Travel off the Eaten Path

The best thing we did in Bologna! Spending an evening with Giovanna and her family well exceeded our expectations and was by far the most amazing part of our trip. She was so warm, so friendly, so knowledgeable about the history of the city and the cuisine and her two daughters who cooked with us were just the coolest people. We made an unforgettable meal, talked about food, politics, art, sports, culture and more food for the better part of 4 hours.

The four of us thoroughly enjoyed our day with Maria who is knowledgeable, an experienced cook, a great teacher and a fascinating person. We foraged and cooked and ate and talked and learnt and discussed and laughed and shared. This is a delightful experience on so many levels. If you're considering booking this experience, consider no longer, just do it. There are not enough words to describe this extraordinary woman and her wonderfully wholistic approach to life. Enjoy!

We had a beautiful dinner including appetizers and drinks, borsht, duck with potatoes and salad, and tiramisu for dessert. It was fun to spend the evening with Lili, Patrick, and Natasha. We would strongly recommend having dinner with them when you are in Dublin or Skerries.

Kanae was lovely, informative and welcoming and happy to answer our questions on life in Japan, advice or etiquette tips and generally helped us finding our feet in Japan. Thank you Kanae for this brilliant experience and welcoming us and so many into your homes. We learnt lots and look forward to recreating the dishes and fondly remembering our class with you when we return home.

Today I had an excellent experience in Sapporo: I booked a cooking lesson with Shiori Ogawa. We cooked in her house a simple but very tasteful lunch vegan menu. I learn many things about Japanese food, ingredients and recipes. Shiori is a very good teacher and a wonderful host.

As soon as we met Chiara we felt welcome and at home. We enjoyed the stories of the history of her family's home and learning to make gnocchi with ragu was a fun and rewarding experience. Sharing our food and wine with our teachers, Chiara, Franca, and Georgia was extra special. It was a highlight of our trip. 

Putu and her sister welcomed us into Putu’s home and treated us both as honored guests and old friends. It turned out to be the seventh birthday of Putu’s youngest child, so before we started cooking we got to sing Happy Birthday with him and his friends and watch his delight as he opened his present. We made a vast amount of food, joking and laughing with Putu the whole time. The food was amazingly good, better than in a fine restaurant because the ingredients were so fresh, many coming directly from Putu’s family fields.

Had a really nice evening in Athens cooking and dinner with Angelina. Moussaka was delicious and appetizers were so tasty. What a great way to taste the authentic greek foods. Thanks for welcoming us into your home.

It was a wonderful afternoon. Richenda and her husband are great hosts. I learnt some great tips on cooking and the meal was delicious. She even emailed me some recipes.

Maria was a fantastic host!! We learned a lot about Moroccan cooking and our food turned out great. She is a great teacher and cook. It was so nice to sit in her traditional Moroccan room to eat! It was very impressive. I would highly recommend arranging your transportation through her as it was super easy. 

I loved this experience meeting Fabio and his mother and learning how to make several Colombian specialties. From the market visit to the general cooking tips to the hands-on lesson in making arepas and patacones to (of course) eating the delicious meal, this was an unforgettable experience where I felt beyond welcomed. Fabio really went out of his way to make sure I got everything I wanted out of it.

This was our favorite experience while we were visiting Paris. Our guide was fabulous. She made us feel very welcome, showed us the best market, and helped us experience Paris like a local! She was knowledgeable in the local wine and cheese and spent time sharing customary shopping and eating habits of the French. I highly recommend this experience with Laurence.

Thoroughly enjoyed 2+ hours with Gerry. We learned quite a bit about the oyster life cycle, oyster farming and the local marine life, followed by an oyster shucking lesson. Then, a huge number of oysters were poured on our table, for a literally “all you can shuck” feast, accompanied by a delicious white wine. Gerry is informative and charming. A very, very fun and memorable afternoon.