEDICAM and others about rural Mixteca Alta farmer's sustainability projects and system of growing organically. 

My current writing project is a collection of vignettes and short stories from the essence of Mexico….about the people, places, and recipes that have come into my life.

My favorite aspects of work today in this new era are the online video classes, online events, and consulting for restaurants and other chef collaborations. 

Films & TV

  • Seasons of My Heart, a Culinary Journey through Oaxaca, Mexico, 13 part PBS series

  • Two Hot Tamales, Mary Sue Miligan and Susan Feniger

  • BBC The World on a Plate, Lloyd Grossman

  • A Cook's Tour with Anthony Bourdain 

  • One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless 

  • Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern 

  • At the Table with….. Food Network Canada

  • The Diary of a Foodie, Gourmet Magazine

  • Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin 

  • Discovery Channel 

  • National Geographic

  • TVNZ Peta takes Off, Peta Mathias MNZM

Magazines

  • Forbes The Top 5 Cooking Schools in the World

  • Travel and Leisure       

  • Gourmet 

  • Saveur

  • Bon Appetit 

  • Business Week Blomberg

  • Food Arts

  • Texas Monthly 

  • Fortune

  • Chile Pepper Magazine

  • Eating Well 

  • Cooking Light 

Consultancies, Participations & Awards

  • Culinary Director and Culinary Advisor to  Rosa Mexicano Restaurant chain 2007 -2011

  • Guest chef exhibitor Mexican Embassies in the USA, Europe and Canada

  • Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oaxacan International Food and Wine Festival 2002

  • Espiga De Oro Award 2012 

  • Food and Wine Festival, Santa Fe, Austin,Tx

  • Cacao Festival, Miami 

  • CIA San Antonio Annual Paella Challenge 2011- 2020 (First Place 2020)

Teaching & Memberships

  • CIA Greystone

  • Instituto Universitario de Oaxaca

  • Slow Food International

  • Slow Food Oaxaca Guaje- leader

  • International Association of Culinary Professionals

  • Mexican Mycology Association

Books from Susana

  • My Search for the Seventh Mole (first explorations of village life) self-published 1994

  • Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey through Oaxaca, Mexico Ballantine Books 1999. Accompanied by 13-part PBS series of the same name

  • Sazón de Mi Corazón, un Gran Recorrido Culinario, Editorial Diana

  • ¡Milpa! From Seed to Salsa, Ancient Ingredients for a Sustainable Future 2015