Update 5/7/24: Our Culinary Getaway to Peru with Valerie and Nando Chang has been cancelled. We add itineraries often, so please check back here when you're ready to plan your next dream vacation.
In our 2022 Travel Issue we featured stories on Northern Italy and France. While editing those pieces, we couldn’t help but daydream about traveling, specifically on excursions where food and wine were front and center. We’re pleased to share that those daydreams have become a reality with Bon Appétit Culinary Getaways, a series of expert-guided, food- and wine-centric tours.
In November 2023, sommelier Victoria James, director of beverage at Gracious Hospitality Management, the restaurant group behind Michelin-starred COTE, cocktail bar UNDERCOTE, and COTE Wine Club, led a small group of a travelers on a trip to France’s Champagne region, followed by a couple of glorious days in Paris. We found out which Parisian wine bars are draws for a respected sommelier and which chocolatiers she frequents. The trip to Champagne included visits to small boutique family-owned wineries as well as to the world-renowned House of Krug in Reims. Travelers dined at restaurants, including Les Avizés in Champagne and small bistros beloved by locals. Between food and wine adventures, visits were paid to Gothic churches, UNESCO sites, and fossil-rich caves.
Also in November 2023, Chef Stefano Secchi of the Michelin-starred Rezdôra led a trip to Piedmont in Italy’s northwest. Secchi introduced travelers to chefs, artisans and winemakers he admires from having trained there. The small group experienced Slow Food at its finest in the region where it was born, dining on exquisite local produce from Castelmagno cheese to truffles and hazelnuts. They also explored the vineyards of the Langhe and Roero, home to Italy’s best wines (Barolo and Barbaresco) and a top destination for any discerning wine connoisseur. Turin, of course, was also included, with its varied architecture and delicious food.