Last week I posted blogs about food journeys. For those of us in Manhattan, I wrote about a lower Manhattan farmers’ market, the New Amsterdam market, you can walk too. Then I reviewed a book, Fresh from the Farm, featuring day trips to the Hudson Valley and Long Island to visit farms, stores, stands, and wineries. That’s jump in your car activity.
For this third part, let me ask you a question: what if you could just get up, fly away and parachute into a wonderful food learning experience? Where would you go? What could you learn? And then there are the practical questions, what would it cost, where would you stay, what are the classes like, …?
Your answers are all artfully laid out for you in Gourmet Getaways: 50 Top Spots to Cook and Learn by Joe David. For foodies, this is a bedside book to speculate on.
Yes, Joe describes 50 spots, but only 17 states. If you live in Idaho, then you are going to be journeying to California. Or Texas, or … Well, you can scan the Gourmet Getaways and see where you’d love to visit.
Each of the getaway spots has been carefully selected. These really are the cream of the culinary schools in the country. Some you may already know, like the fabulous Greenbrier in West Virginia. In contrast, there are some small gems here like the Kirby House in Douglas Michigan. Yes, those smaller schools can absolutely compete in quality and interest with their more prominent peers. Gourmet Getaways includes many sample recipes and at the Kirby House in Michigan you can learn about Lake Kalamazoo Crepes Florentine: chicken, herbs, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms and cheese! There are reasons to head for Michigan.
The entries in Gourmet Getaway let you pick between:
- Short single classes to all day adventures
- Single versus multiple day programs
- Lodging and meals included or optional or you’re free to plan your own
Joe provides a complete set of information about each school with detailed information including:
- The chef or instructors
- The classes
- Cost
- Class length and type
- Lodging details and amenities if available
- Other local things — sights and shopping — to do to complete your getaway
With that information in this one-stop planner, you can truly pick and choose the style and length of your getaway. It can be fun, it can be intense. Of course these classes are all oriented towards us amateurs, but that should not be taken as anything but as an invitation to upgrade your skills. These programs are led by experienced, professional teachers who will give you some of those professional insights you are yearning to learn and take home.
Perhaps you’re thinking about a way to celebrate the holidays. That New Year’s Escape. Or maybe the February retreat from snow and ice. Get Gourmet Getaways and start planning a vacation you’ll taste for years.