Cooking School At Rancho La Puerta

In the 1960s spas were mostly "fat farms" where people lost weight quickly -- too quickly -- by going on 800 calorie diets and exercising for hours every day. Today the philosophy has changed dramatically. Most destination spas let you eat all you want (though the food is still healthy) and many even celebrate fine food with cooking schools. The most lavish is the million dollar cooking school and culinary center at Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, one of the original destination spas. This is no mere demo kitchen. You can take three-hour hands-on cooking classes from chef Jesus Gonzalez, whose food philosophy is low-fat, high-flavor. But if you can't get there, you can still taste his food. Jesus shared his recipe for Creamy Basil Salad Dressing with me. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.