Have you ever dreamed of learning to cook from the finest chefs in the world, but you want to do it in another country? What's your pleasure....Italian, French, Southwestern, Peruvian, Caribbean? Did you know that you can travel to your bucket list destination and not only learn to cook, but sample all of the culinary delights your destination has to offer? Here are our top 5 reasons why culinary travel is perfect for your "inner chef".
#1 - Cultural Immersion
If you head to a cooking school anywhere in the world, chances are you will be cooking and learning all day (and maybe all night) to squeeze in all of those lessons, leaving little time for anything else. Culinary travel is different because not only will you take private cooking classes with renowned chefs, but your entire trip is centered around cultural immersion - meeting the locals, sampling local cuisines, wines and beers, and having time to really explore the most historically significant sites and local ways of life.
#2 - Authentic Cuisine
I have never really liked Chinese food...until I went to China and my taste buds exploded! The exquisite, fresh, delicious food in Beijing was like eating from a different planet. Sure, you can take a trip anywhere and get your foodie on at the popular, touristy places - but why do that when you can enjoy the authentic culinary delights of some of the world's most secret restaurants and even sample your own meals that you made yourself?
#3 - Fresh, Local Ingredients
Did you know that most of the countries in the European Union have banned GMO's? Or, that in almost every other country in the world only fresh, local, organic products are used in meal preparation? Imagine heading with your chef to the local market to purchase the ingredients for your meal or actually picking your produce from the farm to use for your dinner! Everything you make and eat is literally farm-to-table ready. My friends and foodies - I promise you that there is no taste like a ripe, juicy tomato picked from a local farm in Italy or a white truffle in Croatia.
#4 - Wine-Pairings & Tastings
I don't know about you, but as long as I live, I probably will never quite get it straight about which wine goes best with what type of food. Learning about wine-pairings from a sommelier who not only has mastered the wines, but also understands how to pair them with the regional cuisine...well, that is simply a bonus for culinary and wine enthusiasts. And let's not forget that no culinary travel experience is complete without visiting the local vineyards and winemakers to sample their incredible offerings.
#5 - Hosting Your Next Dinner Party
How many times have you imagined throwing the perfect dinner party where you serve a delicious, authentic, gourmet meal with the perfect wines for your guests? Culinary travel provides you with an opportunity to not only learn to master the creation of authentic, regional dishes (making everyone at your table "ooh" and "aahh"), but it also turns you into a storyteller! Delight your guests with snippets and tales of how you learned to make these wonderful specialities and all about the incredible local people you met along the way.
Interested in culinary travel? Be sure to click on the "Our Exclusives" tab to take a look at some of our private, small-group culinary travel and wine experiences. We would love to have you join us!
