Mathias Kookstudio
Roll up your sleeves in a Paramaribo home kitchen and cook Suriname's melting-pot flavors from scratch
Why Go
Suriname's food is what happens when Javanese, Creole, Hindustani, Chinese, and Maroon kitchens share a stove for three hundred years - and at Mathias Kookstudio you don't just eat the result, you actually cook it. Tucked into a quiet residential street off the beaten tourist track, this small-group cooking studio turns the country's culinary chaos into something you can hold in your hands: a mortar full of pounded spices, a pan of caramelizing sugar for browning meat, a fresh-rolled roti puffing on the tawa.
The Experience
You'll cook in a proper working kitchen rather than a demo showroom - expect to be handed a knife within the first ten minutes and put to work chopping madame jeanette peppers, garlic, and celery stalks the size of your forearm. Mathias runs it like a friend hosting you at home: explaining why Surinamese cooks brown their sugar first, why the roti dough rests exactly this long, and which market stalls in the city actually sell the real telo cassava versus the frozen imported kind. Sessions are hands-on and unhurried, usually 3-5 hours depending on the menu, and everyone eats what they made together at the end - often out on the veranda with a cold Parbo beer or homemade dawet.
What to Try
Ask to tackle pom if it's on the menu - the national dish of grated pomtajer root baked with chicken is the one everyone talks about but almost no visitor learns to make properly. Moksi alesi (literally 'mixed rice' with salted meat, shrimp, and beans) is another benchmark, and roti with masala kip or curried duck is the ultimate test of whether you can make the flatbread thin and layered enough. Save room for bojo cake or fresh dawet as the sweet finish.
Insider Tip
Come hungry but also come curious - Mathias is at his best when guests ask about the why behind each step, not just the recipe. Message ahead through his socials to request a specific dish or dietary tweak; the menu isn't fixed and he often shapes the session around what's fresh at the Central Market that morning. Bring a notebook or ask permission to film - the muscle memory for browning sugar and folding roti is much easier to recreate at home if you've captured the wrist movement.
The Practical Stuff
Address is Madeliefjes Straat 8, in a quiet residential pocket of Paramaribo about a 10-15 minute taxi ride from the historic center - book a taxi or ride-share rather than walking after dark, and confirm the exact time and price directly with Mathias before you go since bookings are handled informally via TikTok/WhatsApp. Sessions typically run half a day; wear closed-toe shoes and clothes you don't mind splattering with turmeric. Cash in SRD is safest for payment, and it's worth flagging spice tolerance and any allergies (peanut and shellfish appear in a lot of classic dishes) when you book.
Pair It With
- Central Market (Centrale Markt) — Walk the market stalls in the morning before your class to see the peppers, roots, salted fish, and Javanese spice mixes you'll be cooking with - it turns the recipes into a full sensory story.
- 'T VAT Sidewalk Cafe Guide — A short ride away and a great low-key spot for a post-class Parbo beer if you still have energy to compare notes on what you cooked.
- Historic Inner City of Paramaribo walking tour — The UNESCO-listed wooden colonial center pairs naturally with a cooking class - together they cover the two things Suriname does uniquely well: architecture and food born from the same mix of cultures.
- Fort Zeelandia — A compact history stop that contextualizes the colonial and plantation history behind every dish you just learned to make.