Recommend July 2011 - (Page 34)

NEW WOrLD adventures in food continued from page 32 carla hunt and a brunch with mimosas prior to airport transfer on departure. The cost is $1,520 pp dbl in garden terrace rooms, $1,625 in jr. suites. Travel agents who might want to design a customized culinary tour might consider Panama-based Panama Gourmet, whose specialty is providing A Taste of Panama—Culinary Tours. Itineraries are fashioned for food-lovers, including cooking classes with international chef Melissa DeLeon and other professional chefs, tastings, visits to markets, unique visits to artisan producers such as bakers, cheese makers, coffee plantations, organic fruit and vegetable gardens, edible insect and flower farms. guatemala Pre-Hispanic civilization provided the staple ingredients of corn and beans on which much of Guatemalan cooking is still based today, however it was Spanish cooking styles that introduced using corn and many other native vegetables, fruits and meats in a variety of ways. Guatemalan gastronomy is one of the country’s cultural treasures, according to chef Mircini Moliviati, the host of Guatemala’s popular gastronomy TV program, “El Sabor de mi Tierra” (The Flavors of My Land). During a recent New York City visit, she pointed out that, “Our cuisine is linked to every activity we do as a society: the celebration of life and the embracing of death; the dismissal of the old year and the welcoming of the new; the cultivation of earth at planting and harvest time; the observation of Maya and Christian ceremonies.” Illustrating Moliviati’s point, Avanti Destinations puts the accent on gastronomy in its 6-day Guatemala Culture and Cuisine vacation. Travelers start this journey (on Sundays and Wednesdays) in Guatemala City with a transfer to colonial Antigua for two nights, dining the first evening at a local restaurant, and the following day preparing several local dishes at a half-day cooking class, taking a city tour and enjoying a wine tasting and private dinner at Meson Panza Verde. En-route to Lake Atitlan, travelers visit the Azotea Coffee Farm and Maya Traditions Museum, and during a 2-night lakeside stay, travel by boat to villages noted for their weaving and paintings, Maya costumes and ceremonies. The itinerary includes a visit to the famous market at Chichicastenango, en-route to Guatemala City for the final night. The tour cost starts at $1,725 pp dbl. n Archived related articles (available on recommend.com): Latin America 2011 (January 2011) Homemade potato soup in Ecuador’s La Mirage Garden Hotel & Spa. charming fishing village—a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site—located on the coast between rio and Sao Paulo. The Academy’s founder and lead chef is Brazilian-born Yara Castro robert, a graduate of leading culinary schools in Boston and Paris, as well as host of a PBS-WGBH cooking series that was twice-nominated for Emmy awards. Travelers staying in Paraty can join the Academy’s dinner demonstrations focused on different Brazilian regional foods, or book a 5-day tour that mixes half-day concentrations (preparing and eating) on the cooking of Bahia, Minas Gerais and Amazonas, as well as cachaca (Brazilian rum) tastings, with activities such as kayaking, birding, horseback riding, or art gallery hopping. Clients have many choices of small, charming pousadas in the historic district when staying in Paraty. For example, Pousada da Marquesa with 21 air-conditioned rooms in the original building and new annex overlooking the pool, is priced from $200 dbl. panama Sitting on the land bridge between the Americas, Panama has good reason to be a culinary melting pot of the indigenous, European, Asian and Latin American influences that make up its “crossroads” cuisine. Clients heading for the Chiriqui Highlands do well to be booked into the landmark 25-room Panamonte Inn & Spa, located outside the town of Boquete. Not only is the town’s best restaurant here, but so is the Panamonte Culinary School, run by chef-owner Charlie Collins, who offers guests an authentic culinary experience that combines local foods and culture with sophisticated tastings. Chef Collins teaches small, hands-on classes that focus on traditional dishes, and introduces participants to unusual roots and vegetables used in local cuisine. With a 2-person minimum and no more than eight, the 4-day package includes accommodations, fireside tasting dinner, cooking class, Panamanian breakfasts, coffee plantation tour, visits to local markets, 34 july 2011 contact information Adventure Life: (800) 344-6118; adventure-life.com Academy of Cooking & Other Pleasures: chefbrasil.com Avanti Destinations: (800) 422-5053; avantidestinations.com Casa Higueras: hotelcasahigueras.cl La Mirage Garden Hotel & Spa: For U.S. reservations contact Latin America reservation Center (LArC) at (800) 327-3573; larc1.com Ladatco Tours: (800) 327-6162; ladatco.com Magical Cusco Tours: (866) 411-4622; magicalcuzcotours.com Marnella Tours: (866) 993-0033; marnellatours.com Martin Cooking Classes: cookingclasses.cl Panama Gourmet: panamagourmet.net Panamonte Inn & Spa: (800) 525-4800; panamonte.com Pousada da Marquesa: pousadadamarquesa.com.br recommend.com http://www.recommend.com http://www.adventure-life.com http://www.chefbrasil.com http://www.avantidestinations.com http://www.hotelcasahigueras.cl http://www.larc1.com http://www.ladatco.com http://www.magicalcuzcotours.com http://www.marnellatours.com http://www.cookingclasses.cl http://www.panamagourmet.net http://www.panamonte.com http://pousadadamarquesa.com.br http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend July 2011

Editor's Notes
Design Hotels
Gap Adventures
Spiritual India
Experiencing the Not-So Familiar Vietnam
Sailing the Seas
New World Adventures in Food
Little Whale Cay, The Bahamas
Into the National Parks
Journeys Beyond the Ordinary
Heritage Tours to Europe
Grand Solmar at Land's End Resort & Spa

Recommend July 2011