This summer, thousands of people will combine their vacations with cooking classes, culinary tours and food festivals, choosing to work on both their tans and their tapenade.
The 1994 edition of “The Guide to Cooking Schools” (Shaw Guides, $19.95) lists 193 cooking vacation programs, a figure that has tripled in the last five years.
These gourmet getaways “are part of a growth movement of travel for enrichment,” said David Roth, publisher of Palate and Spirit, a New York-based quarterly devoted to culinary travel. The demand is growing so fast, and the industry with it, that Roth is starting a publication on the subject solely for travel agents.
Hotels, cruise lines, wineries and chefs are getting into the act.
“It’s added a new dimension to travel,” said Dorlene Kaplan, the editor of the Shaw Guides. “When you combine a vacation with a culinary experience, you learn things that normal tourists wouldn’t.”
Even those who don’t have an advanced degree in soufflemaking can find plenty of choices.
Costs vary widely, from a $50 three-hour class conducted in a Connecticut country store to a $12,000 cruise in Europe.
What follows is a guide to some of the best summer and fall cooking programs (although many of these operate year-round), most of which cater to the novice as well as the experienced cook. The list is only a sampling of what is available. When choosing, be sure to inquire about the intensity level, class size, accommodations (if any) and cost. Except where noted, all prices are per person, include double-occupancy accommodations and most meals, but do not include air fare.
Abroad
France:
Set in a 17th Century chateau on 100 acres in Burgundy, La Varenne, whose alumni light up the American food scene, offers intensive one-week courses in June and July. Practical and demonstration classes (taught in French and translated into English) focus on either the classic fundamentals, pastry, or regional or contemporary French cuisine. The 15 participants can then swim, play tennis, explore the garden or visit local markets and wineries. The cost is $2,595; 800-537-6486.
Le Cordon Bleu in Paris is thought by many to be the creme de la creme of cooking schools. Founded in 1895, it counts luminaries such as Julia Child among its graduates. Although it is thought to be the place for serious study, it also offers one- to five-day courses for 12 amateurs (conducted in French and translated into English) that consist of demonstrations and hands-on instructional classes.
In addition to the usual workshops, there also are trips to Champagne and Versailles, and excursions to local markets, museums and bakeries. Prices for the one- to five-day programs are $215 to $970, lodging excluded; the two-week package costs $5,000. Cordon Bleu also has schools in Tokyo and London, where summer classes are available. For all programs: 800-457-2433.
One-week sessions focusing on various specialties are offered at the Ritz-Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise in the basement of the venerable Hotel Ritz in Paris. A maximum of 10 students attend hands-on and demonstration classes, addressing topics like chocolate, cakes, breads or pastries. The cost is $850 to $915, depending on the topic chosen, lodging excluded; 800-966-5758.
Paul Bocuse, the three-star Michelin chef, is the president of a professional cooking school, Arts Culinaires et de L’Hotellerie, near Lyons, France. He will offer several one-week basic courses for non-professionals in June, August and September. The cost is $1,000, lodging excluded; 212-697-5156.
For a feast of foie gras, wild mushrooms, game and Armagnac in France, the European Culinary Adventures’ “In the Kitchen in Gascony” trip operates in September and October. Hands-on cooking classes in an 18th Century farmhouse are interspersed with dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants and visits to markets and wineries. The price is $1,995; 415-826-4020.
Hong Kong:
Len Berk, of Epicurean Expeditions East, will lead travelers, chopsticks in hand, to Hong Kong for six or nine nights. The tours are offered from October through December and cost $1,299 to $5,899; 800-732-2244.
India:
Julie Sahni, an Indian-born cooking expert, will conduct a culinary passage to India Oct. 14 to Nov. 3. Highlights will include a wedding feast in Bombay, market visits in Madras and a tour of mango plantations in New Delhi. The price is $4,750, with a 15 percent discount for bookings made by July 1; 800-999-1758.
Ireland:
Ireland’s new wave of culinary excellence is due partly to the efforts of Darina Allen and her mother-in-law, Myrtle Allen, of the Ballymaloe Cookery School. In June and July, at the school in the lush countryside of County Cork, Darina Allen instructs students on entertaining, vegetarian cooking and the art of barbecue in classes lasting one to five days. The cost is $130 to $500, lodging excluded; 011-353-21-646-785.
Italy:
For eight years, Mary Beth Clark of the International Cooking School of Italian Food and Wine has led groups of 12 around Bologna, a region whose staples include prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano and balsamic vinegar. July 9-15, Clark will teach the Basics of Great Italian Cooking. Students stay in luxury hotels and tackle 40 recipes, from biscotti to zabaglione. There are also trips to nearby markets, to a small Parmigiano-Reggiano factory and to an acetaia, or balsamic vinegar aging cellar. The price is $3,000; 212-779-1921.
Other one-week trips to Italy worth noting include the Villa Table, taught by Lorenza de Medici, author of more than 20 cookbooks. She presides over her school at the 11th Century former Tuscan monastery, Badia a Coltibuono, where a dozen students study the fundamentals from Aug. 28 through Sept. 3. The cost is $3,900; 214-373-1161.
Giuliano Bugialli’s Cooking in Florence focuses on traditional fare, with some of the classes conducted in a centuries-old Chianti farmhouse. The course runs June 26 to July 3 and costs $3,400; 212-966-5325.
And classes for six students with Marcella and Victor Hazan are conducted in their 16th Century palazzo in Venice (sold out for this summer; reserve now for next year). The price is $1,950, lodging excluded; 914-692-7104.
Close to Florence, Siena and San Gimignano is La Cucina al Focolare cooking school, housed in a 15th Century villa. Taught in Italian and translated into English, the classes in the morning are devoted to hands-on learning while afternoons are given over to cultural and culinary sojourns. The weeklong course, beginning Oct. 29, cost $1,950; 800-988-2851.
There will be a four-day cooking course Oct. 9-14 with Julia Child at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice. The three classes are followed by tours of the city and its markets, and cost $2,750; 800-237-1236.
The Gritti Palace in Venice also offers four-day cooking classes in October and November taught by its master chefs. The price is $1,025; 800-221-2340.
Spain:
The Spanish cooking authority Penelope Casas has led culinary tours in Spain for a decade. From Sept. 25 to Oct. 9, participants will travel to Barcelona, the Costa Brava, the Pyrenees and Madrid, sampling the local fare as they go. The cost is $3,950, including air fare; 800-772-4620.
United States
A beach romp in the Hamptons can be combined with one of Peter Kump’s School of Culinary Arts’ three-day cooking courses. Topics include baking, spa cuisine and Italian or Provencal cooking, and are conducted by teachers from the school’s Manhattan location, including Anna Theresa Callen and Nick Malgieri. Conducted at Kump’s East Hampton retreat, eight participants spend the hottest part of the day (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) in class. The cost is $50 for one-day demonstrations, $360 for three days, lodging excluded; 800-522-4610.
Hay Day Country Farm Markets in the Connecticut cities of Greenwich, Ridgefield and Westport conduct nightly demonstration classes. Amid the produce barrels and stocked shelves, Michael Romano from the Union Square Cafe, Ed Brown from the Judson Grill, the cookbook author Steven Raichlen (who has his own school, Cooking in Paradise, in St. Barthelemy) and Marcella Hazan will reveal tips of the trade. A dinner of the dishes demonstrated will be served. Prices range from $55 to $150; 203-221-0100.
The Culinary Magic School, staged one weekend in June, July and August at the century-old Governor’s Inn in Ludlow, Vt., is run by Deedy and Charlie Marble, who together have won 12 national culinary awards.
At the former governor’s house, within sight of Okemo Mountain, the weekend is packed with a six-course dinner, a full day of instruction on healthy, low-fat cooking, and visits to a nearby winery and an antiques market with more than 300 dealers. Guests are sent home with a fully packed picnic hamper. The package is $339 per person; 800-468-3766.
Those interested in spa cuisine can have their rice cakes and eat them too, even without staying at the Doral Saturnia in Miami. Anyone can sign up for a two-hour private session with the chef Ronald Hook, who will teach vegetarian or spa cooking. The cost is $225 for the vegetarian, $275 for the spa cooking; 305-593-6030.
For sun, sand and soup, the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island in Florida is staging culinary weekends once a month in June, July and August. Included in the package are a lunch at the chef’s table in the kitchen, a five-course dinner, a kitchen tour, a hands-on cooking class, a gift basket and ocean-view accommodations. The package costs $650 per couple for the weekend; 800-241-3333.
Jane Butel’s Cooking School in Albuquerque, N.M., instructs groups of 10 on Southwestern cuisine. Butel, who has written 12 cookbooks on the subject, offers weeklong and weekend summer courses. Students make 15 to 20 items daily, including breads, chimichangas, moles and tamales. Students usually have free time in the afternoons and evenings. The cost is $495 for a weekend, $1,495 for a week; 800-473-8226.
The Napa Valley is California’s third-largest tourist attraction (after Yosemite and Disneyland). During July and August, Hugh Carpenter, a cookbook author, leads 16 participants on a six-day culinary journey through Napa and Sonoma counties that includes cooking classes at Cakebread Cellars; tastings at Trefethen Winery, Opus One and Iron Horse Vineyards; a croquet tournament at Meadowood resort, and meals at Tra Vigne, Mustard’s Grill and Catahoula. Afternoons are free for ballooning, winery visits or roaming. The price is $860, lodging excluded; 707-944-9112.
Cruises
Several cruise lines have spiced up their itineraries with gastronomic demonstrations and presentations by guest chefs. The Royal Viking Queen is staging a “Culinary Extravaganza” cruise, June 18 from Lisbon to London.
For the 14-day trip, 212 passengers can participate in workshops on French cuisine and wine led by Paul Bocuse, Patrick Martin, the senior chef at Le Cordon Bleu, and Christophe Salin of Domaines Lafite-Rothschild. The price is $12,295; 800-422-8000.
During July and August, Cunard’s Sea Goddess line, whose ships hold a maximum of 116 guests each, will be sailing from various ports in Europe with its “Connoisseur Collection” theme. French and Italian cuisine experts, Patricia Wells and Anna Tasca Lanza, respectively, will be aboard to lecture. The seven-day cruises cost $5,900; 800-458-9000.
