The World Is a Kitchen

COPIA Event for The World Is a Kitchen

Join co-editor Michele Anna Jordan for an event at world-renowned COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts in Napa. Mark your calendars for May 5th at 1 pm to hear Michele talk about and read from The World Is a Kitchen and discuss gastronomic travel—our favorite topic—and savor treats from the book

Where: COPIA, 500 First Street, Napa

When: May 5th, 2007  1 p.m.

Cost $25/general, $15/members (buy online here)

On the Menu:

• Potato Latkes

• Carrot, Cilantro and Mustard Seed Relish

• Pla Nua Yaang Gub A-Ngoon (Spiced Salad of Grilled Beef with Grapes)

• Plum Crostata

The Hungry Passport Takes a Bite Out of Ireland

You might not know it, but Ireland is a food lover’s delight. Cooks and chefs on the island known for potatoes can certainly do a thing or two with the noble spud, but in their hands, fresh local produce and high quality meat and seafood are transformed into satisfying dining experiences.

In fact, Saveur magazine editor-in-chief Colman Andrews wrote in the magazine’s March 2006 issue, “Ireland is discovering, or rediscovering, its culinary resources; in the world of food, it’s the place to watch.”

This September, Hungry Passport Culinary Adventures offers a 10-day culinary tour of Ireland. Guests will enjoy artisanal food including cheeses and smoked seafood, the country’s tradition of brewing and distilling, and a variety of dining experiences running from haute cuisine to authentic Irish pub fare. The trip includes visits to both Ballymaloe and Ballyknocken Cookery Schools, a tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory, opportunities to get to know both Dublin and the glorious Irish countryside, and stays in a variety of historic lodgings, including a 1720 Georgian mansion and a 19th-century convent that has been converted into a luxury hotel.

The tour dates are September 20-29, 2007, and the cost is $3,300 per person sharing (airfare not included).

For more information on this tasty excursion, visit Hungry Passport (click on “Tours”) or e-mail carol@hungrypassport.com.

Vagabond Gourmet

This company takes its culinary travel seriously, as lifelong foodies tend to do (the owner is a chef, caterer and opened a gourmet take-out shop). Vagabond Gourmet designs cooking vacations for its customers in Europe, North America and Asia, and have a darn good selection to choose from. Whether you want to stick close to home or be as far-flung as possible, they probably have something or can arrange something to suit your needs. They have an impressive array of upcoming tours:

Sizzling Santa Fe
April 28 – May 2nd
May 2nd – May 6th
$1875 - 2400

Tuscany for Food Lovers
June 2nd – 9th
$2800

“Chef on the Loose” Provence
Special course with Chef Guillame Alinat
June 8th – 15th
$3350

Simply Provence with Chef Gui
Special course with Chef Guillame Alinat
June 29th – July 6th
$3350

Summer in Dordogne
July 7th – 14th
July 14th – 21st
$2850

Bella Tuscany
October 6th -13th
October 13th – 20th
$3000

Octoberfest in Scotland
October 25th – November 1st
$2600 – 2800

Tropical Tastings in Key West
February 10th – 16th, 2008
$1950

Other upcoming tours include Sardinia and the Emerald Sea, China, Easter in Oaxaca, Hacienda Culinary Tour, and Day of the Dead in Michoacan.

Tours include lodging, cooking classes, special dinners, beer, wine & cocktails, and local trips (markets, wineries, local artisans).

Italy: Arte Culinaria

Located in the foothills of Italy’s Dolomites is the quaint village of Cison di Valmarino. This is the home of La Casa Gialla and Arte Culinaria, offering tailored, intimate culinary lessons on the cuisine of Venuto. In one week or 3-day courses, you will learn how to make local versions of antipasti, pastas, risottos, gnocchi, crespelle, sorbets, and more.

Your stay at Arte Culinaria includes accommodations, meals, and local trips. Accommodations at Casa Gialla vary, depending up on your preference. You can stay in one of their ensuite bedrooms, bring the family and stay in a self-contained apartment, or stay in a single bedroom in the main house. Meals are included in the package and are accompanied by the local wines of Venuto, Friuli and Trentino Alto-Adige. Tours are offered to such places as local vintners, Venice, the Dolomites, Treviso, the Villa Barbaro or Castel Brando, or shopping in local villages.

Upcoming Dates 2007

One-week Course - €1350
May 19th – 26th
June 9th – 16th
August 1st – 8th
September 22nd – 29th
October 9th – 16th
November 10th – 17th

Three-day Course – €720 euro
Mrch 31st – April 3rd
April 14th – 17th
April 24t – 27th
May 5th – 8th
June 2nd – 5th
July 17th – 20th
July 24th – 27th
August 11th – 14th
August 18th – 21st
September 15th – 18th
October 2nd – 5th
October 20th – 23rd
November 27th – 30th

Want Something a Bit Different?

So, you’ve been focusing on food when you travel, you subscribe to all the usual culinary magazines (and probably of few of the offbeat, as well), and you regularly devour food and/or travel blogs—how about taking a trip and learning to write about food?

Diane Jacob, a food and wine writer, writing coach, and author of Will Write for Food, is offering a one-week course to Southern France. This writing workshop will be held at Latitude, a nonprofit cultural center in the Lot Valley, where Diane will show you how food affects memory, place and identity, and will help you make your stories come alive on the page. In addition, you will visit an outdoor market and have free time to explore the local scenery, including wineries and medieval villages. And of course, great food will be served during your stay, including local favorites of cassoulet and Coq au Vin.

When: June 9-16, 2007
Cost: $1250 and up, depending on accommodations (airfare not included)
Limit: 12 participants

Culinary Travel Heats Up!

Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) gave those of us interested in culinary tourism a big Valentine’s gift this year: the results of its first-ever comprehensive culinary travel survey. The results, not surprising to those of us in the know, and those of you trying to book culinary tours and classes here and abroad, are that this is a booming segment of travel that is continuing to grow.

Defining culinary activities as cooking classes, dining out for a unique and memorable experience, visiting farmers markets, gourmet food shopping, attending food festivals, participating in winery tours, driving a wine trail, tasting locally made wines, and attending wine festivals, the statistics show that of 27 million American leisure travelers, 17% have participated in a wine or food-related trip in the past three years and that 60% have the intention of such a trip in the near future. That’s a mouthful, no pun intended. While many of these activities are not the focus of many a travelers vacation, but a secondary by-product of the region they are visiting, the report also talks about the “serious” culinary traveler. If you are reading this, then you are probably in that category.

The serious culinary traveler seeks out these experiences when planning their travel, rather than have it be serendipitous. And they are more likely to immerse themselves in their surroundings, by visiting local parks and museums and places of historical significance, in addition to the culinary side of their destination. Many of the culinary tours I have written about on this blog in the 6 months we have been up and running, are tapped into this idea and offer tours that are well-rounded, but with a definite culinary bent.

What this all means for you? That you will begin to have more competition for spots on culinary tours, in classes and in schools. But the market is gearing up to meet the demand and new opportunities are arriving each week. So keep your eyes peeled, and make sure you take advantage of our archives and our resources when booking your next tour. (Oh, and don’t forget to read our book, The World Is a Kitchen, for ideas!)

The World Is a Kitchen Event in Chicago

Chicago-area foodies with winter wanderlust can stop by during the Beverly Library Author Event, on February 24, 2007. Eight authors will be reading from their books from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and books will be showcased from 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The World Is a Kitchen contributor, Helen Gallagher, will speak during the day's author fest, and will have nice warm copies of The World Is a Kitchen available for purchase.  Stop by or contact the author with any questions: Helen@cclarity.com.

There is no fee to attend, and advance registration not required.

Beverly Branch Public Library
2121 W. 95th Street
Chicago

La Villa Bonita School of Mexican Cuisine

Thinking about a Mexican Culinary Vacation? Chef Ana Garcia, chef and owner of the restaurant Reposado, operates La Villa Bonita School of Mexican Cuisine in Cuernavaca and offers several different packages that allow hands-on cooking instruction, as well as culinary and cultural tours in the area. Held in a historic 16th-centurymansion, Chef Ana focuses on giving students “a full working knowledge of how to prepare traditional and nouvelle Mexican dishes, salsas, and condiments and drinks from the simple to the complicated.” In addition, outings to the local mercados, Xochicalco or Teohtiuacan, the Palacio de Hernan Cortes, Borda Botanical Gardens and the Brady Museum of Art.

Classes are held every week of every month, so there is no excuse not to try it out.

Special Options:

• Vegan and vegetarian programs
• Culinary Profressional weeks
• Classes can be held in English, Spanish or French

Seven-night packages are offered, which include lodging, breakfast and lunch, four days of cooking instruction, two days of cultural and culinary field trips, and transportation to and from the Mexico City airport (45 minutes away). Also available are four-night packages with an abbreviated itinerary.

Rates:
$1,550 per person, double occupancy for 7-night packages
$1150 per person, double occupancy for 4-night packages
Single occupancy prices also available

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Only 13 days until the start of Mardi Gras. Thinking about heading over to the Big Easy for a bit of reverie and fun? Why not include a cooking class or two to supplement your visit? There is a variety of courses and tours available to you.

Viator, an online resource for travel experiences, offers The Southern Comfort Cocktail Tour, starting at $23.00 as travelers learn the history of Pimm's Cup, the Hurricane, and see where Southern Comfort was created in 1874. The art of cooking Jambalaya is the souvenir visitors bring home after taking the New Orleans Cooking Class, starting at $28.00. Experts in Creole/Cajun fare teach local specialties including Gumbo, Jambalaya and the ever-so-yummy local treat, Pralines. Dinner at the Court of Two Sisters Restaurant, starting at $53.00, allows travelers to savor the local history associated with 150 years of Creole cuisine.


As for cooking schools and classes, there is:

Cooking Cajun
Located in the Riverwalk Marketplace in New Orleans, this school has over 15,000 students per year.

Louisiana School of Cooking
Run by Chef Patrick Mould, this school focuses on regional cuisine and also offers online cooking classes.

Mardi Gras School of Cooking
Offers guest houses along with classes on authentic Creole and Cajun cuisine.

New Orleans Cooking Experience
 is all about authentic Creole and Cajun cuisine taught in an 18th-century plantation house that also serves as a B&B. This school has a nice write-up here on The World is a Kitchen.

If you go, have a beignet at Cafe du Monde for me!

Food, Fun and Philanthropy in Costa Rica

Tropical Adventures, a specialist in volunteer tour packages, has announced a new volunteer vacation. The “Chocolate Factory” package will take you two Costa Rica where you get hands-on learning in the production of chocolate, from bean to bar. This experience will give you an unrestricted glimpse into the Costa Rica that few visitors know and a way to have a positive impact on a community.

This particular project benefits the Asociacion Comision de Mujeres Talamanquenas (ACOMUITA). This organization is comprised of women from two local Costa Rican tribes, with a focus on educational tourism via the humble cocoa bean. ACOMUITA members raise the crop themselves, and then processes it through extraction, dehydration, crushing and blending. Money raised through ACOMUITA stays in the community, providing it’s members with a living wage. In addition to volunteering in the chocolate production, there are a number of othe projects that you can partake while here:

• Teaching English (translators for tours, designing basic English classes)
• Medicinal Plants on the Farm (creative focus on ecological education)

• Cultivation of Educational Farm Lands (preparing land, planting seeds)

• Environmental Education Project (protecting the environment through lectures, fun activities for kids, etc.)

• Public Relations/Marketing (teach how to market tours and sale of chocolate)

• River Clean Up (environmental education for fresh water from rivers for drinking, cooking and bathing)


There is also play time, with offerings such as snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, river rafting, canopy tours, and beautiful sights to see.

This volunteer project requires a minimum two-week commitment, but depending upon your love of chocolate, commitment to volunteerism, and fondness for Costa Rica, your stay can be indefinite. The cost is $1,195 for the first two weeks, and $195 for each week thereafter. This includes airport pickup, accommodations with a host family, meals, training, medical insurance, cell phone rental and guided tours. If you would like to have Spanish lessons during your stay, these are available for $10/hour in increments of 16, 24, and 32 hours. You are required to get yourself to the destination airport and volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per week.

This is not only a great bargain in terms of the fees, it is also a total immersion, allowing you to understand the culture, the community, learn a language, and get a glimpse of chocolate at its very source.