Discover Mediterranean Cuisine in Desert Hot Springs with Traveling Spoon

The picturesque Coachella Valley is home to Traveling Spoon private chef Jonathan Santiago. Desert Hot Springs, famous for award-winning drinking water, hot and cold mineral springs, resorts and spas, is just a few miles off the beaten path of Interstate 10 in Southern California.

Tucked amongst one of the biggest wind farms in the United States between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park, Desert Hot Springs was our destination for Mediterranean cuisine. I was surprised and delighted to find this dining experience through Traveling Spoon, an international network of hosts who share a homemade meal in their homes.

It was like visiting a family friend along the route on a road trip. What better way to experience dinner than in someone’s home? We got to dine off the “eaten” path.

About Traveling Spoon

Traveling Spoon connects travelers with vetted local hosts who share a home-cooked meal and their cultural and culinary traditions. It’s the perfect way to experience authentic regional cuisine while traveling. Learn more about Traveling Spoon.

Founders of Traveling Spoon

Traveling Spoon was founded by Aashi Vel and Steph Lawrence, who met at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. United by their passion for food and travel, they created a global community for people seeking meaningful cultural experiences through cuisine.

How Traveling Spoon Works

To book with Traveling Spoon, choose your host, enter your travel dates, and complete the online reservation with payment information. Once confirmed, you’ll receive the details of your host and experience via email. We coordinated our visit with our host, Jonathan, via text and email.

Travel specialists help you find the perfect host for your journey. Traveling Spoon offers hosting experiences from Albania to Vietnam, from homemade meals to cooking classes. We were thrilled to discover a host near our Southern California destination.

Meet Chef Jonathan Santiago

Chef Jonathan Santiago hails from New York’s Hudson Valley but has called the Coachella Valley home for the past five years. He initially discovered Desert Hot Springs while working in the region and fell in love with the area, eventually making it his permanent home.

As a private chef, Jonathan serves clients at private dining events and Airbnb rentals. After recently completing his first year as a Coachella Valley full-time chef, many of his clients come through word-of-mouth and Traveling Spoon. He’s also a popular instructor at Kitchen Kitchen, a culinary store in Indian Wells, where he teaches cooking classes. His approach in the kitchen is informative and relaxed.

When he’s not working, Jonathan shares cooking duties with his wife. Their go-to meals include chicken and rice dishes. However, Jonathan is also a fan of sandwiches—often featuring halloumi cheese and marinated vegetables, which he included in the meal he prepared for us.

Our Mediterranean Feast

Given the option between Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, we opted for the latter. Chef Jonathan accommodated my vegan preferences. He added halloumi cheese as an additional protein for my husband.

Halloumi cheese originated in Cyprus and is made from sheep, goat, and cow’s milk. The texture is firm, squeaky, and has a high melting point, so it grills or fries up easily and is a meat substitute. It looked like chicken breast and had a similar texture.

Mediterranean Vegan Menu

• Riced Sautéed Cauliflower
• Falafel
• Halloumi Cheese
• Tomatoes
• Pickled Onions
• Sautéed Broccolini with Garlic
• Greek Kalamata Olives
• Persian Cucumbers
• Fresh Greens with Peach Balsamic Vinegar
• Hearts of Palm
• Naan with Butter and Za’atar

 

What We Loved

We thoroughly enjoyed watching Chef Jonathan’s cooking demonstration, engaging in conversation, and admiring the beautifully plated meals. The dishes were vibrant, fresh, and full of flavor. One of our favorites was the buttered naan topped with Za’atar—a soft bread seasoned with Mediterranean spices that added a unique richness to the dish.

Final Thoughts

Traveling Spoon is an excellent resource for travelers seeking meaningful dining experiences in many global destinations. If you want to make genuine connections with locals and enjoy authentic cuisine, begin your journey at Traveling Spoon. Meeting and dining with Jonathan Santiago in his home was a highlight of our trip.

Traveling Spoon hosted my husband and me, but the opinions expressed here are my own.