This is what Juanfer and Malu's 'Secret Sessions' cooking workshops are like
Cooking classes and culinary experiences abound in the gastronomic scene, but there's something irresistible about Juan Fernando and María Lucía Valencia's Secret Sessions. They're informal yet meticulous, intimate yet viral.
Juan Fernando and María Lucía, known on social media as 'Juanfer and Malú', are two siblings from Cartagena and business administrators trained at CESA who found their common language in the kitchen.
“I fell in love with cooking by watching videos and dreaming of getting on MasterChef Kids, even though I didn’t even know how to fry an egg,” Juanfer recalls, laughing. “I recorded a video with my dad making carbonara, it turned out terribly, and I was so embarrassed that I blocked myself for years.”
The story of their page began as a game. It was Malú who, bored in Bogotá, decided to create an Instagram account to share her love of food. “I uploaded a photo and wrote: 'We are two chubby siblings who love to cook.' Juanfer almost had a heart attack,” she says.
But their real draw—the one that sells out in minutes—is their Secret Sessions: workshops where participants knead Neapolitan pasta or make pizza from scratch. “We realized that people were tired of traditional cooking classes, with chefs speaking from a stage. We wanted something relaxed, where cooking was an excuse to connect,” explains Juanfer. That's how the idea of renting Airbnbs, carrying pasta machines and aprons, and transforming any space into a pop-up kitchen with the aroma of truffles and Parmesan was born.
In the pasta workshop, the menu includes appetizers such as diavola speciale, sotto il tartufo, and margherita, followed by fresh dishes like tagliatelle grana padano e tartufo and ravioli alla vodka, and culminating with La Berta, a sweet creation by Malú, who will soon launch her own home-delivered dessert brand. During the experience, the brothers cook the appetizers for the participants and offer small tastings between each course, while the participants shape, texture, and give soul to their own pasta.
More than a class, it's a ritual. "We've had requests for private sessions for bachelor parties, birthdays, and even marriage proposals," says Juanfer. "We're thrilled that our kitchen is part of those moments."
Despite its success, the project remains deeply personal. Juanfer has made Secret Sessions his undergraduate internship, and both have invested what they learned at university to build a brand that is ready to evolve. In 2025, they restructured their offering and created a dedicated website for the workshops, in addition to launching an even more ambitious format: a seven-course Italian omakase dinner. “We let ourselves be guided by the ingredients that arrive from Italy. There is no set menu. We cook what inspires us,” they say.
In an era where authenticity feels rarer than white truffle, Juanfer and Malú have managed to create a warm and inviting space where food is a bridge, not a performance. “We don’t just sell food,” he says. “We sell community, emotion, and a story we continue to write amidst flour, wine, and lots of laughter.”
