A Soul-Satisfying Sojourn to a Tuscan Kitchen

MezzalunaIn Italy, it is tradition to give a young woman a mezzaluna and a wooden cutting board when she marries. Once the board becomes worn and a hallow emerges after years of use in the kitchen, she is considered a skillful cook. The once flat cutting boards in the kitchens of the four Tuscan “mammas” who founded Tutti a Tavola look more like bowls these days. With the cooking skills they will teach you, and a few years of patience, you too will proudly display this trophy in your kitchen.

The mammas will welcome you into one of their rural farmhouses in the village of Castellini, Radda or Gaiole in the Chianti region of Tuscany, each offering an old-world setting for the rustic dishes they will teach you. In Mimma’s kitchen, the soft glow of the sun at the golden hour filters in through the kitchen window as she offers you a bubbly glass of Prosecco. A duo of crostini (garlicky Tuscan white bean, and spicy mortadella and ricotta) are quickly assembled and the first glasses of Chianti are poured. You quickly find yourself gathered around Mimma’s long wooden table, chopping onions and garlic while enjoying homespun stories. The menu focuses on straightforward Tuscan fare using the freshest local ingredients, like The Best Italian Lemon and Rosemary Chicken Ever, farfalle with caramelized leeks and tomatoes, pan-roasted zucchini, and tiramisu with farm fresh mascarpone.

For those with more time, the mammas will host you in one of their homes and take you under their wing for a two-day culinary experience. You will be in food-lovers utopia with an extra virgin olive oil tasting, a local market tour, a wine cellar visit and tasting, and hands-on afternoon cooking classes that roll into unforgettable dinners overflowing with laughter and camaraderie. There are few experiences in life more soul-filling than enjoying the company of new friends and superb food and wine as you dine al fresco overlooking the Chianti hillside.

Taste of Adventure

Best Cooking Classes in Ubud

Ubud, Bali 2014 © Credit: Krystal M. Hauserman @MsTravelicious

Ubud, Bali 2014 © Credit: Krystal M. Hauserman @MsTravelicious

Bali, the “Island of the Gods.” Most people who visit fall madly in love with the warm people, the lush landscape, the almost otherworldly spirituality and the exotically-spiced food. Bali’s agricultural bounty is a treasure, and if you are passionate about cooking, this little Indonesian island is heaven on Earth. Make sure to leave room in your suitcase for treasures like coconut palm sugar, hand-harvested sea salt, pure coconut oil, vanilla pods, rich cacao powder and beans, coffee, tea, cashews, tamarind, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and the unusual Balinese long pepper. The most impassioned cooking fanatics will want to spend time in a kitchen on the island learning family recipes and techniques from the locals. These are Taste of Adventure’s top three options in Ubud.

PAON BALI You will start your day at the bustling Ubud market. Meandering among the vendors, you will be given a full tutorial on all the produce and spices this little island has to offer, with plenty of chances to taste exotic fruit like the rare mangosteen. Once fresh herbs, chiles, spices and vegetables are selected, you will be whisked away to the rice paddies for a brief overview of the painstaking process of growing and harvesting rice, carried on by Balinese families for generations. From there you will be taken to nearby Laplapan Village, the family compound of your host, Puspa, who will welcome you with an energizing drink. The afternoon cooking lesson, which takes place in the outdoor family kitchen overlooking a deep gorge filled with palm trees, is a carefully orchestrated procession of nine traditional Balinese recipes, including Base Gede (the foundation of Balinese cooking) and chicken with fresh coconut cream curry. Sit back, relax and enjoy the feast with your new friends and adoptive Balinese family.

LEBONG CULINARY EXPERIENCE The chance to spend the afternoon in a spectacular Balinese compound would be enough for most people, but food and culture enthusiasts will be spoiled by Sang Made and his family. After a brief tour of the local food market, you will be transported to Lebong, where four generations work together to provide an unforgettable experience. While enjoying rich Balinese coffee and golden banana fritters, you will learn about the compound, the shrines and other cultural tid-bits about Balinese life. The cooking experience takes place in a beautiful outdoor pavilion. The air quickly fills with aromatics like shallots, garlic, kaffir lime and lemongrass, as you work your way through the seven-course menu while sipping on refreshing Jamu Kunyit. There are a few more surprises after lunch that make the Lebong experience extraordinary. You will cherish every drop of the thoughtful departing gift of fresh coconut oil made in the Lebong kitchen over a wood-burning fire from coconuts gathered from the grounds.

CASA LUNA: SUNDAY TWILIGHT SMOKED DUCK CLASS Although Casa Luna offers a number of cooking classes throughout the week, the Sunday Twilight Smoked Duck Class is a special opportunity to prepare, and devour, the ceremonial Bebek Betutu in the stunning Honeymoon Guesthouse. This is a dish not easily replicated at home (as it entails wrapping a spice-smothered duck in Betel tree bark and smoking it over fiery rice husks), but cooks will quickly find themselves dreaming of inventive hacks to recreate the dish in their own kitchen. You will depart stuffed and inspired.

Taste of Adventure