Foodie Trips

A culinary adventure in Paris! 23-28th July, 2012

Happy to publish all of the details of our wonderful trip with Mardi from Eat.Live.Travel.Write and La Cuisine Paris!

If you like to get your hands dirty in the kitchen experimenting, love exploring specialist food shops and taking historic walking tours, this is the tour for you. Paris is one of the world’s top destinations for gourmands and this tour includes a week of hands-on culinary classes. Working side by side with classically trained French chefs you will learn to make some of the most desirable French treats like macarons, croissants and baguettes. Mornings will be spent in class and in the afternoons you will participate in themed walks and activities, taking in some of the city’s most atmospheric districts and markets. In the evenings you will dine at some of the city’s best-kept gastronomic secrets and have plenty of free time to explore on your own the world-class museums, galleries & wonderful shopping districts.

Group size is limited to 10 people for an intimate experience.

Arrivals in Paris 
You are welcome to arrive a few days early, to explore Paris on your own before your culinary adventure begins. Our tour manager will provide you with a welcome package at your hotel full of information, helpful documents and information for the rest of your week with Le Dolci.  A one-week Paris Metro pass will be included in this package for you to hop on and off the easy to navigate public transportation system. Our tour manager will also be available to answer any questions or recommend places for your first days in Paris.

DAY 1 Monday 23 July

On your first morning with us we welcome you to the culinary school La Cuisine Paris for a breakfast briefing where you will get to know the culinary school that you will call home for the next week. Café au lait and traditional French pastries will be served.

After that, we roll up our sleeves, put on our baking hats and start the week making the much loved pain au chocolat and the buttery, flaky pastry named for its distinctive crescent shape; the croissant. After class, you can enjoy your buttery creations during a lunch break along the Seine River, located opposite the school.

In the afternoon we’ll take in a “Sweet Tour” discovering delicious, hidden treasures of St Germain.  You’ll discover elegant pastries, silky, full-bodied chocolates and even the delights of a tiny, quaint “viennoiserie,” home to amazing Alsatian strudel.

A welcome dinner will be arranged where the group will get to know each other better and talk about the day’s kitchen adventures and tastings over vin rouge and traditional French fare.

DAY 2 Tuesday 24 July

This morning, we’ll head off on a macaron tour of Paris visiting some of the world-renowned macaron houses like Laduree and Hermé. This research and taste testing is all in preparation for an afternoon of making your own macarons back at La Cuisine Paris.

Your evening is free to explore Paris’s wine bars, bistros and restaurants at your leisure. Recommendations provided on request.

DAY 4 Wednesday 25 July

Learn how to make some of France’s most famous desserts. You will discover (and master) the art of the French chocolate desserts and also learn the technique of the ‘Choux’ pastry, which is the base for many famous desserts such as éclairs, profiteroles, and more!

Free afternoon to explore the city.

In the evening, there is an optional Wine Tasting Dinner (100€). Enjoy a gourmet three-course meal, paired with four outstanding French wines, one Champagne and a digestif.   Your sommelier will build up and refine your wine knowledge, teaching you how to taste wine properly, navigate a wine list, and how to choose wine at a restaurant. He will also expertly guide us through the main wine regions of France, explain how to read a French label, and how to pair wine with food.  An informative, fun and delicious evening you won’t want to miss.

DAY 5 Thursday 26 July

Spend the morning with a chef from La Cuisine Paris touring one of the oldest markets in Paris, the Marché Maubert! Learn how to pick the best products and compose your luncheon menu with our chef. After our market visit we take a pleasant walk through the Île Saint Louis and return to La Cuisine where you will have a hands-on cooking class and work with the chef to create a gourmet lunch using your fresh market products. There is no set menu in this class; it is up to the group and the chef to be creative and choose their menu based on the fresh fish, meats and produce that they find at the market! After preparing your fabulous French meal, we enjoy it as a group with some wine. This is a four-hour session of market tour and eating so you have the afternoon free to walk off the calories or laze by the Seine in preparation for the evening’s optional activity.

In the early evening, there is an optional Champagne cruise on the Seine (45€).  During the cruise you’ll taste three different Champagnes: Brut, Demi-sec and Rosé – served by a sommelier who is there to answer all your questions about Champagne… or Paris!

Evening is free.

DAY 6 Friday 27 July

In our last class of the week, we learn the secrets of the French baguette and breads. You will learn to knead and work your bread by hand; all breads will be baked fresh and can be taken from the oven to your hotel room, if they make it that far!

In the afternoon, there will be an optional bike tour (30€) for those wishing to see more of Paris and burn some of the calories we’ve consumed this week! Or take this opportunity to do some last minute shopping.

On our final evening, we have a final Farewell Celebration Dinner where we eat splendid food and toast the end of a fabulous foodie week.

Tour price:

• SPECIAL EARLY BIRD PRICE – $1,300 CDN until 15 May, 2012
• After 15 May: $1,500 CDN
• $600 non-refundable deposit required to secure your space
• Deposit payment can be made securely below via Paypal, cash or cheque
• Any further tour questions please contact lisa @ ledolci.com

FOODIE TRIP-EXPERIENCE PARIS (23 Jul 2012 - 28 Jul 2012)

600.00

Your hosts:

Mardi & Lisa

Mardi Michels is a full-time teacher of French at the elementary level at an all-boys’ school in Toronto. She lived and worked in Paris for over 5 years and speaks fluent French.  Mardi, our macaron class teacher here at Le Dolci, writes the blog eat. live. travel. write. where she chronicles her culinary adventures near and far and is a contributor to Food Network Canada.  Mardi will be escorting the group for this inaugural tour and cannot wait to share the Paris she loves with you. All photos on this page taken by Mardi www.eatlivetravelwrite.com

Lisa Sanguedolce is a passionate foodie and the owner of Le Dolci in Toronto. She spent the last ten years working and living in her favorite city London, England and in that time traveled the world experiencing the cultures and foods of many fabulous places. She loves to travel, eat and share and has met the most wonderful food producers, suppliers, farmers and wants to introduce you to this inspirational bunch. Le Dolci’s foodie trips will show you some of her favourite hidden gems in the world; her favourite cities are London, NYC, Singapore, Madrid, Florence, Palermo and Paris! (Stay tuned for trips in some of these cities in the future).

Our Hotel Partner

Participants are welcome to book their own accommodation, however, we encourage you to check out our lovely hotel partner and the deal we have secured at this charming hotel.

The Hotel du Jeu de Paume is a delightful four-star hotel on the Île St Louis within walking distance to some of the most famous areas of Paris like le Marais and le Quartier Latin and just a quick stroll along the Seine from our home base of La Cuisine Paris. As its name suggests, the hotel is housed in a renovated former Royal tennis court, built under Louis XIII, at the beginning of the 17th century.  All rooms are elegantly decorated and equipped with a full bathroom, minibar, TV, phones, and free wifi access.

We have secured a block of rooms at a special rate, which will be held for us until May 15th.

• 4 single rooms at €153/night
• 4 double “standard” rooms at €234/ night
• 2 double “superior” rooms at €261/ night

Please contact Mardi at mardi @ eatlivetravelwrite.com for instructions on how to book your hotel room

Included in tour price:

• All classes and tours unless otherwise stated
• All meals and drinks in group dinners
• One week Paris Metro pass
• On call staff to answer any questions before or during trip.

Not included:

• Flights or accommodation
• Meals, drinks, transportation outside of tour’s itinerary

Other:

• Deposit is non-refundable; therefore we strongly suggest the purchase of travel & cancellation insurance.
• Deposit to be paid to secure a booking, remainder to be paid by 23^rd May, 2012 via cheque, etransfer or Paypal to Le Dolci Ltd.