Gourmet Getaways: 50 Top Spots to Cook and Learn [Paperback]

Joe David (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

Gourmet Getaways is the essential guide to planning and getting the most out of a culinary vacation, whether one is a beginning cook or an accomplished gourmet. A soup-to-nuts guide to the top 50 culinary vacations in America

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A soup-to-nuts guide to the top 50 culinary vacations in America

Cook your way across the U.S.A. with this insider guide to America’s leading recreational cooking programs. The definitive resource for planning and getting the most out of your culinary vacation, Gourmet Getaways is a must-have for foodies of all tastes and levels of expertise—whether you’re a budding chef or a kitchen diva.

 

From well-known culinary schools to country inns, from a weekend class to a weeklong course, you’ll find detailed profiles on a whole menu of cooking school options. Find out who’s teaching and what you’ll learn, try sample recipes and get cooking tips from the chefs, and discover other area attractions to enjoy during your stay. California’s COPIA in the Napa Valley, Wisconsin’s Destination Kohler, and Virginia’s Inn at Little Washington are just a few of the outstanding getaways profiled. Whatever your skill level, budget, or schedule, Gourmet Getaways has the perfect culinary escape to please your palate!

About the Author

Joe David is the author of numerous articles on American and international cuisine for such publications as the Christian Science Monitor, with recent pieces including an interview with celebrated chef Jacques Pépin and an article on the Ritz Escoffier Cooking School in Paris.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: GPP Travel; First edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076274684X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762746842
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,337,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars information and descriptions on cooking schools around the U. S., June 12, 2009

By 

Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gourmet Getaways: 50 Top Spots to Cook and Learn (Paperback)

David gives just about any information anyone would want to know about the 50 top cooking schools across the U.S. Nonetheless, he notes in the Introduction that this should not be taken as the "final word" since personnel can change and the classes at most schools change too to reflect new trends and interests. So before signing up for classes or traveling to go to a cooking school, one should call to get the latest information on these matters which can change. Nonetheless, the cautionary, commonsense note does not compromise the basic, reliable information making up nearly all the content. Most cooking schools are based on an individual cook who was their founder or connected to an acclaimed restaurant--factors which do not change and are the main reason for interest in a particular school. There's also the basic information about location. Many readers wishing to upgrade their cooking skills and knowledge will be glad to learn about superior cooking schools not far away; or perhaps ones in places where they always wanted to take a vacation. Costs, length of classes, choices of classes at a school, format (demonstration or hands-on), class size, and contact are basics one would want to plan attending one of the schools.

Beyond such practical considerations, the background of the head of the school or in some cases its group of instructors and synopsis of the school's philosophy help readers select a school matching their ideas or aims in cooking. Diane Carlson, owner of the Conscious Gourmet school in Greenwich, CT, was motivated to become a chef by health problems of hers including blood pressure and mood swings. At the Woodlands Resort and Inn in South Carolina, there are demonstrations of specialized aspects of cooking such as "how to use artisanal salts and exotic peppercorns from around the world to enlarge flavor."

Cooks need not even be planning attending a school to enjoy and gain from the book. The material on the background of the school founder or staff (including references to top restaurants) and the food and cooking philosophy--i. e., approach to foods, preparation, and cooking--are informative and often instructive. Also the majority of listings have a representative recipe from the school, in some cases two, making a total of 53 widely varied recipes. Joe David has written many articles on cuisine for periodicals from newspapers to in-flight magazines.