Meet Your Tour Guides

Chef Zaida Soriano has been making fresh corn tortillas and cooking authentic Oaxacan cuisine under her business Zaida’s Kitchen for a decade. Her daughter, Caroline Kent, has been influenced by her mothers culture and was drawn to handmade craft and the incredible indigenous artisans behind the works of art. This led her to launch her own brand, Mano Made, which connects her with dozens of artisan families throughout Mexico and beyond.

  • Founder of Zaida’s Kitchen, a business based on the love of Oaxacan cuisine, fresh, organic and high quality ingredients.

    Chef Zaida has 15+ years worth of experience as a cooking class instructor.

Zaida grew up in the city of Oaxaca and moved to the U.S. when she was 15 years old. Caroline moved to Oaxaca in 2020, where she resided for a year and a half. The two of them have a special relationship with this sacred land of their ancestors. This tour will blend the authentic traditional side with the modern contemporary side Oaxaca has to offer.

  • Founder of Mano Made, a brand created from the love of slow living, objects made with intention and sustainable materials.

    Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from UCSC