inexpensive cooking vacations
 

I'm looking for an inexpensive (the ones I found on the web come to about a thousand dollars a day for 2) cooking class in an old farmhouse type location in
France for a few days. I can plan my own trip and tour on my own, but I'd love to stay at an inn for a few days and shop for produce, cook and EAT. Ideas?

I've been looking for years. If you find one can you let me know?

Hi,

If you two will spring for the farmhouse and the ingredients, I shall bring my "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and give you lessons for free.

And for the same deal I shall do the market tours and wine selection :D

I have priced half-day cooking classes in Paris and they have run in the $180-280 USD range. I haven't had a chance to do one yet [partially fear of being told I'm a culinary idiot by an imperious French chef!]

I DID stick my toes in the water in Southeast Asia. I did a great hands-on class in Bangkok with market tour and super lunch after for about $70 USD and a demonstration class, market tour and lunch in Hanoi for $50 USD. Maybe now I'm brave enough to submit to the French :D

On BBC's Holiday program, they showed a wonderful little cooking school in Normandy, which took place in a very pretty, two-star hotel in a small town. It was quite inexpensive and looked like a lot of fun, including such things as a Calvados tasting, a visit to an oyster farm, etc. I'll snoop around the BBC site and see if I can find the info.

Well, that was easier than I thought! It took me less than a minute to track down on the BBC web site. Here's the link with info:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/holiday/destina...frenchcooking/

Thanks for the information...It is hard to find a two day or three day or even a one day cooking trip outside of Paris...does anyone know of any others?

I haven't done a lot of research on what they have in France, but found some lower-priced options on Shaw Guides for Italy:

http://cookforfun.shawguides.com/

They have over 500 listings for cooking classes in France - hopefully you can find one!

That said, if you do decide to go the Fodorite route, I'll pick up the wine costs if you invite me, too!

Gee, why don't we all just throw in together and have a cooking teach-me-exchange? I don't expect anyone to pay anything for me. Just split all the costs. That was (and still is) the idea behind a "Fodorites trip", as I originally outlined them.

October? anyone?

Best wishes,

Rex

YES YES YES!!!

:-)

Is that a baguette in your pocket, Mischka? or are you just glad to see me?

Sorry to burst your bubble Rex, but I think it was more like the food and wine that excited me :-)

No sorry required. Wasn't sure if the idea of assembling a trip provoked your response or not.

Or maybe you are hoping to make an offer to others like that of ira, sfowler, or Andrea?

PBProvence, who posts sometimes on this site, gives cooking classes at her lovely B&B in Provence for a good deal less than that. I don't want to post her e-mail without permission, but if you want to contact me at [email protected], I can put you in touch with her.

Well to be honest Rex, I would prefer Italian cooking, but any cooking/eating get-together sounds good to me.
Now if I have to volunteer my services.... mmmm..... let me see.... I can cook, I can eat, I can drink! Oh yeah and I have a good strong back and hefty legs, so I can help carry all that good fresh produce back from the market. So can I come?

Or reach her directly like this (does not disclose her e-mail address this way)...

http://forums.delphiforums.com/dir-a...ame=PBProvence

but I guess you have to join to access any of the pages on the Delphi forum.

If you are serious, write to me.

The Fodorites' 2001 Italy trip started from just such a thread as this...

See www.rexbickers.italy.com for a little more info... (it was never totally updated to reflect all the exact details of the trip, but you'll get an idea of how it evolved).

And personal info about me is not up-to-date there. Moved to Indiana in 2003.

This is a fabulous program in the Chianti region: http://www.tutti-a-tavola.com/

Rex, I had a look at that url, sounds great. Did anyone write a trip report? Are there any photo online to be viewed?
It sounds like a wonderful idea to me and I would seriously consider it if you do plan something.

sera !!!
I typed in http://www.tutti-a-tavola.com/

and something freaked me out so MUCH :

Culinary program
TAT in details...

Food friends
TAT around the world...

Press release
TAT on newspapers...

Contact us
TAT answers you...

Tutti a Tavola recipe
TAT selected recipes...

Tell to a friend
TAT for friends...

Then I got it
tutti-a-tavola = tat !!!

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Mischka:

Already way too close to (or over?) the line of "hijacking" this thread.

Please feel free to ask any additional questions at http://communities.msn.com/RexBickers/messageboard.msnw

Or a new thread COULD be started (if and when there was any actual inteest in such a trip this year - - I'm not sure I could commit myself to anything more in 2004 than I already have going on).

Oop you're right Rex.

Humanone- sorry for taking over your thread :-)

Tat, you can laugh but I have a friend who went to Tutti A Tavola and he thought it was great, so that is a good suggestion for Italy (it's near Siena).

I've seen some classes a lot cheaper in France than $1000 a day, that's outrageous. Here are a few:

www.3ponts.edu in Burgundy
www.cuisineprovencale.com (this one is in Arles)
www.each-lyon.com (this is Paul Bocuse's institute, but they have one-day sessions for amateurs, also www.institutpaulbocuse.com)

www.taste-of-europe.com is a Canadian travel company for teachers or something (although I think anyone can sign up) and they have several interesting cheap culinary tours

Tutti a Tavola (or TAT, if you will) was three days and cost something like $850 (summer 2001), including three nights stay in one of the cooks' great farmhouses. The classes started at 4 p.m.. the dinner and setting were amazing, and we did a trip to a market one morning.

thanks to all who responded! And don't worry Rex and Mischka, you didn't take over thread in any but an entertaining way. Except, I regret I couldn't take part in anything that wasn't in June or early July...tied to
the academic year.

Thanks and good luck, humanone - - hope you find what you are seeking, but should you not - - maybe June 2005 would work for me, if you or anyone else would have any interest in Fodorites' cook-share-teach trip, to just about ay country that touches the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Baltic or the North Sea (or even Portugal!)

try this website http://www.ciaprochef.com/travel.html CIA Travel Program

You all sound like alot of fun! I too am interested in reasonably priced cooking schools...I occasionally buy the BBC Good Food magazine here in Southern California and get the biggest kick out of it. They do sometimes list cooking schools..I will keep my eye out for one.
Also I was an invited guest to the International Association of Culinary Professionals (the trade association for serious chefs ala Charlie Trotter etc. ) and found this info. I don't know how much she charges but you could ask. She was a character and had a great personality and seemed to know alot about French cooking. She lives on her barge on the Canal Du Duex Mers Kate Hill's European Culinary Adventures Gascony France www.thefrenchkitchen.com or US booking agent 1-800-852-2625

I haven't seen the book, but there may be someplace in Alastair Sawday's Special Places to stay in Europe with Courses and Activities. Is anyone familiar with this book? www.sawdays.co.uk

Hi Again,
Just found a better link for Christina in Tuscany. This is her site.
Gerry
http://www.laghiandaia.it/indexen.htm

HI,
Somehow a previous response got deleted. This was to preceed my last post. I have just had an email from Kate Hill (www.TheFrenchKitchen.com) and her one day classes are about 190 Euros for a six hours of hands on cooking with some demos. She will do small groups or allow you to join a previosly scheduled class if the timing conflicts and there are openings. Another class I'm waiting to hear from is called
http://www.lacrique.com/. I will let youknow the response. Debra Winger at www.frenchfood.about.com has been helping me attempt to find a class and I thank her for her help.
Last year we spent an afternoon at a beautiful B@B called la Ghiandaia in Tuscany that we would recommend. Christina offered an afternoon class for three of us with dinner in her lovely dining room for about $200 Canadian. Here is the website http://www.tuscany.net/ghiandaia/. Christina is a character and spoke excellent English. Gerry