Meet Your Hosts
The Oaxaca Travel Collective grew from Chrissy's talent for planning amazing trips for friends and family, and our sincere love and deep admiration for Oaxaca and its people. We are legitimately excited about sharing our trips, and it means you will be treated like family, too.
We don't know how to do it any other way.
Chrissy Deal
artist, planner & communications pro
Charlie Deal
chef, sommelier & retired restaurateur
I grew up in rural south Georgia, a shy little girl who loved to paint and draw and mold with clay, who ran around in the country picking up frogs and worms, and learned to take pictures with her daddy's old Minolta focused on the red-headed woodpeckers nesting in dead trees across the creek. The same creek that filled in for exotic locales like the Amazon and the Nile when I played pretend that I was a world-traveling adventurer, hopping on boats and planes and traversing the paths and roads of a world that I could only dream would open up to me.
I went to a small-but-mighty university where I earned an art degree, and also discovered my abilities to write, explain and speak. Before I knew it, I was the press secretary for a governor in North Carolina, a spokesperson for one of the state's largest school systems, a business consultant with my own clients and a full portfolio. I've been on CNN, NPR and every major news outlet in the Tarheel State. I married a groovy chef and raised a smart, chill kid who likes to fish and mountain bike. And the world did open up for me — I insisted on it, and prioritized travel for myself, my family and friends.
As for Oaxaca, well... it's as simple as this: on my first visit in 2020, I fell in love.
This city is unlike any other, and once you get me started, I can't stop talking about it. It resounds with life and beauty and sheer, unadulterated talent. It's evident everywhere you turn, from the green-when-wet cobblestones to the trippy street art to the gorgeous simplicity of the cups, plates and bowls. Oaxaca is a place peopled by makers, and it's difficult to tell if they are trying really hard or barely trying at all, because they don't have to, having been graced with skills that transcend attempts and instead simply settle into of-course-this-is-how-we-do-things. Because we can.
Why wouldn't you craft a plate from humble clay but turn it in such a way to catch the kiln flame and char with extraordinary elegance? Why not expertly meld the flavors of chilis, cocoa, fruits and nuts into a rich and palette-shattering mole? Of course you should carve bold, talkative prints that show up on textured papers as loud protests, or whispering prayers, or silly jokes, or echoes of the ancestors. When your culture harbors the hearts and souls of artisans, craftspeople, mezcaleros and culinary geniuses, this is what you do. Every day.
It's more than I ever imagined back home in Georgia. And it's become like another home for me.
Whether we’re exploring indigenous markets, visiting rural distilleries, or sitting down to a meal in a quiet courtyard, my approach is always guided by respect, curiosity, and the joy of that little girl playing in a creek. If that speaks to you, welcome — I can’t wait to show you around.
I began my love affair with all things food at a very early age and started writing my first cookbook with my mother at the age of five. Food was different at our home. My sister and I got smoked oysters and pickled pig's feet in our Christmas stockings. My dad would often boil up a tongue that he and I would devour with nothing more than a jar of Herdez Salsa Verde. This was not normal for a kid growing up in the USA of the 70s, but it was normal for me.
Early jobs in the restaurant industry sunk the hook and I became what is referred to as "a lifer," spending the next 40 years working my way up the ranks and, along the way, learning a lot about foods from all over the world. Being from California, I ate a lot of really good Mexican food. California has ethnic representation from a lot of places, but the Mexican food is particularly good. Tacos Moreno for their delicious lengua burritos. Taqueria Santa Cruz for their perfect carnitas. D'La Colmena (which was a bit of a haul to get to) for chorizo, potato, and egg burritos. You get the picture.
In fact, if I could eat only one thing, every day, for the rest of my life, it would be a simple carnitas taco. It is staggering how delicious slow-roasted pork, placed on a tortilla, with nothing more than some chopped onion and cilantro can be. But it is a perfect dish and it speaks to the sublime, elemental bliss that is Mexican cuisine. A cuisine I love and want to share with you.
Sometimes it's quite simple, like the taco just mentioned. Sometimes it's a mole with 40 ingredients in the sauce. Sometimes it's an exotic fungus that grows on corn. But it's always delicious.
I love Oaxaca because it is handmade. You're surrounded by it. You're eating truly handmade food, on handmade plates, on a handmade placemat, drinking handmade mezcal, out of a handmade copita, and your table is surrounded by local art. It's everywhere. And every detail is cared for and exquisite. If you don't want mezcal, perhaps you get an agua fresca, which might be fresh-squeezed limeade made vibrant pink by the inclusion of bougainvillea blossoms. If, rather than eating handmade tortillas made with heirloom corn, you go for something non-traditional to the area, you might be eating a loaf of sourdough bread from Boulenc bakery. Which you quickly realize is as delicious as you'll find anywhere.
Honestly, it's the same attention to these details that draws me to Europe and I find to be a letdown in the U.S. The way food is prioritized is just different. You can obviously find good food in the U.S., but it's not a priority. You're not tripping over great examples of it at every turn. This was made clear to me when I went to the French equivalent of a Walmart and found an entire aisle devoted to butter, and magnums of 20-year-old Champagne, and chestnut brown eggs, and cured sausages hanging from hooks. This was not some bougie, upscale market; this was France at its worst and it was filled with deliciousness.
I feel the same way about Oaxaca. And, of course, a lot of the places we go are "fancy", so you'd expect this elevated experience. But it absolutely does not stop there. One of the first things I do when I get there, is make my way to the main market and buy a big bag of roasted peanuts and pepitas so I'll have some to snack on while I'm sipping on mezcal. And both are staggeringly delicious. Roasted peanuts and pumpkin seeds. And, while you're eating them, you're convinced they're about as tasty as anything you've ever eaten.
I say this, having been to a number of great food cities around the world. In that regard, Oaxaca is second to none.
Chrissy Deal
artist, photographer & communications pro
I grew up in rural south Georgia, a shy little girl who loved to paint and draw and mold with clay, who ran around in the country picking up frogs and worms, and learned to take pictures with her daddy's old Minolta focused on the red-headed woodpeckers nesting in dead trees across the creek. The same creek that filled in for exotic locales like the Amazon and the Nile when I played pretend that I was a world-traveling adventurer, hopping on boats and planes and traversing the paths and roads of a world that I could only dream would open up to me.
I went to a small-but-mighty university where I earned an art degree, and also discovered my abilities to write, explain and speak. Before I knew it, I was the press secretary for a governor in North Carolina, a spokesperson for one of the state's largest school systems, a business consultant with my own clients and a full portfolio. I've been on CNN, NPR and every major news outlet in the Tarheel State. I married a groovy chef and raised a smart, chill kid who likes to fish and mountain bike. And the world did open up for me — I insisted on it, and prioritized travel for myself, my family and friends.
As for Oaxaca, well... it's as simple as this: on my first visit in 2020, I fell in love.
This city is unlike any other, and once you get me started, I can't stop talking about it. It resounds with life and beauty and sheer, unadulterated talent. It's evident everywhere you turn, from the green-when-wet cobblestones to the trippy street art to the gorgeous simplicity of the cups, plates and bowls. Oaxaca is a place peopled by makers, and it's difficult to tell if they are trying really hard or barely trying at all, because they don't have to, having been graced with skills that transcend attempts and instead simply settle into of-course-this-is-how-we-do-things. Because we can.
Why wouldn't you craft a plate from humble clay but turn it in such a way to catch the kiln flame and char with extraordinary elegance? Why not expertly meld the flavors of chilis, cocoa, fruits and nuts into a rich and palette-shattering mole? Of course you should carve bold, talkative prints that show up on textured papers as loud protests, or whispering prayers, or silly jokes, or echoes of the ancestors. When your culture harbors the hearts and souls of artisans, craftspeople, mezcaleros and culinary geniuses, this is what you do. Every day.
It's more than I ever imagined back home in Georgia. And it's become like another home for me.
Whether we’re exploring indigenous markets, visiting rural distilleries, or sitting down to a meal in a quiet courtyard, my approach is always guided by respect, curiosity, and the joy of that little girl playing in a creek. If that speaks to you, welcome — I can’t wait to show you around.
Chrissy is a photographer and watercolorist who also works with prints, needle felting and clay. She helps organizations promote their work and tell their stories as a communications consultant with Chrissy Deal Consulting.
She's a talented birder and amateur naturalist who's always stopping along the hiking path to share a sighting.
Charlie has been the creative force behind a number of much-loved restaurants, including Oswald and Charlie Hong Kong in Santa Cruz, Calif.; Jujube in Chapel Hill, N.C.; and in Durham, N.C., Dos Perros and Juju.
He's a certified sommelier who can explain wine and spirits in a way that just about anyone can understand.
Charlie Deal
chef, sommelier & retired restaurateur
I began my love affair with all things food at a very early age and started writing my first cookbook with my mother at the age of five. Food was different at our home. My sister and I got smoked oysters and pickled pig's feet in our Christmas stockings. My dad would often boil up a tongue that he and I would devour with nothing more than a jar of Herdez Salsa Verde. This was not normal for a kid growing up in the USA of the 70s, but it was normal for me.
Early jobs in the restaurant industry sunk the hook and I became what is referred to as "a lifer," spending the next 40 years working my way up the ranks and, along the way, learning a lot about foods from all over the world. Being from California, I ate a lot of really good Mexican food. California has ethnic representation from a lot of places, but the Mexican food is particularly good. Tacos Moreno for their delicious lengua burritos. Taqueria Santa Cruz for their perfect carnitas. D'La Colmena (which was a bit of a haul to get to) for chorizo, potato, and egg burritos. You get the picture.
In fact, if I could eat only one thing, every day, for the rest of his life, it would be a simple carnitas taco. It is staggering how delicious slow-roasted pork, placed on a tortilla, with nothing more than some chopped onion and cilantro can be. But it is a perfect dish and it speaks to the sublime, elemental bliss that is Mexican cuisine. A cuisine I love and want to share with you.
Sometimes it's quite simple, like the taco just mentioned. Sometimes it's a mole with 40 ingredients in the sauce. Sometimes it's an exotic fungus that grows on corn. But it's always delicious.
I love Oaxaca because it is handmade. You're surrounded by it. You're eating truly handmade food, on handmade plates, on a handmade placemat, drinking handmade mezcal, out of a handmade copita, and your table is surrounded by local art. It's everywhere. And every detail is cared for and exquisite. If you don't want mezcal, perhaps you get an agua fresca, which might be fresh-squeezed limeade made vibrant pink by the inclusion of bougainvillea blossoms. If, rather than eating handmade tortillas made with heirloom corn, you go for something non-traditional to the area, you might be eating a loaf of sourdough bread from Boulenc bakery. Which you quickly realize is as delicious as you'll find anywhere.
Honestly, it's the same attention to these details that draws me to Europe and I find to be a letdown in the U.S. The way food is prioritized is just different. You can obviously find good food in the U.S., but it's not a priority. You're not tripping over great examples of it at every turn. This was made clear to me when I went to the French equivalent of a Walmart and found an entire aisle devoted to butter, and magnums of 20-year-old Champagne, and chestnut brown eggs, and cured sausages hanging from hooks. This was not some bougie, upscale market; this was France at its worst and it was filled with deliciousness.
I feel the same way about Oaxaca. And, of course, a lot of the places we go are "fancy", so you'd expect this elevated experience. But it absolutely does not stop there. One of the first things I do when I get there, is make my way to the main market and buy a big bag of roasted peanuts and pepitas so I'll have some to snack on while I'm sipping on mezcal. And both are staggeringly delicious. Roasted peanuts and pumpkin seeds. And, while you're eating them, you're convinced they're about as tasty as anything you've ever eaten.
I say this, having been to a number of great food cities around the world. In that regard, Oaxaca is second to none.
What Sets us Apart
U.S.-Based Oaxaca Specialists: As frequent travelers from the U.S. to Oaxaca, we know the ins and outs of the journey — airports, transfers, timing, and all the little details that make a big difference. We’ll guide you through the logistics so your trip feels effortless from the start. This is elegant adventure travel, designed for maximum memories and minimum hassle.
Personal Hosts from Start to Finish: From your first planning conversation to our final mezcal toast, you work directly with us and only us. Like a trusted concierge, we are onsite and always available, offering seamless service and a personal connection for the length of your trip.
Itineraries Curated by Experts: Charlie brings deep culinary knowledge as a chef, sommelier, and much-loved restaurateur. Chrissy adds a creative lens shaped by her background as an artist, designer, and communications strategist. Together, we craft rich, layered itineraries rooted in flavor, culture, and story.
Support for Local Small Businesses: We partner with local artisans, chefs, guides, and businesses to ensure authentic, meaningful experiences during your time in the country. By paying fair rates and tipping consistently (all tips are included in your cost), we direct your tourism dollars into Oaxaca’s local economy, and support sustainable practices whenever possible.