Review Author: Miriam

Review Date: 26 Jul 2026

Review Body: What an unforgettable experience! This was so much more than a cooking class. It was a wonderful journey into the local culture and traditions. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed by the kindest guides, who showed us around the beautiful village in such a relaxed and peaceful way. We learned about the local plants and ingredients, picked fresh eggplants straight from the garden, and even caught our own fish before preparing our meal. The cooking was truly authentic. Local women shared their passion, knowledge, and traditional cooking techniques with so much warmth and enthusiasm. They encouraged us to prepare every dish ourselves, making it a genuinely hands-on experience. We learned so much while enjoying the beautiful surroundings and the peaceful atmosphere. The food we made was absolutely delicious, and it tasted even better knowing we had prepared it ourselves with fresh local ingredients. As a lovely extra, we also visited the batik workshop, where our son created his own beautiful batik piece to take home as a souvenir. It was such a special and personal touch that made the day even more memorable. Everything about this experience was authentic, educational, relaxing, and incredibly enjoyable. I would do it again without hesitation and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine cultural experience. Thank you for giving us such a wonderful day. These are memories we will cherish forever.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sangeeta Nair

Review Date: 12 Oct 2024

Review Body: We liked the complete experience. From the walk in the village, understanding more about the community, their lives. The deep community bonding was very obvious. Anga who took us around the village is doing a very meaningful work on community empowerment. The cooking experience was excellent. Ibu is such an experienced cook. The food was delicious. Coordinating with Hanung was a breeze. My daughter who is fuzzy about what she eats, he made sure she had her egg n chicken even though it was not included in the menu. Everyone was so friendly n welcoming. Overall, really wonderful experience, highly recommended.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Tony & Myms

Review Date: 03 Apr 2026

Review Body: We both had a wonderful time, walking around the village and learning about the culture and history was a pleasant experience. Our guide was so personable and friendly it was like taking a walk with an old friend. The cooking class was lots of fun including being able to catch a fish and learning about the dishes we were cooking. We also had an amazing aunty who felt like watching a MasterChef as she guided us through the steps. The food of course was delicious and something you wouldn't find in a typical restaurant. Would recommend anyone to give a try !

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Pippa + Estela

Review Date: 03 Oct 2024

Review Body: We had the best day on our trip so far doing the trip to Tembi Village, catching catfish and cooking it with the lady. Hanung looked after us and gave us a tour around the village. So much to see, showing us how the stunning Batik art was made, the ceramics. We even tried climbing on their boulder wall too! Everyone so friendly. Wonderful to see how the locals live in a tranquil setting. The food was incredible! So tasty! We want to go back! Highly recommend for a special, unique experience.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Yorick & Kyra

Review Date: 04 Sep 2023

Review Body: A very nice cooking workshop! Hanung was the perfect host. We caught 4 fresh fish and he showed us around in the village and told about the different plant, trees, herbs and vegetables that could be found in the (very cute) village. After that a very nice lady showed us how to prepare the fish and the noodles. After we ate, we had a nice coffee and bought some nice ceramics with batik prints. The whole place has that community feeling where everybody helps eachother.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Lonneke

Review Date: 26 Jul 2023

Review Body: We had a great time during the cooking course! Leksa Ganesh is situated only a 15-20 minute car ride away from the centre of Yogjakarta. Hanung took us for a walk around the village, told us a lot about the local herbs and took us fishing. Every step of preparing the meal was explained carefully in perfect English and the food was delicious. Overal a great experience that I would recommend to everyone that wants to experience the Javanese culture a bit more!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Gwen & Eser

Review Date: 07 Apr 2026

Review Body: We had a delightful experience with this cooking class. Hanung did an excellent job touring us around the village, giving us a great understanding of its history as well as the local flora. Our cooking class was excellent, everything was delicious, and we feel like we could easily replicate the recipes thanks to their great instructions. We also loved that they shared the recipes at the end of the class. Highly recommend this experience!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Lena L.

Review Date: 09 Oct 2024

Review Body: It was great! Was more than a cooking class! We went fishing, collected the banana flower, explored the village…! Cooking was very much fun and it was so much and eccellente food with a very lovely atmosphere! After that we saw the batik of fabrics and pottery and all in all were there 5h instead of 3h, it was no problem for the hosts. They were so friendly and we would recommend it to everyone!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sheelagh

Review Date: 30 May 2026

Review Body: The community focus of this village is wonderful, especially the focus on enabling women through batik painting. The tour and explanations of the food and where/how they harvest food was very informative and interesting. Loved learning cooking Javanese style - it was great fun! Come hungry. They sent all the menus we cooked afterwards and even an edited video of our time there - priceless ☺️

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Stephanie Kerr

Review Date: 05 Dec 2025

Review Body: We attended the cooking class and it has been the highlight of our trip so far! Our host, Hanung, gave us a tour of the beautiful Tembi village, before cooking. We cooked with locally sourced ingredients, got to catch our own fish to cook, and enjoyed a beautiful meal at the end. I would highly recommend this experience, you get to experience the local Java lifestyle!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Cailin and Bailey

Review Date: 29 Aug 2024

Review Body: Best thing we've done in Java so far! The hosts were lovely and made the morning really enjoyable. The fishing was fun followed by a walk around the rice fields and community garden. It was great knowing all the ingredients were grown locally and the meal was 10/10. We were even introduced to Batik art while waiting and amazing to watch the process in action.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Amber

Review Date: 31 Aug 2024

Review Body: We really enjoyed this class, from catching our own fish to preparing and eating a very delicious fried noodles along with the steamed and grilled fish. We also walked through the neighbourhood, which really gave an impression of the self-sufficiency that the local people have. This was nice to see. All in all we really enjoyed this cooking class! :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: xenia

Review Date: 25 Jul 2026

Review Body: what a great experience! we were shown around the village and introduced to the plants which we were using. also a little history lesson which was very interesting. the cooking was a nice experience, where we did some things ourself and the grandmas did it better. The food was very delicious and the location is very peaceful. Would do it again!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Gary Davies

Review Date: 13 Sep 2024

Review Body: What a fabulous experience, well worth signing up to if you are visiting Yogyakarta and want to experience a lovely local sustainable community and learn to cook some delicious fresh local food . From start to finish we were made to feel so welcome and just had such an enjoyable time . Thank you.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Divyastri

Review Date: 03 May 2025

Review Body: The host was reallllllyyyy friendly and provided us with mosquito repellent. He brought us around the village and explained to us about many things. The cooking session was really really fun and the food cooked was really tasty! Will definitely come back here again 10/10 experience

Review rating: 5

Review Author: hilda

Review Date: 06 Apr 2026

Review Body: i enjoyed the tour around the village learning more about their sustainability practices and history. the cooking class was fun and tasty, would definitely recommend the experience for anyone who wants to learn how to cook indonesian food. thank you hanung for your hospitality!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Faye

Review Date: 24 Apr 2024

Review Body: We had a wonderful time at the cooking class! Learnt some super interesting information about the area and the plants and the fish was soo tasty. Excited to cook it again when we're back home. So much fun and such nice people. Definitely recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ester

Review Date: 11 Jun 2026

Review Body: We had an amazing experience. We did the cooking class, we started with a tour of the village, the hosts presented us tradition and knowledge about their culture. Food preparation was great and the food taste was so great. We loved it :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Valerie

Review Date: 13 Sep 2025

Review Body: Authentic experience for the family, they have great coffee and beans, and the fishing and cooking experience was great fun. Overall we had a good time for our family of 10 with grandparents and young kids.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Farhan

Review Date: 19 Sep 2026

Review Body: I did this event solo and it was great! Huanag and the Ibu (granny) were great teachers. The entire village is so lovely and there a lot of genuine art you can buy here first hand from the creators.

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Village cooking class and meal

Itinerary Description: 10 am Meet at Leksa and discuss the meals you've selected. Then, your instructor will take you for a walk through the village to gather some fresh ingredients before beginning the home-cooking class. Enjoy fishing and pick some fresh vegetables in the nearby fields. Then you will cook 1 Javaneses dish Finally, enjoy your delicious meal at lunchtime, and that will mark the end of the program.