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cooking passions

NEW "Discover Basque Spain" Michelin Star, Food & Wine Tour

 Another UNIQUE cooking passions "Small-Group" Food & Culture Experience

8 Days / 7 Nights of All Inclusive Luxury (Land Content)

Date : Monday 30 September 2013 to Monday 07 October 2013
 

Join Nico & Belinda of cooking passions cooking school as we visit one of the world's finest gastronomic destinations - the "cult of good eating" - SAN SEBASTIAN in the Basque Country of Northern Spain.

In a town where the importance of food & socialising is the backbone of its unique Basque culture, highlights of this special Michelin Star, Food & Wine Tour will include :

• 7 Nights Luxury Boutique Accommodation in central San Sebastian
  
• Experiencing the San Sebastian ritual of "pintxos" through the Old Town's many bars & restaurants
• Dining at the world's most acclaimed restaurants :
  • Mugaritz - Two Michelin Stars (Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz) Voted World's #3 Restaurant - (The San Pellegrino World's TOP 50 Best Restaurants - 2012) with Chef Andoni being award "The Chef's Choice 2012" as voted by the The World's 50 Best Chefs. 
  • Asador Etxebarri - (Chef Bitor Arguinzoniz - Spain's "Grill Master Extraordinaire") Voted World's #31 Restaurant - (The San Pellegrino World's TOP 50 Best Restaurants - 2011)
• Wine & Food Excursions :
  • Visit to Spain's famed La Rioja Wine Region and the Frank Gehry designed titanium & steel  "City of Wine" at the Marques de Riscal Winery in Elciego, SPAIN
  • Lunch at Marques de Riscal Winery Restaurant - One Michelin Star (Chef Francis Paniego) - awarded its first Michelin Star on 25 November 2011
• San Sebastian Basque Cooking Class with Chef Enrique San Jose Azkue (Chef/Owner Marinela Seafood Restaurant, San Sebastian)
  
• Introduction to Spanish Wines - Wine Tasting and San Sebastian "Pintxos Tour" through its Old Quarter
• Lunch at one of San Sebastian's traditional port-side Seafood Restaurants - "Restaurante Marinela"
• Group Transfers to Bilboa and Elciego excursions.
• Visit to the famous Frank Gehry designed - Guggenheim Museum (Bilboa)
• Group Pre-Trip Briefing (Perth) 
  
• Assistance of Group Escort during duration of tour
  

cooking passions cooking tours

cooking passions cooking tours are designed so you can do as little or as much as you like, while allowing you plenty of free time to explore and immerse yourselves in the sights, shopping and eating that YOU want to experience (we'll be happy to provide suggestions from our previous experiences). We've arranged all of the accommodations, land transfers, cooking classes, private guides and most meals, so that all you have to do is pack a bag, a sense of adventure and join us on one of our delicious & exciting culinary journeys.

SAN SEBASTIAN (Basque Country)

Set on the golden crescent-shaped La Concha beach in the Basque Country of Northern Spain is the enchanting seaside beach resort of San Sebastian (Donostia in the Basque language) - one of Spain's "most beautiful" towns.

Long before there ever existed a "Costa Brava" or "Costa del Sol", wealthy Spaniards followed in the footsteps of Queen Maria Christina who, in 1886, chose this charming seaside town for the Royal Court of Spain to spend its summers, making it all the rage of it's time.

With its elegant & refined "Belle Epoque" resort feel, San Sebastian is synonymous with quality of life - some of the world's greatest eating experiences combined with a relaxed beach & surf culture on the glistening shores of the Bay of Biscay.

CULINARY CAPITAL OF CULTURE

Recognised as the culinary capital of Spain, San Sebastian is the only city in the world that sparkles under more Michelin stars per capita, and the only city in Spain with more restaurants, bars and taverns per square kilometre than any other.

San Sebastian is the cooking epicentre of Basque gastronomy with good eating an important part of Basque culture. It has an almost reverential respect to organic seasonal products and only the best raw materials are used by restaurants and famed Michelin-awarded chefs of San Sebastian's "New Basque Cuisine" revolution.

• Pintxos (Basque tapas) - One of the distinquishing marks of Basque gastronomy, pintxos ("pinchos") is the classic "miniature cuisine" which has experienced unparalleled sophistication in the last few years, with more and more complex creations presented in bars across San Sebastian's Parte Vieja (Old Town). San Sebastian is the world capital of pintxos, and it even has it’s own tradition which the locals carry on called txikiteo – bar crawls through the public houses of the Parte Vieja, each offering their own pintxos speciality. Washed down with the Basque country’s fine, young regional wine, txakoli, or a spicy red from the nearby Rioja wine region, you continue until you are suitably full, keep a tab of what you have eaten, then settle up with the bar staff before moving on to the next establishment.  

• Txokos (Private Gastronomic Eating Societies) - A Basque tradition established in the 1840's, San Sebastian's txokos are gastronomic societies where Basque men come together to cook, eat, drink, talk and sing. Each txoko has a society constitution that sets out the maximum number of members, administration issues and a communal funding system. Originally women were not allowed entry to a txoko, however most txokos now allow women access to enter the txoko to eat, drink and socialise, but not to cook. Meals can be elaborate affairs featuring dishes made from the Basque regions bountiful supply of fresh produce. Txokos operate on an honour system where each member is expected to keep track of what stocks were used from the communal foodstores and how much alcohol their group consumed. During the Franco era, txokos became a refuge for many Basques. As the constitutions of the txokos prohibited the discussion of politics on the premises, people could meet without state control, so they were free to speak Basque and sing Basque songs which was illegal during Franco's realm. 

• New Basque Cuisine - Influenced by the nouvelle cuisine of France in the 1970's and 1980's, Basque chefs created the nouvelle cuisine basque, which, while retaining a solid Basque substance, were lighter and less rustic versons of traditional Basque dishes and flavours. Chef Juan Mari Arzak of San Sebastian's restaurant ARZAK, one of Spain's first three-star Michelin awarded restaurants, is recognized as being the father of New Basque Cuisine and paved the way for molecular gastronomy. He has been credited with putting Spanish chefs, including El Bulli's Ferran Adria, on a bold new trajectory where traditional classic dishes were reinterpreted and presented to the world's culinary elite.

The Itinerary

Day 1 - Monday 30 September 2013 - SAN SEBASTIAN ARRIVAL

Arrive in San Sebastian at your leisure so that you can have a rest before our tour begins. Our accommodation is at San Sebastian's first comtemporary styled hotel, the 4-star  Astoria 7 Hotel. Formerly the landmark Astoria Cinema, the cinema was rebuilt into a 102 room boutique hotel, where each room has been individually dedicated to actors, actresses and directors who have attended the famed San Sebastian International Film Festival since 1953. Conveniently located a short 15 minute walk to San Sebastian's central market - La Brexta - and the pintxos bar laden streets of the Parte Vieja (Old Town).

5pm - This evening we will venture into San Sebastian's "Parte Vieja" (Old Town) to commence our immersion into Basque culture with an  "Introduction to Spanish Wines - Wine Tasting" conducted by the knowledgeable and passionate Nerea, who along with her brother, have pursued their passion for Spanish wines and have established one of San Sebastian's finest wine stores.

7pm - Following our Wine Tasting we will then go on a private Pintxos Tour of the Old Quarter, where we will visit 4 of San Sebastian's unique Pintxos bars and get some "insider's" tips from locals, Amaia & Nathan, our personal local guides for the evening, on the "do's & dont's" on how to navigate through the endless myriad of San Sebastian's gastronomic "miniature food" culture.

Day 2 - Tuesday 01 October 2013 - SAN SEBASTIAN COOKING CLASS

• Mount Igueldo - Catch the cable car from Ondaretta to the top of Mount Iqueldo for a breathtaking panorama of the city and its half-moon shaped La Concha beach.

 

  

 

8am - Group departure from San Sebastian by minivan for La Rioja and the village of Elciego.

 

Rioja Alavesa (La Rioja) Wine Region

 

Romans brought the vine plant with them when they landed in this Southern Basque Country over twenty centuries ago. With a history such as this, the Rioja Alavesa has established one of the most rooted, reliable and forceful wine traditions in all of Europe. It is a region which not only produces wines under a "designation of origin" recognised as one of the best in the world, but combines it with a gastronomy tradition and charming fortified historic villages scattered across the vinelands. Far from resting on its history, some of La Rioja's main wineries have embraced change and entrusted the renovation of their facilities to renowned architects, including the Canadian architect, Frank Gehry who designed the titanium "City of Wine" for winery Marques de Riscal. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2008, its Michelin-awarded restaurant perfect the pairing of tradition with avant-garde cuisine.

 

  

11am to 1pm - Wine tour of Marques de Riscal Winery and Wine Tasting

 

 

 

  

 

 

1:00pm - Pre-Lunch drinks on the terrace of the Marques de Riscal Winebar - VINOTECA, followed by lunch at the Marques de Riscal Restaurant, awarded it's first Michelin-star on 25 November 2011. Riojan chef, Francis Paniego and his young, dynamic team of 15 chefs will prepare an Eight Course Degustation menu, a fusion of tradition and modernity with a careful selection of local-produced and seasonal ingredients. Set within Frank Gehry's architectural masterpiece of "The City of Wine", it is one of the most beautiful dining rooms of the world with spectacular views over Elciego's medievel church and to La Rioja's stunning mountain range!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Day 4 - Thursday 03 October 2013 - FREE DAY

am - Morning at your leisure. Hire a bike and use San Sebastian's amazing network of cycle paths to explore the city. Do La Concha Bay justice by seeing it from end to end, passing Ondarreta and La Concha beaches on a 3km stroll past famous sculptures by one of the most inernational and respectable contemporary Basque artists, Eduardo Chillida. The most famous of his sculptures is the "Peine del Viento" (Wind Comb) is located at the western end of the beach and is one of the landscape icons of San Sebastian. 

 

Alternatively, as the wealthiest city in the region, San Sebastian has a finely honed fashion sense so hit the high streets of San Sebastian for a morning of shopping at some of its unique boutiques and high end shops.

 

 

 

 

 

2pm - Lunch at Restaurante Marinela - After a morning of exploring San Sebastian, we have arranged for a relaxed alfresco seafood lunch at one of San Sebastian's portside restaurants.

 

pm - Evening at your leisure.

 

 

DISCOVERY SUGGESTION

• Mercato de la Bretxa - Wander the underground food market in the centre of San Sebastian where fish, crustaceans, cured ham and cheeses are all artfully arranged.

 

 

Day 5 - Friday 04 October 2013 - BILBAO, GUGGENHEIM and ASADOR ETXEBARRI

 

8:39am - Group departure from San Sebastian by minivan for Bilbao.

 

10am to 1pm - Arrive in the famous town of Bilbao and the famed Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim Museum. Your option of visiting the installations at the museum or visit Bilbao's historical centre for the morning.

 

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

 

Bilbao's "titanium miracle" known as the Guggenheim Museum is much more than a simple art gallery or a mere exhibition hall. It is the emblem of a modern and versatile Bilbao. The artworks surrounding the building - PUPPY, by Jeff Koons and MAMA, the Spider, by Louise Bourgegois - have become icons of the 'new' city. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2pm - Lunch at ASADOR ETXEBARRI (#31 of The San Pellegrino World's TOP 50 Best Restaurants - 2012) 

 

ASADOR ETXEBARRI

 

This culinary workshop is home ot Spain's "Grill Master Extraordinaire", chef Bitor Arguinzoniz, whose creations are all prepared to perfection over an open fire, on charcoal prepared in-house from local vine shoots, oak, and apple wood. Situated in the tiny leafy village of Axpe, halfway between Bilbao and San Sebastian, the restaurant goes back to basics, treating the bestof the season's produce simpy and cooking it all on an open fire. Very much off the beaten track, however worthy of a detour for one of the most unique Basque restaurants in the world.

 

In 2011, Asador Etxebarri was voted #50 of the "World's  TOP 50 Best Restaurants, and in 2012 it has scaled by 19 places to become the #31 of the "World's TOP 50 Best Restaurants" for 2012. 

 

 

 

 

Chef Bitor (third from the right) in his amazing Grill Kitchen. 

 

pm - Evening at your leisure.

  

 

DISCOVERY SUGGESTION 

• One of the most unique experiences we shared with our group on our most recent tour to San Sebastian was to visit the 100 year old, La Perla, Thalassotherapy spa situated directly on the beach at La Concha. La Perla is a genuine heir of the belle epoque of San Sebastian and was established more that a century ago when Queen Maria Cristina established the royal summer house in the city and sea baths were considered to be a fine pleasure by holidaymakers. La Perla is regarded as the best Thalassotherapy spa in Europe with more that 5,500 m2 of spas and treatment pools overlooking La Concha beach.  

• For another of San Sebastian's spellbinding panoramic views head to the top of Mount Urgull and visit the 12th century Castillo de la Mota
• Visit the Ayuntamiento de San Sebastian (Town Hall) built in the latter half of the 19th century. It offers a nice glance at the culture, history and traditions of the ancient seaside town. Tours are by appointment.
• Visit the 1830's Bibiloteca Municipal in the Plaza de la Constitucion. The beautiful sandstone building built with Tuscan influences sits in the square in which bullfights were held. You can still view the numbers on the balconies of the surrounding buildings in which the residents would rent out to spectators.

pm - Evening at your leisure. An opportunity for you to visit one of San Sebastian's other 16 stars of Michelin awarded restaurants such as Arzak (3 Stars); Martin Bersastaegui (3 Stars); Akelare (3 Stars), but make sure you book well in advance. 

Day 7 - Sunday 06 October 2012 - MUGARITZ (Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz) MICHELIN-STARRED FINAL GROUP LUNCH

am - Morning at your leisure. 

1pm - Our final group lunch at the two Michelin-starred MUGARITZ (#3 of The San Pellegrino World's TOP 50 Best Restaurants - 2012 and "Chef's Choice" as voted by the 50 Best Chefs of the world) 

Undeniably, one of the most amazing dining experiences we have ever had, to experience one of Chef Andon Luis Aduriz's 18 course degustation menus, is to experience "gastronomic theatre" at it's sensory best. From visiting the kitchen, to meeting one of the world's most innovative chefs, our final Group Lunch here in October 2012, was truly one of the most memorable meals we have ever experienced!

MUGARITZ

Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz completed his academic studies at the School of Hotel & Restaurant Management in San Sebastian and has worked with such chefs as Juan Mari Arzak and Ferran Adria, as well as serving as head chef with Martin Berasategui at his three Michelin starred restaurant.

Situated a short drive from the centre of San Sebastian in a rustic yet modern caserio (country cottage), Mugaritz's 18-course tasting menus change daily according to what chef Andoni Luis Aduriz can obtain at the street markets and what's growing in the restaurant's herb garden. His team creates intricate dishes that seek to reconnect diners with nature. His self-dubbed "techno-emotional" approach sees the use of science and a rigorous understanding of ingredients mix with produce-driven cuisine. 

Check out what Gary Mehigan of Australia's MasterChef series said about "my all time favourite meal, absolutely amazing. Five hours and 15 courses later I don't think I could be any happier with my life". Please click here to read more from Gary's MUGARITZ experience.  

pm - Final group outing. Depending on what room we have left after Mugaritz's tasting menu, a long stroll through the narrow streets of the Old Town and along the beach might be in order.

Day 8 - Monday 07 October 2012 - DEPARTURE

am - Check Out from our hotel and final "Hasta luego" (See you later) to the group. Gather up your memories from our special week together in San Sebastian and safe journeys to your next destinations or home!

   BOOKINGS & BOOKING DEADLINE

To secure your places, please contact Nico Moretti at nico@urbanprovider.com.au or 08 9228 0507, and we will forward you a cooking passions Booking Form. 

Booking Deadline : 15 March 2013 (or until places remain available)

Booking Deposit : A $AUD500 non-refundable BOOKING DEPOSIT is required to hold a booking for the tour, at the time of your reservation.

Final Payment : Payment in full is required at least 90 days prior to departure (Payment Due : 30 June 2013)

We look forward to hosting you on this very special "Discover Basque Spain" Michelin, Food & Wine Tuscany  experience. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate in contacting us.

Muchas gracias,

Nico Moretti

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