Basque Country, located in northern Spain and southwestern France, is one of the most captivating culinary havens worldwide. The independent region is home to the Euskaldunak people who have their own language, culture and community centered on the appreciation of food and wine. This beautiful area has hundreds of miles of coastline along the Bay of Biscay, and our small group of travelers will spend a week in San Sebastián, a small city formed around a horseshoe-shaped beach.

San Sebastián is a vibrant city, and you will explore it all from the local wine Txacoli to Rioja’s reds, tapas to tasting menus, farmhouse tables to farmers markets, queso Idiazabal to chocolat, sea views to cobbled streets. Our home base will be an exclusive 4-star boutique hotel located in a historical building in the center of the city and very close to the beach.

Chef Guillermo is your Guide

Chef Guillermo Delavault has been visiting San Sebastián for over twenty years and considers it his second home. He fell in love with Basque cuisine and culture and was the chef at a prestigious hotel there before moving to the United States. He will share his passion for this region with our group as he leads us through tastings that will electrify your senses. In addition to his deep knowledge and enthusiasm for the culinary world, Guillermo is an avid traveler and he makes a fun and friendly companion. Chef Guillermo will partner with a Basque colleague and close friend, Chef Lander Ganzo, to introduce us to the local cuisine firsthand.

Basque Cuisine

Basque cuisine is renowned worldwide for its exceptional quality and unique flavors. Pintxos, the Basque version of tapas, are a culinary highlight, often served in bars and taverns throughout the region. The “old town” is home to the largest concentration of bars in all of Europe and every night the Donostiarras (locals) head out in groups to hit as many pintxos bars as possible. Basque chefs are celebrated for their use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients, and Michelin-starred restaurants abound in cities like San Sebastián.

And we will take advantage of these restaurants! You will enjoy lunch at Elkano, the one-star restaurant known for creative, elegantly plated cuisine featuring seafood and fish. You will also visit one-Michelin star Restaurante Kokotxa for a seasonal tasting menu dictated by what’s fresh at the market.

The Story of Txakoli

What better wine to enjoy all of this beautiful seafood and fish than with the traditional wine of the Basque region, Txakoli (also called Txakolina, or Chacoli). You will visit a winemaker that grows the indigenous grapes Hondarribi Zuri (white) and Hondarribi Beltza (red). The wine has a natural spritz and is typically poured from high above, so it forms in the tall, flat-bottomed glasses and aerates, enhancing its youthful effervescence. Toast to your adventures while learning about this special local wine.

This time of year is harvest in Rioja so you’ll see vines heavy with grapes, mostly Tempranillo and Garnacha. The Rioja D.O.C. is Spain’s largest wine regions with more than 500 wineries in the area. The wines pair perfectly with the unforgettable views.

Sagardotegias (cider houses) surround San Sebastián so it’s only fitting that the first stop on this tour will be at a traditional cider house for cider shot straight from the barrels and a traditional Basque feast.

Piment d’Espelette: A Legendary Chile

You’ve likely heard of or even used Espelette pepper in your cooking. This chili pepper essential to Basque cuisine and has a flavor profile that’s fresh and fruity with a hint of heat. It’s spicy without being overpowering! It’s special because it is a DOP product which means it can only be grown in the French commune of Espelette, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. We’ll visit Atelier du Piment to explore the farm and learn about the process of growing and processing the peppers.

Architecture Tourism

Basque cities like San Sebastián are home to striking modern architecture juxtaposed with historic buildings. A great example of the quirky Basque architecture is St-Jean-de-Luz, a small Atlantic fishing village with a charming market which we will visit.

You will also see avant garde, contemporary buildings in the Basque Country, most notably The Guggenheim Bilbao designed by Frank Gehry in Bilbao, where you will depart for home. You’ll have the option to add another hotel night if you would like to see the art collection which spans from the mid-20th century to present day. The restaurant inside the museum also possesses a Michelin star so of course, you should dine there too!

This seven-day tour is full of delicious food, wine and irresistible photo ops. Whether you are drawn by the culinary scene or the stunning vistas that stretch from the mountains to sea, this journey will no doubt leave a lasting impression, especially when you experience the warm hospitality of its people. Basque County has countless treasures that await you!

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If you fancy yourself a foodie, there are few other destinations in the world that will satisfy your hunger for delicious cuisine and wine than Tuscany in Italy. That’s why for the past six years, we have partnered with Chicago’s premiere recreational cooking school, The Chopping Block, to bring you the popular Cook Like a Tuscan tour.  

Spend seven days in Tuscany in autumn, when the olives and grapes are being picked and pressed to perfection. The weather is typically beautiful, and the scenery is full of medieval hilltop towns overlooking rolling countryside of vines and olive trees. From our stone villa in the heart of Chianti wine country, we’ll travel throughout the region for a once-in-a-lifetime culinary immersion. 

Roll Up your Sleeves and Pasta Machines

This tour is unlike others because it includes four hands-on cooking classes, so it is a true culinary vacation! You will master the techniques of pasta, pizza, focaccia, and gnocchi as you learn how to utilize local ingredients featured in Italian cuisine. Your teachers are local chefs with a true passion for their homeland and enthusiasm for its food. From rustic handmade pasta to fine-dining dishes, you will tie on an apron and learn it all! 

You will also have the pleasure of visiting Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti. This butcher shop brings people on a pilgrimage to Panzano from all over the world. Most of them are hoping to meet Dario Cecchini, who is known as the most famous butcher in the world. This 68-year-old eighth generation butcher has been featured in television shows Top Chef and Chef’s Table. Dario does few butchery classes these days, but our small group of travelers is one of the few that continues to get to experience this very personalized class.

Another special cooking class happens at Badia a Coltibuono, a former abbey and home of the late Lorenza De’Medici, an internationally known cook, author, and authority on Italian cuisine. The estate is now owned by Lorenza’s three adult children and their farm and its land have been producing excellent wines and oils for over a thousand years! Today, it’s an agritourism destination with a restaurant, cooking school, boutique hotel and event venue. The cooking classes feature local Tuscan ingredients, many straight from the vegetable garden. 

In this hands-on class, you will learn how to make pasta just like an Italian nonna, ragu, focaccia and biscotti as you dine on the fruits of your labor paired with wines from the estate including their lovely Chianti Riserva.

Cheers to Chianti

In addition to all of the cooking you will do on this trip, there’s plenty of wine education paired during the week. From impromptu lessons with tour guide and Sommelier Viktorija Todorovska on the villa’s loggia (open air porch) to guided tours and tastings at local vineyards and wineries, you will gain a solid understanding of the beautiful wine made in this region, and just how hard it is to make! Italy’s wine laws are quite strict, and you’ll hear firsthand what farmers are up against, including drought and wild boars.

From Chianti Classico to Brunello di Montalcino to Super Tuscans and Vin Santo, (Italy’s famous dessert wine), you will taste it all and learn about these spectacular wines that will soon become part of your regular wine repertoire when you return home. You’ll also likely continue to use the casual Italian toast of “Cin cin” when clinking glasses with friends just as they do in Italy! 

Cultural Immersion

Not only is this trip a food and wine lover’s dream, but you are given a true immersion into the local culture of Tuscany. You’ll see how terracotta is made in a tiny Tuscan town famous for its production, experience a taste of local olive oils, and visit outdoor markets and shops. We travel from the villa just enough to see the sights, but not too much where you feel like you are always in transport.

You’ll visit Montefioralle, a tiny, hilltop stone village with 360 degree views of the Tuscan countryside as well as Montalcino, a medieval walled hilltop city with a fortress and a 16th century vibe. You will soak in the warm therapeutic waters of Bagno Vignoni which have been bubbling since ancient times. 

A visit to Siena’s iconic Piazza del Campo where the famous Palio di Siena horse race takes place will conjure images of the crowds as you walk through this town’s neighborhoods, each rooting for its own horse. Siena’s Gothic cathedral, Duomo of Santa Maria Asunta, features mosaic floors that will blow you away! 

Explore on Your Own

Although this itinerary may sound jam-packed, there is also plenty of downtime to relax and explore on your own. Lay by the beautiful pool at the villa, explore the vineyards surrounding the villa or walk through the lovely village of Panzano whenever you like. This trip is the perfect combination of fun, education, eating, and experiencing! Whether you are an experienced cook or have never boiled dried pasta in your life, you will fall in love with Italy as you learn how to Cook Like a Tuscan. 

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