Travelimes: Peru with Gusto

11 days Lima – Cusco – Lima

Participate in hands-on cooking classes of signature Peruvian dishes with Chefs and locals. Travel off the beaten path to cook in unique settings. Dine at high end restaurants and modest huariques. Visit local markets, sample products and learn about Peru’s diverse ingredients and gastronomy developed over the centuries by natives, Spanish, Asian, European immigrants and African slaves. Get a lesson on Peruvian coffee and Pisco, sign up for a chocolate-making workshop and explore world heritage sites such as Cuzco and Machu Picchu.

Price: From $4,600.00 (CAD)

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Artisans of Leisure: Food & Wine of Australia

(9 Days – Departs Daily on a Private Basis) Melbourne, Yarra Valley, Adelaide, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Sydney Australian cuisine was once based solely on the recipes brought by the English settlers, such as roasts, meat pies, sausage and potatoes. Contemporary cooking—some of the best in the world—reflects more recent immigrations with Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian cuisines offering a diversity of cooking ingredients and styles to the mix. Large urban food markets stock a huge range of local foods, such as olive oil, organic vegetables, goat cheese, wood-fired bread and live crabs. For generations, Aborigines prepared meals from foods gathered in the wild. Traditional “bushtucker” cuisine includes kangaroo meat and witchetty grubs (moth larvae) as well as native berries, nuts, seeds and citrus. Many of these ingredients have found their way into the kitchens of contemporary Australian chefs exploring the flavors of the continent. Australian wine has become a worldwide phenomenon in recent years and the country is now one of the top ten wine producers in the world. Wine-growing regions of the Barossa Valley, the Hunter Valley and the Yarra Valley produce some of the world’s best chardonnays, shirazs, pinot noirs and merlots. Australia also has a strong pub culture. This private gourmet adventure includes Australia’s premier wine regions, insider visits to specialty food purveyors, market visits, superb dining, and tours of locations offering the freshest and most creative cuisine in Australia. Itinerary Overview Day 1 Arrive Melbourne Arrival transfer and private city touring Day 2 Melbourne – Yarra Valley Full-day private tour of wineries and villages in Dandenong Ranges wine region Day 3 Yarra Valley Full-day private tour of wineries and specialty food shops in Yarra Valley Day 4 Melbourne – Adelaide Transfer and flight to Adelaide. Afternoon private city touring Day 5 Barossa Valley Full-day private touring in Barossa Valley wine country Day 6 McLaren Vale Full-day private touring of vineyards Day 7 Adelaide – Sydney Transfer and flight to Sydney for two-night stay. Afternoon private city tour Day 8 Sydney Full-day foodies tour of Sydney Day 9 Depart Sydney Private airport transfer Hotels Melbourne: Park Hyatt Melbourne Yarra Valley: Chateau Yering Adelaide: Hilton Adelaide Sydney: Park Hyatt Sydney or Four Seasons Sydney Cost $9,345 Per person (double occupancy)

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Artisans of Leisure: Cooking Tour of China

(11 Days – Departs Daily on a Private Basis) Beijing, Shanghai, Hong KongThis private luxury tour combines exclusive culinary experiences and in-depth cultural touring in China’s three greatest cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Highlights include: Private cooking classes in each city Experiencing distinct regional cuisines Dining in a variety of venues, including private clubs, gourmet restaurants and private homes Accommodation in top rooms at China’s finest luxury hotels Private transfers to and from restaurants each evening Touring important cultural attractions and exclusive shopping districts with a private guide and driver Visiting a remote section of the Great Wall Browsing local markets for unique Chinese ingredients and cookware Learning about traditional Chinese healing and its relationship to Chinese cooking and cuisine Begin in Beijing. Enjoy private cooking classes at a prestigious culinary institution. Also tour imperial sites, the hutongs of a traditional residential neighborhood, a variety of markets, and shopping and art districts. Dine on traditional specialties at favorite family-run restaurants, and enjoy reservations at private clubs and Beijing’s most acclaimed restaurants. One day, take an excursion to the Great Wall of China. While there, you may wish to have lunch at Commune by the Great Wall to see the “villas” designed by twelve of Asia’s leading modernist architects. Next, visit Shanghai. Learn to prepare regional specialties in a private home one day and at a local restaurant the next day. Tour the riverfront Bund, the chic French Concession, the excellent Shanghai Museum, Yu Yuan Garden and interesting shops and galleries. During free time, enjoy Shanghai’s many acclaimed restaurants. Continue to Hong Kong. Tour local food and herb markets, and take a private cooking class that highlights the unique aspects of Hong Kong-style cuisine and how it varies from cooking styles elsewhere in China. Also enjoy private touring of the best of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. During free time, enjoy Hong Kong’s endless restaurants, museums, teahouses and galleries., Itinerary Overview Day 1 Arrive Beijing Private arrival transfer to hotel for 4 nights. Afternoon private city tour, including visit to local home Day 2 Beijing Private morning cooking class. Afternoon city tour Day 3 Beijing Private morning cooking class. Afternoon city tour Day 4 Great Wall Private excursion to Great Wall of China Day 5 Beijing – Shanghai Private transfer and flight to Shanghai for 3 nights. Afternoon private city tour Day 6 Shanghai Private morning cooking class. Afternoon city tour Day 7 Shanghai Private morning cooking class. Afternoon city tour Day 8 Shanghai – Hong Kong Private transfer and flight to Hong Kong for 3 nights. Private afternoon city tour Day 9 Hong Kong Private morning cooking class. Afternoon city tour Day 10 Hong Kong Morning private shopping or touring Day 11 Depart Hong Kong Private airport transfer Hotels Beijing: Raffles Beijing, The Peninsula Beijing or Aman at Summer Palace* (supplement applies) Shanghai: Peninsula Shanghai Hong Kong: Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong or The Peninsula Hong Kong Cost $10,860 Per person (double occupancy) $3,930 Single Supplement

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Houston Culinary Tours by Top Chefs

Top Houston Chefs Expose City’s Foodie Secrets

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If you’ve ever wondered where world-renowned, James Beard Award winning chefs go for grub in their downtime, you’re in luck. The same culinary geniuses who have topped endless ‘Best Of’ lists, graced the covers of Food & Wine and Bon Appetit and helped put Houston on the culinary map are now making it their mission to show residents and visitors the underbelly of the city’s foodie scene.

Forget the upscale restaurants—they aren’t the only things setting Houston apart from major epicurean cities like Chicago and San Francisco. This time around, it’s all about the small, independent, ethnic restaurants—whose recipes have been passed down from generation to generation—that set the city apart.

In conjunction with Whole Foods Market and the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, chefs Bryan Caswell (Reef, Little Bigs and Stella Sola), Marcus Davis (the breakfast klub and reggae hut), Mark Holley (Pesce), Randy Evans (Haven), Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s and Backstreet Café), Monica Pope (t’afia and Beaver’s), Chris Shepherd (Catalan), Justin Basye (Stella Sola) and Houston Press food writer Robb Walsh are launching culinary tours to showcase the restaurants, markets and neighborhoods that make Houston one of the most diverse culinary cities in the world.

Tours are $180 per person, which includes tastings at each stop, complimentary Saint Arnold’s beer, limo-bus transportation and gift bag. Ticket proceeds will benefit the Houston Food Bank.

With only 16 people per tour, the participants will gain intimate knowledge about the city: unexplored neighborhoods; undiscovered restaurants; and markets that contribute to the locally-driven menus of each chef.

Each location is selected by the chefs, so the tours vary, depending on which chefs are leading.

All tours depart from Whole Foods Market, 2955 Kirby Drive at W. Alabama, at 11am and will return at 4pm, except for the Tour-o de Mayo tour, which will leave from Whole Foods at 9am and return at 2pm.

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