We know firsthand from designing your itineraries that food is an essential ingredient to creating a memorable vacation for most of our clientele. In fact, we go out of our way to not only find Michelin-starred restaurants but hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop establishments that only locals would know about. So we were not surprised when we read the surveys you submitted last October that culinary travel was at the top of your wish list. We've already established a great network of food tours around the globe, but many of those are 3 to 4-hour outings. If you're looking to really dig into the food scene, where you not only visit restaurants but also meet the local cheese makers, vintners, truffle foragers, farmers, and take cooking classes, consider the following culinary vacations.

 

Saveur Languedoc, France

A former food writer for The New York Times and once married to the Times restaurant critic, Bryan Miller, Anne de Raval left Manhattan for this little known corner of southern France over two decades ago. She now designs culinary discovery trips for a maximum of 4 guests, where she guarantees you'll meet some remarkable personalities and spirited characters. Through hands-on cooking classes, exclusive winery tours and tastings, market visits and memorable meals, you'll get an insight into the daily life of the Languedoc people. Each cooking class offers something different; you will learn some classic seasonal recipes from bourride to brandade as well as contemporary interpretations inspired by the local produce. You will also enjoy dining out in local bistros and fine establishments and meeting winemakers in between sightseeing and shopping. The cooking classes take place in a smartly renovated winemaker's home at the center of a lively village just outside of Beziers. The comfortable house offers all the modern amenities. A pool and bikes are available for fun and relaxation. The 5-night tours are offered May through October.

 

Paris and Lausanne Chocolate & Gastronomy Tour

When Lisa and I visited Lausanne, Vevey, and the Lake Geneva Region of Switzerland in September 2014, we wisely used the restaurant and food suggestions of well-known Parisian food writer, David Lebovitz. This October, Lebovitz, author of "The Great Book of Chocolate" and "The Sweet Life in Paris," returns to Lausanne on a 6-night culinary tour that starts in his hometown. Taste some of the world's finest cheeses, charcuterie, pastries, wines, and best of all, chocolates. Highlights include visits to behind-the-scenes laboratories and shops of master chocolatiers and candy makers for private tastings; cheese and wine tastings, plus samplings of charcuterie, pastries, and local specialties; guided trips to outdoor markets; and lunches and dinners at authentic bistros, cafés and restaurants.

 

Teresa Parker started Spanish Journeys after living in Barcelona for 10 years. Ever since being the only woman in her cooking class in 1986, she has been obsessed with the Spanish dining scene. On her 6-night Private Journey with food writer Paul Richardson, you'll head west from Madrid to Seville, stopping to eat an amazing array of local foods-olive oil, torta cheeses, jamón Ibérico-while visiting farms, vineyards, and jamón curing houses. Paul will take you on a village-to-farm walk where he'll then serve you a country lunch at his home. Another delightful meal will be at the double Michelin-starred Atrio in Cáceres. Lodgings vary from a farmhouse to Relais & Chateux property to a traditional townhouse hotel.

 

Knowing that their guests like to play hard and then relish their physical accomplishments over an exceptional meal, many active travel operators in the past decade have invited well-known chefs to join them. Ciclismo Classico, best known for their biking and hiking trips throughout Italy, has teamed up with talented Boston chef, Dante de Magistris, chef at Il Casale and Dante, to present an exceptional itinerary along the Amalfi Coast September 17-23.  Hike amidst the cliffs of Positano, ferry over to Capri to walk secluded seaside towns, and then dine on private meals prepared by Chef Dante. He'll also provide picnic lunches, offer cooking lessons, and invite guests into his family's home.

 

Intrepid Travel has quickly become a leader in food tours around the world and one of their finest itineraries brings you to the South American foodie haven of Peru. On their 9-day tour to the country, you'll learn to prepare ceviche in a cooking class held at a Lima fish market, sample traditional Andean delicacies in the Sacred Valley, see how the famed Pisco Sour is made at a local bodega, journey to the ancient site of Machu Picchu, and dive into a traditional pachamanca feast. You'll also have a guided tour of the food markets in Lima and visit the Chocolate Museum in Cuzco. Group size is a maximum of 12 people and trips leave from May through October.