{"id":20313,"date":"2017-12-11T10:41:14","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T18:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/?p=20313"},"modified":"2025-08-21T22:04:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T05:04:00","slug":"tresna-bali-cooking-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/tresna-bali-cooking-school\/","title":{"rendered":"A UNIQUE COOKING SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AT TRESNA BALI"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the best parts of travel is seeking out authentic local experiences to understand the culture of an area, but often times it can be difficult to know where exactly to go. Many hidden destinations are now well known, and the advent of cheap travel deals has made it easier than ever to seek out new and exotic destinations. Bali is certainly one of those places, recently named Trip Advisor’s Number 1 destination in 2017, the island is full of tourists eager to explore the lush green Indonesian paradise.<\/p>\n

\"Tresna<\/p>\n

So what do all these tourist do when they get to Bali? As Instagram shows, they ride on epic swings, explore monkey forests, jump in waterfalls, surf at the beaches and wander through rice terraces. But what’s beyond that? Is there a way to experience true Bali, meet with locals and learn about the Balinese culture? The answer is that whilst not impossible, it can be hard to have an authentic experience here. Most Balinese are understandably not willing to let strangers sightsee in their homes (well, would you let tourists wander into your apartment?!), but there is one family in Bali that does just that!<\/p>\n

That family is Frances, Adi and their daughter Santi. Living in Ubud, Frances and Adi are the founders and creatives behind Tresna Bali Cooking School<\/a>, a 10-year passion project that led to them opening their doors to guests earlier this year. We took the girls on our recent Travel Girls Getaways Bali Retreats <\/a> to the cooking school to give them a taste of the real Bali<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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THE STORY OF TRESNA BALI COOKING SCHOOL<\/h3>\n

Frances and Adi, a Canadian woman and Balinese man, met and married in Bali and then went on to build a successful wedding and events company. Whilst their business was doing great, they found it was hard to fit the work in between their commitments to their village as holy people. If you have visited Bali before you will know that ceremonies happen a<\/em> lot<\/em>, <\/em>so they had to find an alternative business that they could fit around their religious responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\"POCKET<\/a><\/p>\n

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Adi is a passionate cook and loved sharing his recipes with friends visiting Bali. So over the years when they would invite people over for dinner and cook them a traditional Balinese meal, they always received the same reaction of “this is the best meal I have had in Bali!” O<\/em>ver time, their friends would recommend them to other people visiting the island.<\/p>\n

At this point, Frances and Adi started to have random visitors to Bali emailing them wanting to come to their house and pay to experience the traditional Balinese cooking even though they were not a restaurant or cooking school at that point!<\/p>\n

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They soon began looking for land to build a property and cooking school, and eventually found the perfect spot in Ubud. After many years of hard work, they have created a luxurious boutique cooking experience, which perfectly marries cooking in a modern kitchen with the traditions of Balinese cooking that Adi has practiced since childhood.<\/p>\n

They continue to run both their events and cooking school businesses, but the cooking school allows them to continue with their commitments to the village and also welcome guests from all over the world to share Balinese traditions and food!<\/p>\n

\"Tresna<\/p>\n

THE LOCATION<\/h3>\n

Tresna Bali is located in Ubud, an easy 45-minute drive from Seminyak\/Canggu, or a quick 10-minute drive if you are staying in Ubud center. Your driver may tell you he can’t drive down the gang (road) to the school as it is too narrow so you may have to walk 5 minutes from the main road – but this is an experience in itself, passing local family homes and maybe meeting a few of them along the way!<\/p>\n

\"Tresna<\/p>\n

SCHEDULE FOR YOUR DAY AT TRESNA BALI<\/h3>\n

Your day starts early, heading to the school for arrival at 8:45 am where you will be greeted by Adi, Frances, and their friendly staff. You begin with a delicious fresh drink of coconut water and lemongrass to refresh you as you get started with the meal preparation. But first Adi will take you on a tour of the property, exploring their garden where many of the ingredients you will cook are grown.<\/p>\n

It’s Adi’s goal to continue to grow the garden so that all<\/em> of the ingredients used in the cooking school are grown there. He will also show you the outdoor kitchen where much of traditional food preparation and cooking takes place in Bali.<\/p>\n

\"Tresna<\/p>\n

Typical Schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n

8:45 am – Arrive at Tresna Bali Cooking School
\n9:00 am – Refreshments and Organic Garden Tour
\n9:30 am – Hands-On Cooking Lesson of 7 Authentic Balinese Dishes
\n12:00 pm – Lunch Feast
\n1:00 pm – Make your own pandan pancakes for dessert<\/p>\n

\"Tresna<\/h3>\n

WHAT DO YOU COOK?<\/h3>\n

The food cooked at Tresna Cooking School is traditional Balinese ceremonial food, which means that you won’t get to eat it anywhere else in Bali unless you are invited to a local ceremony. The food is wonderfully unique and definitely not the usual Nasi Goreng that you will find in the restaurants. This means you truly are tasting and experiencing the real Bali and eating as the Balinese do, which is a rare opportunity for foreign visitors!<\/p>\n

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Adi will take you through several recipes to create a Balinese Feast. Whilst the menu may change on actual day based on the freshest ingredients available, you will likely get to prepare a total of 12 recipes including Tresna’s special spice pastes:<\/p>\n