Close your eyes and think of two things you love. Hmmm…We’re betting great food and and great travel are right up there. So what if you could jet set across the world and eat your way through it? Yum, on every level. We’re not surprised that quality of food consistently ranks as one of the top reasons to visit a destination. Of course, the savviest travellers know that culinary experiences 
are the best way to get immersed in local culture. Well, wait no more. The culinary trip of a lifetime is here.
Collette, an expert in guided travel for nearly 100 years, is offering those hungry for a taste of local life (us!) an array of intimate cultural and culinary experiences all over the globe.
Check this out: The Spotlights tours are uniquely immersive visits to cities around the world, from Paris and Dublin to Venice, Madrid and U.S. locales like New Orleans. Several offer special culinary experiences that include meals with a local family in their home or interactive cooking classes. And Collette offers even more culinary-inspired adventures, too—pasta-making with professional chefs, dining experiences with a countess in Sicily, a Mediterranean cooking experience of local dishes in Greece, a taste test of authentic limoncello at a family-owned factory on the Amalfi Coast, home-cooked meals with a local tribe in New Zealand or inside a local fisherman’s home in Spain, and the list goes on.
Here’s a sample of 10 Collette tours featuring specialized culinary experiences you must try.
10 CULINARY TOURS THAT WILL FEED YOUR TRAVEL BUG
1. SPOTLIGHT ON BEIJING This tour brings guests on a 9-day tour to learn traditional Chinese cuisine with an optional morning visit to the market followed by a cooking class and the chance to learn the art of dumpling making with a local family in their Hutong home. Prices start at $999.
2. SPOTLIGHT ON NEW ORLEANS 
You’ll be invited into the New Orleans School of Cooking for an entertaining demonstration of authentic Louisiana and Cajun cuisine including chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, chicken and Cajun smoked sausage jumbalaya and banana foster for dessert. A spirited Jazz performance follows at the Irvin Mayfield Jazz Playhouse. Prices start at $1,349.
3. SPOTLIGHTS ON BARCELONA Get set to spend an afternoon in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia learning the art of true Catalan cooking during an interactive lesson, followed by lunch of local dishes such as Pan Con Tomate and Xatonata, a traditional Spanish style toast. Prices start at $1,899.
4. THE SPLENDID SICILIA On this 10-day tour, guests are treated to hors d’oeuvres of panelle and pizzettes in the medieval palace Palazzo Conte Federico in Palermo, Italy—with a countess—and they’ll learn to make ricotta cheese on a farm in the Sicilian countryside. Prices start at $2,049.
5. ROME & THE AMALFI COAST Spend 10 days touring and enjoy tasting authentic limoncello at the family-owned Gambardella G. & Sons factory in Minori, Italy. You’ll also indulge in the famous Lacryma Christo wines at a local winery located at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius. Prices start at $2,149.
6. SPAIN’S CLASSICS 
This 11-day adventure takes guests on a boat ride through the canals of Lladro followed by a visit to a traditional fisherman’s home known as a barraca for a paella-making demonstration and lunch. Prices start at $2,249.
7. TUSCAN AND UMBRIAN COUNTRYSIDE This tour features a hands-on cooking lesson in a 16th century farmhouse in Spoleto, Italy. Guests enjoy home-cooked meals of pasta and brochette. Prices start at $2,799.
8. EXPLORING GREECE AND ITS ISLANDS Spend 15 glorious days indulging in a traditional Greek lunch following a Mediterranean cooking demonstration of a local rotating menu of tzatziki, Ppetsofai sausages, cheese pies and more. Prices start at $2,849.
9. THE WONDERS OF SOUTH AMERICA On this 12-day adventure, you’ll learn to craft caipirinhas, Brazil’s famous cocktail made with sugar cane liquor and lime. You’ll dine with local residents in Buenos Aires, immerse yourself in culture with an interactive presentation to learn about life in Argentina and experience the culture of the gauchos community. Savour Asado, the traditional Argentine barbeque. Prices start at $2,999.
10. A DOWN UNDER ADVENTURE This mega-adventure—24 days—will have you spending the night on a farm in Matamata, New Zealand to learn the customs of the native Kiwis. You’ll enjoy a home-cooked meal in Palm Cove, Australia, and learn about the customs of the Kuku Yalanji tribe by partaking in a traditional camp oven-style dinner. Prices start at $7,599.
Tour prices are subject to change and are based on land only, per person and double occupancy. For more information and to book available tours, contact a travel agent or call 1-800-340-5158, or visit www.gocollette.com.
