Pack your bag and an appetite
The Mount Prospect woman and her husband headed to Parma, Italy, and immersed themselves in Italian cuisine -- kneading fresh pasta dough, visiting cheese farms, wining and dining at local trattorias.
"I've threatened to do it for about 15 years; it was my dream to go to Italy," Stoskopf said, "to go to the market, work in the kitchen, to eat the fruits of my labor at the end of the day."
Stoskopf is one of an estimated 27 million Americans who engaged in culinary travel in 2006, according to the Travel Industry Association.
Some experts think that number is way too low.
"I think it's closer to 118 million," said Erik Wolf, founder and president of the International Culinary Tourism Association. "Everyone eats."
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Wolf said research shows that 74 percent of all travelers "sought out a culinary experience. It's a very broad spectrum of unique and memorable culinary experiences."
Those experiences can include buying cheese curds at a shop off the Wisconsin interstate, dining at the high-brow L'Atelier de Joel Rebuchon restaurant in Las Vegas, visiting wineries in Napa Valley or breweries in Germany, spending the weekend in cooking classes at the Wickwood Inn in Saugatuck, Mich., grabbing deep dish pizza and alligator kebabs at Taste of Chicago or learning chocolate molding techniques at the Culinary Institute of America.
"Culinary tourism is a natural growth from people's interest in food," said Stephanie Toomey, founder of foodadventure.com. The site provides food enthusiasts with a database of food- and beverage-related opportunities across the globe.
"Baby boomers, they've been to London and Paris and when they go back they want an experience that's beyond the norm," Toomey said.
Chef David Sterling, founder of Los Dos, a cooking school in Merida, Mexico, agreed, and added that the popularity of food shows on TV has fueled the fires.
"So many people (particularly in the United States) are avid amateur cooks, their tastes piqued by all the fabulous cooking shows on television. Couple that with a love of travel and you have 'culinary tourists!' said Sterling who opened his school/hotel in 2004. His classes on Yucatan cuisine are taught in English, attracting participants from the U.S., other English-speaking countries and as far away as France and China. Participants shop at the local markets and create dishes in his kitchen.
"The other and perhaps most important phenomenon to us is the Internet," said Sterling, an art designer and caterer originally from Oklahoma City, Okla. "My school would not have been possible 10 or 15 years ago. To publicize our programs would have been prohibitively expensive, but now, with just a click, people find us and within moments can complete a booking."
Indeed, the Web is bubbling over with hundreds of others (for a few, see story PX) that can offer people a starting point, an amuse bouche, if you will, of what's possible in this burgeoning travel realm.
People can organize their own itineraries by making reservations at gourmet restaurants and shopping at local markets, following published guides of cheese diaries in Vermont or wineries in southern Illinois. Those who prefer not to leave anything to chance can sign up with cooking schools for day classes or tour groups for weeklong excursions in foreign lands.
In the United States alone, visitor bureaus in states like North Carolina, Vermont and California are promoting their culinary heritage. At the city level, Santa Fe, N.M., and Atlantic City, N.J., recently beefed up their efforts to highlight their dining and culinary opportunities.
For Jill Loya and her husband, their foray into culinary tourism took the Mundelein couple not too far from home. They attended the Food Wine experience in Kohler, Wis., in fall 2007. The 2007 event, co-sponsored by Food Wine magazine, drew about 7,000 people. This year's dates are Oct. 24-26.
"When we travel, we make an effort to try local fare, like conch in the Bahamas. We are very much interested in food and wine," said Loya, 30. "My husband and I don't know that much about wine, but we wanted to learn."
She said the weekend "exceeded our expectations," allowing them to taste mingle with winemakers and rub elbows with celebrity chefs Tom Colicchio (now of "Top Chef" fame) and Hubert Keller (also host of PBS's "Secrets of a Chef").
"These people are so passionate about what they do," said Loya, who has also participated in walking tours of Chicago through Chicago Food Planet.
Marilyn Tausend, a cookbook author who leads tours through Mexico, shares her passion for the cuisine through organized tours. She leads annual trips with Chicago's Rick Bayless of Frontera Grills so his staff can better understand the country's diverse culinary culter.
"We can do what a person couldn't do on his own," she said. "We can go into a village, spend time with the people. You're not going back to a hotel and reading a guidebook."
"I've been on seven (of Tausend's) trips in nine years," said Kathy Fitzgerald of Washington, D.C. "I find it such a fascinating experience, a way to introduce people to new cultures."
Chefs enjoy the opportunities as well. Chicago-area chefs and wine professionals have been invited to share their skills aboard cruise ships and at tropical resorts.
Earlier this year David Christophe, chef at NoMi at Chicago's Park Hyatt, headed to Argentina for the Masters of Food and Wine -- South America. The five-day extravaganza invited people from around the globe to step into kitchens and vineyards to enjoy cuisine created by world-class chefs.
"I went first because it's winter in Chicago," Christophe joked. "And it's always good talking with different chefs and opening the mind to different country's cuisine and to see what they're doing #8230; different techniques, different produce."
Come summer, he said, some of the techniques and ingredients he used on the other side of the globe will likely find their way onto this menu.
Perhaps you'll try a bite on your next culinary jaunt into Chicago.
Gourmets on the go
U.S. tourists craving culinary excitement have a world of choices. Here are the places they head.
Food-related travel: farm or factory tours, classes
California
Florida
New York
Texas
North Carolina
Gourmet dining
Paris
London
New York City
Tokyo
Las Vegas
Wine-related travel
California
New York
Missouri
North Carolina
Oregon
International experiences
Scotland
Sweden
Australia
South Africa
China
Sources: Travel Industry Association and International Culinary Tourism Association
Hungry for a culinary experience?
Near
Vintage Indiana Wine Food Festival, June 7, Indianapolis, Ind.; www.vintageindiana.com
From Garden to Table, June 28, Center for Sustainable Community, Stelle, Ill.; www.centerforsustainablecommunity.org
Kohler Food Wine Experience, Oct. 24-26, Kohler, Wis.; www.destinationkohler.com
Far
Goat Lady Dairy open house, April 27, Climax, N.C.; www.visitnc.com
Taste of Northern California, July 15-18, Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena, Calif.; www.ciachef.edu
Vermont Cheese Trail, year-round, self-paced tours of farms throughout the state; www.vtcheese.com
Farther
Los Dos cooking school. One- to three-day Yucatan cooking sessions, Merida, Mexico; www.los-dos.com
Academia Barilla. Group and custom classes from three hours to five days, Parma, Italy; www.academiabarilla.com
Singapore Food Festival, July. Monthlong celebration of local foods with competitions, tastings and demonstrations; www.singaporefoodfestival.com
Tour groups and Web sites
Culinary Getaways, guided tours in Napa, Calif., and Provence, France; www.culinarygetaways.com
Culinary Vacations Inc., chef-guided tours in U.S., Provence and Tuscany, Italy; www.culinarygetaways.com
The Globetrotting Gourmet, guided tours through Asia; www.globetrottinggourmet.com
Culinary Adventures Inc., guided tours through Mexico; www.marilyntausend.com.
IgoUgo, domestic and international restaurant reviews; www.igougo.com/food
Pan-Roasted Duck Breasts with Quince
4 large duck breasts
3 tablespoons orange zest
1#189; tablespoons ground anise
1#189; teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
4 quince, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups sweet dessert wine, such as Banyuls, Muscat or late harvest Riesling
Coarse gray sea salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Using the knife, score the skin of the duck breasts in a diamond pattern.
In a small bowl, mix together the orange zest, anise and nutmeg. Rub the duck breasts with the spice mixture. Place breasts into a container, cover and set aside for about 20 minutes.
Place the quince slices and the wine into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and poach the quince until it is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Take a paper towel and rub most of the spice mixture off the duck breasts. Season the duck breasts with the coarse sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place the duck breasts skin-side down in a dry skillet over medium-high heat on top of the stove. Cook until the skin is browned, about 5 minutes. Pour off the fat. Flip the breasts over so that the skin side is up in the pan. Place the pan in the oven and roast the duck for about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Remove the duck breasts from the pan and wrap each one in foil. Allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Slice the duck breasts. Serve them with the poached quince on the side.
Serves six to eight.
Sherry Page, Culinary Getaways
Porcini Ripieni -- Stuffed Porcini Mushrooms
Sauce
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, preferably imported Italian
3 cups lukewarm water
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
15 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves only
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Stuffing
6 ounces boiled meat, preferably capon or chicken breast, coarsely ground
6 ounces whole milk ricotta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
2 extra-large eggs, separated
To bake
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
About 4 heaping tablespoons unseasoned very fine bread crumbs, lightly toasted, preferably homemade
Garnishes
Small sprigs of Italian parsley
Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional
Soak the mushrooms lukewarm water for 1 hour. Drain the mushrooms and save the soaking water. Clean the mushrooms to be sure no sand remains attached to the stems, and then coarsely chop them. Pass the soaking water through several layers of paper towels to be sure the water is clear and no sand remains.
Finely chop garlic and parsley all together on a cutting hoard.
Place a medium saucepan with the oil over medium heat and when the oil is warm add the chopped aromatic herbs and lightly saut#233; for 1 minute. Garlic should be absolutely white in color.
Add the mushrooms, mix very well and cook for 1 minute more. Start adding the reserved soaking water #189; cup at a time, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cook for 25 minutes, adding more water as needed; by that time mushrooms will be coo#173;ked and soft with a rather thick sauce. Transfer the mushroom sauce to a crockery or glass bowl and let rest until cooled, about 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees; butter and lightly line with bread crumbs the bottoms and sides of six ramekin molds.
Transfer half the porcini sauce to a larger bowl, and then add the ground boiled meat and the ricot#173;ta to the bowl. Mix very well, and season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley, then the egg yolks, one at a time, constantly mixing with a wooden spoon; season with salt and pepper.
Beat the egg whites in a copper bowl with a wire whisk until soft peak, then fold them into the mushroom stuf#173;fing. Pour into each ramekin mold 1/6 of the mixture. Place the molds in a roasting pan lined with two layers of paper towels, then add enough lukewarm water to reach the level of half the height of the molds. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. By that time the "porcini" molds will be quite puffy and the top lightly golden and rather firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and transfer the molds onto a rack, then use a small plate to unmold them onto a second small plate, then again to the individual dinner plate in order to have the top part up. Serve them warm with a bit of the reheated reserved mushroom sauce and with a small sprig of par#173;sley. This dish may be served even as a main course.
Serves six.
Academia Barilla, L'Arte Della Gastronomia Italiana