Puerto Rican Pasteles-Making Experience

Learn the tradition. Make your own. Share a meal with us.

Pasteles are more than just food—they're a Puerto Rican holiday tradition and a true labor of love.

For many Puerto Rican families, making pasteles means gathering together around a table, preparing the ingredients, wrapping pasteles, sharing stories and getting ready for the holidays. It's a process, and that's part of what makes them so special.

This holiday season, we're inviting you into our family's tradition at Jay's Latin Kitchen.

Join us at El Swampo Pavilion for a small, hands-on Pasteles-Making Experience where we'll teach you how traditional Puerto Rican pasteles are made from beginning to end—and then we'll sit down and enjoy a Puerto Rican holiday meal together.

What You'll Learn

We'll start by introducing the ingredients that go into our family's pasteles and walking you through the entire process.

You'll learn about the vegetables and green bananas used to make the masa, how they're prepared, how we season and prepare the meat, and the other ingredients that give pasteles their distinctive flavor. We'll walk you through all of the steps we've prepared ahead of the class and provide recipe sheets for you to take home.

We'll also have ingredients displayed in different stages of preparation so you can see how everything transforms into the finished masa and filling.

Then it's time to get your hands dirty!

We'll demonstrate how to build, fold, wrap and tie a pastel before you make your own. You'll visit our Pasteles Filling Bar to gather your ingredients and customize your pasteles before heading back to your table to assemble and wrap them.

You'll also have the option to choose pork or chicken as your protein when purchasing your ticket so we can have everything prepared and ready for you.

No raisins? We won't judge. 😉😂

Then We Eat! 🍽️

One of the pasteles you make will go straight into the pot so you can enjoy your own creation before the class is over.

We'll finish our time together by sitting down for a traditional Puerto Rican holiday meal featuring:

  • Pasteles

  • Arroz con Gandules

  • Ensalada de Papa

Because making pasteles is about more than learning a recipe. It's about gathering around the table and sharing food together.

And You'll Take Some Home 🇵🇷

The experience doesn't end when you leave.

Each participant will take home six pasteles to enjoy later, along with instructions for storing and preparing them at home.

Your experience includes:

  • Approximately 2 hours of hands-on instruction

  • Introduction to the ingredients, recipe and preparation process

  • Step-by-step pastel assembly and wrapping instruction

  • Your own pasteles to build and wrap

  • A Puerto Rican holiday meal

  • 6 pasteles to take home

  • Recipe sheets, storage and cooking instructions

  • A little piece of our family's Puerto Rican holiday tradition ❤️

Small Classes — Only 12 Seats Available

We want this to be an intimate experience with plenty of time for hands-on help and demonstrations as needed—not just watching from across the room.

For that reason, each class will be limited to just 12 participants, allowing plenty of time for instruction, questions and help along the way.

Price: $95 per person

Advance reservations are required. Due to the preparation involved, limited class size and the interest we've already received, we expect tickets to fill quickly.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT

From Our Family to Yours ❤️

Many of the foods we serve at Jay's Latin Kitchen have a story behind them, and pasteles are no exception.

We're excited to open up our kitchen, share a little more of our Puerto Rican heritage with you, and hopefully send you home knowing not only how to make pasteles—but why this tradition means so much to the families who make them year after year.

Come cook, eat, learn and celebrate the holidays with us.

¡Buen provecho y felices fiestas! 🇵🇷

 

Unveiling the Artistry of Puerto Rican Pasteles: A Culinary Tapestry of Tradition, Crafted with Love

In the bustling kitchen of a quaint Puerto Rican restaurant, the tantalizing aroma of simmering pork, roasted red peppers, and the earthy blend of green bananas, plantains, malanga, yautia, and pumpkin squash fills the air. Here, the art of making Puerto Rican pasteles is not just a culinary tradition; it's a cherished family legacy.

This laborious yet lovingly crafted recipe hails from Jay's grandmother, a culinary matriarch whose expertise has been passed down through generations. Jay, along with her dedicated family, gathers each year to embark on a heartfelt journey of creating dozens and dozens of these delectable parcels for the restaurant.

The process begins with the careful selection and preparation of the masa, a blend of ingredients that gives Puerto Rican pasteles their distinctive taste and texture. The kitchen is a hive of activity as green bananas, plantains, malanga, yautia, and pumpkin squash are peeled, grated, and transformed into a velvety dough – the foundation of this culinary masterpiece.

The filling, a symphony of flavors inspired by Jay's grandmother's time-honored recipe, is a meticulous combination of succulent pork, smoky roasted red peppers, briny olives, sweet raisins, and hearty garbanzo beans. Each ingredient is chosen with precision, creating a harmony that reflects the rich culinary heritage of Puerto Rico.

The assembly of pasteles is a communal affair, a tradition that brings the family together in a joyful celebration of their shared culture. As banana leaves are carefully spread with masa, filled with the savory medley, and expertly folded and tied, the kitchen becomes a canvas for a culinary masterpiece that transcends time.

To share the love and tradition with the community, the restaurant offers pre-ordering of these handmade delicacies throughout the holiday season. Each pastel is a labor of love, a testament to the dedication of Jay and her family in preserving and sharing the authentic flavors of Puerto Rican cuisine.

So, as the holidays approach, consider adding a touch of tradition to your celebrations by pre-ordering these culinary treasures. Savor the flavors, feel the love, and experience the artistry that is Puerto Rican pasteles – a cherished family recipe brought to life with every bite.