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Host: Rossy

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

USD
$26-$40 per person

Traditional Dominican cuisine with a charming grandmother in Santo Domingo

Host offerings
  • House
  • Home cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Rossy

Rossy is a business administrator for a Montesorri school and lives with her daughter, a dentist. She and her husband own an organic cacao farm so her husband commutes a lot. Rossy is passionate about nature, people, reading, photography, art, dance, and growing orchids. She loves being a host so other people can know her Dominican culture and eat the delicious cuisine. When you go to the restaurants in the city rarely do they have Dominican food so she loves to serve it at home.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-6 guests) Venture 10 minutes outside the Zona Colonial into the beautiful residential neighborhood of Gascue and dine with a charming local. Rossy lives in an apartment constructed by her grandfather, a lovely home whose walls are lined with her daughter's art as well as traditional Dominican plates featuring the works of famous Dominican artists. Don’t miss out on the beautiful orchids that she lovingly cares for or her dimpled smile as she serves you traditional Dominican food created from recipes passed down by her mother and mother-in-law.

Start off with a crunchy appetizer of casabe (yuca bread with a garlic, cilantro and cream cheese sauce) as you chat with Rossy in her living room. Then move to the dining table to enjoy an authentic sancocho (an exquisite stew of chicken, pork and a medley of root vegetables including the native Dominican tubers, ñame and yautia) served with with rice. Rossy mixes up the menu so you can get anything from asopao (a rice-based soup), mangu (mashed plantains), arroz con pollo (one-pot chicken and rice), habichuelas (beans) and platano frito (fried plantains). End the meal with homemade dulce de leche or dulce de coco and coffee, or email her in advance for her special hot chocolate made from her farm-grown cacao.

Cooking experience: (1-6 guests) Learn to cook 2-3 traditional Dominican dishes such as sancocho and platano frito (fried plantains) in Rossy's kitchen. You can expect to cook for about 1-2 hours before enjoying the meal with Rossy at her dining table.

Notes: Rossy is available to host dinner experiences daily but can only offer cooking and/or lunch experiences on weekends.

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Traveler reviews

5.0 (13)
We had delicious and authentic homemade food with Rossy at her home! This was a great and memorable experience for us. We learned how to make sancocho soup while talking about local life. We mostly spent time making sancocho, a Dominican soup with many ingredients, as well as rice and avocado. Rossy also had some cassava cakes, flan, coffee and drinks to accompany it. She also knows English very well and described all of the foods and tricks to make it correctly. We were welcome to help as much as we wanted to. I definitely recommend participating as much as possible to get the best experience and memory. Later, she sent the recipe for us to try at home. I hope to make the same dish here as well very soon. A car was arranged to pick us up to and from her place. Any questions we had were answered promptly on WhatsApp.
- larsr862 January 15, 2024
This was a wonderful experience. If you are in Santo Domingo, and looking for a cultural and authentic experience then do not hesitate to book this. Rossi was very hospitable and welcoming and the food was delicious! I am excited to bring what i learned with Rossi home with me. An unforgettable experience! :)
- Aaandres November 08, 2023
Rossy was an absolute delight. She made sure we were safely picked up and escorted home and her meal was delicious. We felt like we truly had an authentic Dominican experience. Would highly recommend.
- Travelerz September 12, 2023
Grandma Rosie and her family were wonderful! They thought us so much about the culture and history of the Dominican Republic. They gave us tips and tricks to get around town and made us feel like family. The dish was amazing. I can’t wait to try to make it at home. The rice and beans were so good. And the chicken was easy to make but tasted gourmet. Bonus their daughter shoots archery, which we are in town for a world tournament.
- Deanna September 25, 2022
Rossy was an absolute delight. She made sure we were safely picked up and escorted home and her meal was delicious. We felt like we truly had an authentic Dominican experience. Would highly recommend.
- TRavel_H September 12, 2022
Rossy and her husband were the sweetest couple. Rossy greeted us with homemade hot chocolate from cacao beans from their farm. We then made sancocho, rice and a coconut dessert. one of the husband and boyfriend came and enjoyed visiting with Rossy husband while we cooked. It was a wonderful meal and only wished we had more time with them to learn more.Rossy did say that she would send us recipes, but it would be great to have the recipes pre printed so that we could take home with us as a souvenir. This is definitely one of the high lights of Santo Domingo
- tjv967 April 12, 2019
The cooking experience with Rossy, Emily and Nelson was the highlight of our trip to the Dominican Republic! We cooked delicious sancocho, we danced merengue and had a lot of fun with this warm and welcoming family. We will recommend Rossy's cooking experience to all of our friends!
- andraic March 26, 2019
Along with a wonderful evening of learning how to make Dominican classics, Rossy and Emily shared their fantastic base sauce that makes all the difference and their great knowledge of Dominican culinary history and culture. When they realized I already knew how to make one thing they'd planned, they made a last minute shift to introduce me to something new! Their generosity, kindness, and love of great food ensured a delightful evening.
- kelyval February 22, 2019
We were looking for a truly local experience. Cooking with Rossy and her daughter was exactly that! They made us feel so welcome. They not only shared information about the dishes, but about their family. It felt like joining a new family rather than intruding or observing. The ideal context for learning about a new cuisine.We learned how to make a couple of delicious dishes in the exact way you want a vacation: A hands on experience balanced with a relaxed setting. You are invited to participate as you felt comfortable doing. Cooking is incredibly fun, but eating is even better. You experience a family meal, complete with laughter and a massive food coma. Just as we thought we couldn't eat another bite, they brought out dessert that was too tempting to refuse. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a truly unique and authentic experience!
- Klaboratory February 17, 2019
A wonderful Experience. Rossy and her daughter cooked and prepared the most delicious meal, a true Dominican authentic fresh and tasty meal, followed by a lovely desert and cafecito, the conversation and fellowship was most enjoyable.I highly recommended this experience to those who visit Santo Domingo in the Dominican republic
- Robert December 07, 2018
This cooking class was exactly what we were looking for. The family welcomed us into their beautiful home and we learned about each other as we cooked authentic Dominican food. The family spoke English with us during the experience. We made a chicken dish, rice and beans and cooked plantains in many different ways including Tostones. We enjoyed a Dominican beer as we cooked and chatted and gained tips on how to cook the various dishes. Rossy and Emily, Rossy's daughter, were our main teachers in the kitchen and Nelson, Rossy's husband, chatted alongside. After we cooked we ate the grand feast together in their dining room. During our discussion we shared about our lives, both work and pleasure, and world politics. Emily made a delicious flan dessert as well! This was a great experience and also gay friendly!
- Kendra M November 25, 2018
Rossy and Emily were the best hosts! Very involved in the project, open and kind people. We had great time cooking with them, but also chatting, dancing and learning about domician culture :) It was amazing experience.
- Marta & Laura May 09, 2018
I think overall, the experience was quite good. Rossy and her daughter, Emily, were nice hosts to speak with about local culture. The sancocho was delicious and it was nice to find out that it is usually made on special occasions. Since it was my birthday, the family even brought out a candle and sang me happy birthday, and I was so touched. It was a great memory. I have 2 small suggestions. 1) Rossy was very nice and prepared and cut the ingredients in advance, which sped things up, but it would be nice that she let the visitors be a little more hands on. 2) We made one dish (we ate 2 since Rossy had made dessert), but because we were only making one thing, there was a lot of downtime in between, where we just went back to the dining room to talk. Perhaps, it may be good to add one more dish to the menu and to make that as well.
- SantoDomingoTraveller March 12, 2017
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Rossy

$26-$40 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
$34 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$40 $36 $34
Alcohol
$4 per person
Transportation
$24 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
$34 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$40 $36 $34
Alcohol
$4 per person
Transportation
$24 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
12:00pm-2:00pm 7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
11:00am-2:00pm 6:00pm-9:00pm

Meet Rossy

Rossy is a business administrator for a Montesorri school and lives with her daughter, a dentist. She and her husband own an organic cacao farm so her husband commutes a lot. Rossy is passionate about nature, people, reading, photography, art, dance, and growing orchids. She loves being a host so other people can know her Dominican culture and eat the delicious cuisine. When you go to the restaurants in the city rarely do they have Dominican food so she loves to serve it at home.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-6 guests) Venture 10 minutes outside the Zona Colonial into the beautiful residential neighborhood of Gascue and dine with a charming local. Rossy lives in an apartment constructed by her grandfather, a lovely home whose walls are lined with her daughter's art as well as traditional Dominican plates featuring the works of famous Dominican artists. Don’t miss out on the beautiful orchids that she lovingly cares for or her dimpled smile as she serves you traditional Dominican food created from recipes passed down by her mother and mother-in-law.

Start off with a crunchy appetizer of casabe (yuca bread with a garlic, cilantro and cream cheese sauce) as you chat with Rossy in her living room. Then move to the dining table to enjoy an authentic sancocho (an exquisite stew of chicken, pork and a medley of root vegetables including the native Dominican tubers, ñame and yautia) served with with rice. Rossy mixes up the menu so you can get anything from asopao (a rice-based soup), mangu (mashed plantains), arroz con pollo (one-pot chicken and rice), habichuelas (beans) and platano frito (fried plantains). End the meal with homemade dulce de leche or dulce de coco and coffee, or email her in advance for her special hot chocolate made from her farm-grown cacao.

Cooking experience: (1-6 guests) Learn to cook 2-3 traditional Dominican dishes such as sancocho and platano frito (fried plantains) in Rossy's kitchen. You can expect to cook for about 1-2 hours before enjoying the meal with Rossy at her dining table.

Notes: Rossy is available to host dinner experiences daily but can only offer cooking and/or lunch experiences on weekends.

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Traveler reviews

5.0 (13)
We had delicious and authentic homemade food with Rossy at her home! This was a great and memorable experience for us. We learned how to make sancocho soup while talking about local life. We mostly spent time making sancocho, a Dominican soup with many ingredients, as well as rice and avocado. Rossy also had some cassava cakes, flan, coffee and drinks to accompany it. She also knows English very well and described all of the foods and tricks to make it correctly. We were welcome to help as much as we wanted to. I definitely recommend participating as much as possible to get the best experience and memory. Later, she sent the recipe for us to try at home. I hope to make the same dish here as well very soon. A car was arranged to pick us up to and from her place. Any questions we had were answered promptly on WhatsApp.
- larsr862 January 15, 2024
This was a wonderful experience. If you are in Santo Domingo, and looking for a cultural and authentic experience then do not hesitate to book this. Rossi was very hospitable and welcoming and the food was delicious! I am excited to bring what i learned with Rossi home with me. An unforgettable experience! :)
- Aaandres November 08, 2023
Rossy was an absolute delight. She made sure we were safely picked up and escorted home and her meal was delicious. We felt like we truly had an authentic Dominican experience. Would highly recommend.
- Travelerz September 12, 2023
Grandma Rosie and her family were wonderful! They thought us so much about the culture and history of the Dominican Republic. They gave us tips and tricks to get around town and made us feel like family. The dish was amazing. I can’t wait to try to make it at home. The rice and beans were so good. And the chicken was easy to make but tasted gourmet. Bonus their daughter shoots archery, which we are in town for a world tournament.
- Deanna September 25, 2022
Rossy was an absolute delight. She made sure we were safely picked up and escorted home and her meal was delicious. We felt like we truly had an authentic Dominican experience. Would highly recommend.
- TRavel_H September 12, 2022
Rossy and her husband were the sweetest couple. Rossy greeted us with homemade hot chocolate from cacao beans from their farm. We then made sancocho, rice and a coconut dessert. one of the husband and boyfriend came and enjoyed visiting with Rossy husband while we cooked. It was a wonderful meal and only wished we had more time with them to learn more.Rossy did say that she would send us recipes, but it would be great to have the recipes pre printed so that we could take home with us as a souvenir. This is definitely one of the high lights of Santo Domingo
- tjv967 April 12, 2019
The cooking experience with Rossy, Emily and Nelson was the highlight of our trip to the Dominican Republic! We cooked delicious sancocho, we danced merengue and had a lot of fun with this warm and welcoming family. We will recommend Rossy's cooking experience to all of our friends!
- andraic March 26, 2019
Along with a wonderful evening of learning how to make Dominican classics, Rossy and Emily shared their fantastic base sauce that makes all the difference and their great knowledge of Dominican culinary history and culture. When they realized I already knew how to make one thing they'd planned, they made a last minute shift to introduce me to something new! Their generosity, kindness, and love of great food ensured a delightful evening.
- kelyval February 22, 2019
We were looking for a truly local experience. Cooking with Rossy and her daughter was exactly that! They made us feel so welcome. They not only shared information about the dishes, but about their family. It felt like joining a new family rather than intruding or observing. The ideal context for learning about a new cuisine.We learned how to make a couple of delicious dishes in the exact way you want a vacation: A hands on experience balanced with a relaxed setting. You are invited to participate as you felt comfortable doing. Cooking is incredibly fun, but eating is even better. You experience a family meal, complete with laughter and a massive food coma. Just as we thought we couldn't eat another bite, they brought out dessert that was too tempting to refuse. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a truly unique and authentic experience!
- Klaboratory February 17, 2019
A wonderful Experience. Rossy and her daughter cooked and prepared the most delicious meal, a true Dominican authentic fresh and tasty meal, followed by a lovely desert and cafecito, the conversation and fellowship was most enjoyable.I highly recommended this experience to those who visit Santo Domingo in the Dominican republic
- Robert December 07, 2018
This cooking class was exactly what we were looking for. The family welcomed us into their beautiful home and we learned about each other as we cooked authentic Dominican food. The family spoke English with us during the experience. We made a chicken dish, rice and beans and cooked plantains in many different ways including Tostones. We enjoyed a Dominican beer as we cooked and chatted and gained tips on how to cook the various dishes. Rossy and Emily, Rossy's daughter, were our main teachers in the kitchen and Nelson, Rossy's husband, chatted alongside. After we cooked we ate the grand feast together in their dining room. During our discussion we shared about our lives, both work and pleasure, and world politics. Emily made a delicious flan dessert as well! This was a great experience and also gay friendly!
- Kendra M November 25, 2018
Rossy and Emily were the best hosts! Very involved in the project, open and kind people. We had great time cooking with them, but also chatting, dancing and learning about domician culture :) It was amazing experience.
- Marta & Laura May 09, 2018
I think overall, the experience was quite good. Rossy and her daughter, Emily, were nice hosts to speak with about local culture. The sancocho was delicious and it was nice to find out that it is usually made on special occasions. Since it was my birthday, the family even brought out a candle and sang me happy birthday, and I was so touched. It was a great memory. I have 2 small suggestions. 1) Rossy was very nice and prepared and cut the ingredients in advance, which sped things up, but it would be nice that she let the visitors be a little more hands on. 2) We made one dish (we ate 2 since Rossy had made dessert), but because we were only making one thing, there was a lot of downtime in between, where we just went back to the dining room to talk. Perhaps, it may be good to add one more dish to the menu and to make that as well.
- SantoDomingoTraveller March 12, 2017
Read More
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
$34 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$40 $36 $34
Alcohol
$4 per person
Transportation
$24 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
$34 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$40 $36 $34
Alcohol
$4 per person
Transportation
$24 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
12:00pm-2:00pm 7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
11:00am-2:00pm 6:00pm-9:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

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    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

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