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Tour Hosts Review By Patrick Posted on Culinary
Every holiday and celebration with any importance in life incorporates a feast. Food brings everyone together, both in the kitchen during the creative processes, to the final dénouement at the table. Hunting, gathering and feasting are the oldest forms of human social interaction.
What we eat, drink and how it is prepared and served is relative to the specific society. Amanqina anyone? This month’s issue celebrates a variety of different cultures and the foods they use to salute life. The foods of South Africa and Mexico, the delicacy -- and disgrace -- of caviar, New Zealand, Galicia and France’s vinicultural charms, and the twin delights of Napa and Tuscany are just a sampling of this month treats.
I hope you enjoy and discover the various tour hosts that can help you experience or create you culinary dreams.
Tasty Tuscany Pick of the Month
Location: Italy – Tuscan between Pisa and Florence
Specialty: Tuscan Cooking classes and accommodations in an ancient country house
Why We Like Them: Tasty Tuscany focuses on the art of food, wine, art and their relationship to the countryside and effect on life. Recipes feature the best of Italian cooking for all areas of the country based on the season's best produce, most ingredients are grown right on the 80- acre farm. Courses include walking and art excursions, craft and market visits. Only eight guests can be entertained at any one time. Even if your passion is not cooking, Tasty Tuscany offers separate accommodations and excursions as well.
Everyday Gourmet Traveler
Location: Italy, France
Specialty: Multi-day group tours visiting various cities
Why We Like Them: Bev Gruber arranges and leads small group journeys with a focus on the specific region's culinary specialties. Incorporating food, wine, shopping, cooking, art and entrainment, these tours provide a great overall view of the destinations they visit.
Mexican Home Cooking School
Location: Mexico – Tlaxcala near Puebla
Specialty: Mexican home-style cooking classes in bed and-breakfast accommodations.
Why We Like Them: Señora Estela Salas Silva learned the classic Mexican recipes from her grandmother and started in the restaurant business at age 9. Both she and her brother, Rogelio Salas Silva, have operated restaurants in both San Francisco and Mexico City. Guests stay in her “hacienda-style” home and learn right in her kitchen, truly experiencing the region's way of life. Classes consist of 2-½ hours instruction per day, in groups no larger than four people. Located in Tlaxcala, 45 minutes from Puebla, ample time is available to explore Puebla, a fascinating city and last month’s Heritage Site Pick.
Green Cuisine Ltd
Location: England near the border of Wales
Specialty: Cooking school and organic farm in ancient farmhouse on the Welch border
Why We Like Them: Courses focus on cooking and eating healthy, and feature organic products grown on the property’s ground. The school is located in an ancient farm house that has been restored, Green Cuisine also operates a hotel and restaurant. Most courses are 2-3 days and include accommodation at Penrhos Court. Green Cuisine's web site has lots of great recipes, a couple of fun articles and stories, and also a shop when you can purchase all types of organic-related products.
Wine & Dine Tours and Events
Location: USA - California
Specialty: Napa Valley wine and food tours with great off-the-beaten-path features
Why We Like Them: They focus on areas of Napa and wineries that day trippers would never find. Imagine dinner deep in a winemaker's cave, complete with music and candlelight. Or how about a short lecture on the role of oak barrels in the winemaking process, including tastings of wines aged in three American oaks from different states and three French oaks, with a discussion of their effects on the wines? They can provide custom planning for groups and individuals, or you can join one of their scheduled trips.
French Wine Explorers
Location: Various locations through France
Specialty: Wine tours lead by sommeliers and wine experts
Why We Like Them: The company offers a wide variety of trips, each with a focus on a specific area which allows for in-depth understanding of the different regions and their wines. With private access to chateaus and the winemakers themselves, participants can experience the subtleties of each vintage firsthand. Gourmet meals and luxurious accommodation complete the experience.
Epicurean Food and Wine Tours
Location: Australia - Victoria
Specialty: Personalized day trips from Melbourne to Australia's prime wine regions
Why We Like Them: A great selection of day trips to discover the food and wines of Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and along the Great Ocean Road. The trips include fantastic scenery, small towns and even a wildlife sanctuary. Multi-day trips and accommodations can be arranged.
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