Food and travel? Yes, please.
If you need an escape from the grind and some good eats, Toronto-based company Foodie-Trips.com may be exactly what you’re looking for. The company helps those who want to broaden their gastronomic knowledge by offering unique culinary adventures around the world.
If you’re looking for local (and who hasn’t jumped on that bandwagon these days), the trips offer a way to travel straight to the source – even if it means crossing an ocean.
A far cry from a wild weekend in Vegas you won’t remember, Foodie-Trips.com offers hands-on, foodie-centered getaways in settings like Paris, France, Venice, Italy, and Prince Edward Island. It provides travellers behind-the-scenes experiences in the kitchens and farms of some of the world’s most inspiring and photo-worthy locales. In a nutshell, you get to meet local suppliers and producers and create meals on culinary vacations.
To some, this may sound like too much work (as in, who wants to cook on vacation?), but to others this may be the perfect chance to kill two birds – your need for a getaway and your hunger for culinary knowledge – with one stone. And the educational value you’ll gain makes it easier to justify taking the time off and splurging on a trip.
Trip itineraries include activities like fishing dinner’s catch in small rivers in the Dolomite mountains of Italy, preparing a three-course meal from fresh produce picked up during a tour of Paris’ oldest food market, participating in a food styling course on a beach in Prince Edward Island, and visiting one of Italy’s most famous Prosecco makers. You can tap into (or discover) your inner chef and be involved in all parts of the culinary process, from the sourcing of ingredients to the design, planning and creation of each menu. As an added bonus, a 24-hour concierge is available to offer insight on the local culture and history.
Upcoming trips include:
Prince Edward Island (Wednesday, Aug. 20 to Saturday, Aug. 24, 2014).
What you’ll get: Highlights include lobster fishing, a food styling course, and a local market cooking class. If you want, you can check out the Anne of Green Gables House in your downtime (how old does that reference make you feel?)
Paris, France (Monday, Sept. 15 to Friday, Sept. 19, 2014).
What you’ll get: Hands-on culinary classes with classically trained French chefs (think macarons, croissants and baguettes), a tour of one of the oldest markets in Paris, and preparing a three-course meal with local ingredients. Not to mention, you’ll get guided walks and organized meals at some of Paris’s hidden gastronomic gems.
Northern Italy (Monday, Sept. 29 to Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014).
What you’ll get: A chance to explore the hidden side of Venice and Trieste and to master traditional dishes passed down through Italian families for generations. Highlights include accommodations at fifth generation, Michelin-starred Chef Ricardo de Pra’s farmhouse in the Dolada Mountains and exploring local forests and lakes for the days’ meals in conjunction with Chef Riccardo’s farm to table culinary plan for guests. Throw one of the world’s most iconic winemakers in Prosecco country in the mix, along with one of Venice’s top sommeliers, and you get the best of all worlds.
The only potential downside? Call us snobs, but we are sometimes weary of organized group travel… as in, if you’re stuck with a group of people you can’t exactly stand, it can really kill the vibe. But in cities as romantic as Paris and Venice, you could also fall in love in the process. And at least you’ll eat well.
Future destinations for Foodie-Trips.com will include New York, Singapore, England and Ontario, for inbound tourists or locals who love food.
#LYNL | (Live Your Notable Life)
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