What’s cooking on the foodie scene

According to a study released by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), one-quarter of all leisure travelers say food is a vital factor when choosing their destination. Defined as travel to “learn about or enjoy unique and memorable eating-and-drinking experiences,” culinary tourism is entering into the mainstream of the American travel vocabulary.

12.6 million travelers’ main reason for taking a trip or choosing between destinations is to take part in wine or food activities. A leading online bed and breakfast directory, http://www.bnbfinder.com/, has responded to the interest of today’s travelers with Culinary Getaway Packages.

Food & Wine Pairing Culinary Classes
Cedar Gables Inn, Napa, California
Work side-by-side with a great chef preparing a five-course meal in the Cedar Gables Inn kitchen. Then, sit down in the elegant dining room and pair Napa Valley wines with each course you prepared. Great fun and very relaxed. Classes start at 4PM with dinner following the class, ending at 9PM (through 08/20/2007).

Gourmet Getaway Package
DesBarres Manor Inn, Guysborough, Nova Scotia, Canada
Let the Manor’s culinary team give you a behind the scenes look at the incredible tastes and culinary artistry of DesBarres Manor Inn and sister property Rare Bird Pub with a special 2-night Gourmet Getaway Package. You’ll enjoy a guided tour of the Chedabucto Bay Brewing Company and a sampler of handcrafted ales followed by a special 3-course dinner, a full country breakfast each morning, a 5-course tasting menu and a choice of the chef’s special flight of wines from the proprietor’s wine collection to compliment the unique menu and a sample box of the chef’s homemade truffles.(05/15/2007 through 10/15/2007)

Everybody Loves to Eat!
Inn on Charlotte, St. Augustine, Florida
The Inn on Charlotte is celebrating The Art of Food, Wine & Chefs with a 2007 series of special culinary events. This package includes 2 nights (Tuesday-Thursday), excluding holidays for $369, based on double occupancy. The culinary experience includes private culinary instruction and ‘Introduction to Wine & Food’ presented daily at cocktail hour, featuring favorite seasonal wines with selection of Tapas hors d’oeuvres (through 12/30/2007).

Appalachian Wild Plant Weekend
Glen-Ella Springs Inn, Clarkesville, Georgia
Begin with a hiking seminar to learn about wild plants indigenous to the area along with a picnic lunch and lots of time to enjoy the outdoor surroundings. A special gourmet dinner at Glen Ella Springs Inn featuring wild foods and locally grown ingredients will be the fair for Saturday evening. A hands-on workshop making traditional Appalachian cordials, elixirs and skin salves is set for Sunday with more fabulous food for breakfast and lunch. The accommodations are luxurious and for only $600.00 per person (double occupancy) this weekend is sure to be a special and educational treat (through 06/02/2007).

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!
Birchwood Inn, Lenox, Massachusetts
Razzle-dazzle ’em! Hands-on individual or couple’s baking classes at Birchwood Inn are for those who believe that “life is short, start with dessert.” Learn to make soufflé cakes, tarts, pastries, holiday baking, gingerbread houses. Wow ’em in your Birchwood Inn Fun for Foodies apron. Receive a voucher for 10% off kitchen supplies at Different Drummers Kitchen. Package starts at $150 for one and $175 for two. Available only by advance reservation of at least a week or more and are offered nearly year-round (through 12/31/2007).

Wine Camp
Home Port Bed and Breakfast, Peconic, New York
Finally, a camp for adults! Immerse yourself in the world of wine during this hands-on experience in the vineyards of Long Island, New York. Create and blend wine in the laboratory with the wine makers, work in the fields grafting, planting, pruning or harvesting, taste and tour 8 of the area’s finest wineries side-by-side with the winemakers and vineyard owners. Learn to creatively pair foods with wine, spend time with the area’s wine pioneers and those who are taking the industry to the world market, taste and discover what makes the North Fork uniquely suited for growing award-winning wines.

This 4-day/3-night vacation includes elaborate meals each day, a grand finale food and wine pairing dinner event, twelve bottles of wine from participating Wine Camp vineyards, a copy of “The Vineyard: The Pleasures and Perils of Creating an American Winery” by Louisa Hargrave, and a package of special gifts and incentives. The price for this experience is as low as $749 plus tax per person, based on double occupancy (through 07/26/2007).

Fun for Foodies Vacation
Stone Hill Inn, Stowe, Vermont
Choose from 4 unique culinary experiences when you getaway to the Stone Hill Inn. Roll up your sleeves and become a Chocolatier for a day, spend a day on the farm with an Artisan cheese maker to create a batch of sheep’s milk cheese, from start to finish, enjoy a private tour of a real Vermont Maple Sugarhouse with an 8th generation Vermont sugar maker or stir up some fun with a private cooking lesson with esteemed Chef Michael Kloeti of Michael’s on the Hill restaurant. Escape to scenic Vermont and enjoy some hands-on foodie fun where you can experience something new. Prices may vary depending on package (through 12/20/2009).

Additional Classes and Courses can be found at www.BnBFinder.com/Classes

Courtesy of grouptravelblog.com