I love to cook and love to watch people cook. Has anyone been on a particularly wonderful cooking vacation?

We had a fun time at the New Orleans Cooking school while in NO. Learned to make basics like Gumbo & Jambalaya and learned a little about the culinary history of the region. Was a fun afternoon.

The CIA has boot camp that sounds fantastic...but it's pricy!

http://www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts/programs.htm

Several of us friends have been to two of them in Tuscany. Nothing can compare!

I am a foodie and have taken two cooking school vacations, both great. First check out the cooking school program offered at Blackberry Farm in the Smoky Mountains of Tenn. The place is incredible, the food outstanding (chef Fleer has been invited to Beard House a few times) and service out of this world. The cooking program is quiet an experience, as part of the school they bring in a winemaker from a select vineyard and on the first evening you have dinner with other participants and the wine maker, the next day you go to the Farm owner's house on the property and take a class by a guest chef and in the evening you have a special wine tasting in the owner's wine cave (super cool) and then the next day the inn's chef, john fleer teaches a class. Plus there is so much to do in the area.

Another cooking program I have attended is through Miraval Spa in Arizona. At the time, Chef Cary Neff (author of conscious cuisine) was the head chef at the spa and every day at lunch we would have a 2 hour cooking class. I really enjoyed it and the rest of the spa activities. Now I have heard Chef Neff has left and a guy from the golden door has replaced him. Either way you cannot go wrong at the place. Cooking school vacations I find a lot of fun of mixing a hobby with some relaxation. hope this is helpful, Veronica

calgirlsusan, were these organized tours to Tuscany? Thanks to all of you for the input

I've always wanted to do something like this...here is a link for the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV that does a cooking vacation:

http://www.greenbrier.com/act_leis_cooking.asp

Cooking Light Magazine also used to do an annual cruise revolving around cooking, but I couldn't find that information on their website--perhaps they've stopped. However, if you love to cook and would like to try some excellent recipes "pared" down, I recommend the magazine, www.cookinglight.com