Farmers Market / Cooking Class

Do you crave the adventure of another kind? Maybe one closer to home, an adventure of the senses? Then let Jamaal Crawford be your guide to the famous San Ignacio Farmer’s Market.

The Market is open every day, but Saturday is the big day when farmers all over the countryside drive-in at 4 o’clock in the morning to set up their stands. Among the labyrinthine corridors, you’ll find mangoes, starfruit, oranges, guavas, papayas, big bananas, green bananas, candy bananas, plantains, clothes, carvings, paintings, flowers, handmade soaps, and more spices than you could use in a year. The Mennonites sell excellent milk, cheese, and homemade granola; a dozen pop-up breakfast shacks will cook a hot meal right in front of you. You’ll be dazzled by the offerings, and Jamaal will act as both your guide and negotiator.

After you’ve had your fill of the market, head up the hill to a homemade meal of Belizean soul food, cooked by master chef Nechisha Crawford, who taught at local high schools for many years. Depending on what the market brings, the menu may sample any of Belize’s many ethnic communities: Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna, Caribbean, Indian, or Chinese.

Dishes may be anything from chicken mole to shrimp ceviche, fried plantain to fried fish, eggs and bacon to traditional Belizean fry jack. Vegetarian and vegan options are available as well. As you eat, enjoy the warm atmosphere and lively conversation of a Belizean household, shaped by influences both old and new.