The new Guatemalan-U.S. partnership Cultiva Tours educates foodies about the charming qualities of Guatemalan cuisine and artistry, by way of authentic Guatemalan food and drink producers, hotels, farms and restaurants with top chefs.

The Cultiva Tours, spearheaded by social entrepreneur and traveler Stephanie Jolluck, will launch its first U.S.-Guatemalan culinary tour with the native roots of Jolluck in mind. Noted chefs from Atlanta will guide tourists through a four-day culinary journey on a tour titled "Atlanta Antigua Inaugural Tour," which will kick off in Antigua, Guatemala on Feb. 2-6, 2015.

Southern cooking will meet Mayan tradition during the unique excursion, pronouncing Guatemala's lush restaurant scene, culinary features and the fresh fare in the region. The tour will demonstrate the destination's rich heritage of agricultural property and farming. And Guatemala's traditional Mayan flavor, which is comprised of ancient tastes and cooking methods, as well as southern seasonings shared by the Atlanta-based chefs hosting the cooking demonstrations, will be introduced to an audience of culinary adventurers who are looking to educate their palates.

Jolluck progressed from Coleccion Luna, a wholesale and retail textile line created from reclaimed Mayan women's clothing and beaded jewelry, to Cultiva Tours. Jolluck share that the tours will begin and ends at the Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, and participants will spend their stay at the El Convento Boutique Hotel in Antigua, Guatemala while taking part in the four-night, four-day culinary tour. Each morning will include leisure time at the El Convento Hotel before activities commence. Lunch and dinner (including cocktail receptions), visits to local farms, cooking classes and ground transportation to all tour destinations will be provided. And "freshen up" time will be allotted, scheduled between hikes, tours and dinners. Also, guests will have an English guide throughout the tour.

The Guatemalan food tours begins the first afternoon after arriving to the hotel, but on the second day tourists are transported to high peaks for hikes and tours of the Caoba farm. That expedition is then followed by a cocktail reception at the hotel, and dinner at the wildly popular Meson Panza Verde restaurant.

The Cocoa/Chocolate tour commences at 10 a.m. on the third day, and it invites visitors to learn about "food of the Gods" and Mayans discovery and cultivation of chocolate, using it in food, beverages and spiritual ceremonies. Visitors take part of that fascinating history as they create chocolate from bean to bar and make their very own Mayan-spiced hot cocoa.

During the fourth and final day, some of Atlanta's most prominent chefs (Ryan Smith, Hector Santiago and Mihoko Obunai) prepare a meal at the 400-year-old, family-owned coffee farm Finca El Pinato, the only Rainforest Alliance and Organic Coffee Farm in Antigua. There, chefs will assemble meals using only local organic cheeses, meat and produce.

Priced at $2,000 per person (must share a room for this total rate) or $2,400 (if a single room is desired), jet-setters will be able to partake of traditional Mayan dishes. Chicken Pepian, a chicken in spicy pumpkin and sesame sauce (similar to a mole) will be cooked and can be made into a variety of colors (for festive occasions); Kak'Ike, a traditional Mayan turkey soup with spices like coriander, achiote and chile peppers will be prepared; as well as Jocón, a green chicken "stew." When preparing Jocón, Chicken is baked into a green tomato (tomatillo) sauce with cilantro, green peppers and onion.

Subanik, a ceremonial dish of the Kaqchiquel Mayans, also known as "God's meal," will also make an appearance. It is a beef, pork and chicken vapor-cooked plate made in spiced chili sauce. Traditionally, the meal is steamed in a nest of mashan leaves tied at the top with cibaque, or a decorative rope, but can be made in modern-day pots. And Pollo con Loroco, a chicken stew with vegetables, will be served in a cream sauce seasoned with unopened Loroco flower buds (a frequently used flavoring agent in many Central American meals), the flower giving the dish its name, Jolluck explained to Latin Post.

"Guatemala has an untapped culinary culture waiting to be discovered by the world. The seeds for the tours were planted two years ago (2012) when my best friend Mihoko Obunai, a Chef on the inaugural tour and a Cultiva Tours partner, went to Guatemala for Thanksgiving," Jolluck said.

"Friends who started Bistro Cinq (also a Cultiva Tours restaurant partner in Antigua) invited the group to share Thanksgiving when, during dinner, it was discovered that Rabin Haas (a celebrated & award winning U.S. chef) had also cooked with favored chefs in Atlanta. At this point, the Thanksgiving group decided that an Atlanta-Antigua dinner bringing chefs to Antigua's Birstro Cinq would be an enjoyable experience, introducing Atlanta's culinary world to Antigua, Guatemala."

Jolluck began researching local markets, restaurants, street food, Guatemalan history, farms and all food-drink related aspects in Antigua. Entranced by the variety of flavors, smells and tastes, she felt that these experiences couldn't go unknown to the global and local food culture. The desire to shift the negative image reserved by international press, encouraged her to offer unforgettable adventures including culinary experiences.

For more information on Cultiva Tours, call (404) 538-8939, visit website Cultiva Tours or contact via email at cultivatours@gmail.com. And check out some of the incredible recipes that will be prepared in Guatemala by some of Atlanta's top chefs below:

Pollo con Lorrocco

Ingredients:

1 chicken leg cut into thighs and drumsticks
4 medium potatoes
1 onion
1/2 sweet red pepper
1 tomato
thyme
bay leaves
1 cup of loroco buds
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Chop onion, 1/2 sweet pepper and tomato and begin to saute in about 2 Tbsp olive oil.
2. Add the sprig of thyme and the bay leaf.
3. Saute until onion becomes translucent, and add chicken pieces to pan.

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Mole con Platanos

2 guaque (guajillo) chilies (dried, de-seeded and de-veined)

2 pasa (poblano/mulato) chilies (dried, de-seeded and de-veined)
2 roma/plumb tomatoes
2 oz. raw pumpkin seeds (pepitoria)
2 oz. sesame seeds (ajonjoli)
2 large black peppercorns
2 cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
8 oz. of chocolate
3 plantains
Vegetable oil

Instructions:

Begin by toasting the chilies, tomatoes, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. Traditionally this is done on a comal, but it can be done in a pan with no oil. After the ingredients are roasted break up the chilies and place these ingredients into a blender with 3 cups of water. Blend for 5 minutes. Place the liquid in a sauce pan and add the chocolate and stick of cinnamon. Mix and boil mixture on medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Slice the plantains and place in a frying pan with vegetable oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes while flipping sides, until golden brown. When the plantains are done, place them into the boiling mole sauce. Boil the plantains in the mole mixture for 10 minutes. Serve.

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Pepian

3-1/2 to 4-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 cups chicken stock, about
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds)
3 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped, or 5 canned pimientos, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1/4 cup Seville (bitter) orange juice, or use two-thirds orange juice and one-third lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
salt, freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup seedless raisins butter
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Instructions:
Put the chicken pieces into a heavy casserole; pour in the stock, adding a little more to cover, if necessary. Cover and simmer until almost tender, about 30 minutes. In a blender or food processor grind the sesame and pumpkin seeds as fine as possible and shake through a sieve. Set aside. Put the peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender or food processor and reduce to a coarse puree. Mix the puree with the ground sesame and pumpkin seeds. Heat the lard or vegetable oil in a skillet; add the puree, and cook, over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes. Drain the chicken, reserve the stock, and return the chicken to the casserole. Add to the puree 1 cup of the stock, the Seville (bitter) orange juice, allspice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix, and pour over the chicken. Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Add a little more stock if necessary. The sauce should be thick. Soak the raisins in cold water to cover for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Heat a little butter in a skillet and saute the almonds until they are golden. Drain. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a warmed serving dish and
sprinkle with the raisins and almonds. Serve with rice.

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Jocón

Jocón or pollo en jocón is a dish popular with the Mayan population of Guatemala. Chicken is simmered in a tasty sauce tinted a beautiful green by tomatillos and cilantro and thickened with ground sesame and pumpkin seeds and corn tortillas.

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
Chicken, cut into serving pieces - 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
Water - 4 cups
Salt - 2 teaspoons
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) - 1/4 cup
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
Corn tortillas, chopped, soaked in water, drained - 2
Tomatillos, hulled and chopped - 1 cup
Cilantro, chopped - 1 bunch
Scallions, chopped - 1 bunch
Jalapeño or serrano chile pepper, chopped - from 1 to 5

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken, water and salt into a large pot over medium-high flame. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Remove the chicken to a bowl and strain and set aside the broth. Let chicken cool, then remove the meat from the bones and shred it with your fingers. Set aside.
3. Heat a dry skillet over medium flame. Add the pumpkin and sesame seeds and toast, stirring, until lightly browned. Remove to a coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.
4. Add the sesame and pumpkin seeds, tortillas, tomatillos, cilantro, scallions and chile peppers to a food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the reserved broth and process until smooth. If using a blender you may have to do this step in batches.
5. Return the chicken to the pot. Pour over pureed sauce and add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the remaining broth to give it a sauce-like consistency.
6. Heat over medium-low flame and simmer for an additional 15-25 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve.

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