Cooking or culinary holidays, vacations, tours in Italy, Morocco and Israel:

Mediterranean Kitchens Cooking Vacations
. . . hands on cooking programs throughout the Mediterranean

Mediterranean Kitchens Cooking Vacations offers an assortment of hands on cooking programs throughout the Mediterranean region. Each destination– Israel, Sicily and Morocco - has been selected for its exciting combination of fine food and wine, warm and welcoming hosts and staff, and for the thousands of years of history and culture that make them such wondrous places. In each country you’ll learn to cook delicious dishes that you’ll be able to make at home.

The first evening of the program starts with a welcoming dinner, when you will be told about the history of the country and its cuisine, the foods and spices you will use and the dishes you will prepare during the week. Each program includes five hands on cooking lessons, visits to food markets, food producers and in Israel and Sicily visits to wineries as well. You will also have guided walking tours and, of course, visits to restaurants and cafes – and souks and shops.

Mediterranean Kitchens Cooking Vacations offer a perfect combination for a vacation – a fantastic cooking experience, fine food and wine, a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, and time for exploration of the sites in some of the world’s most historic cities and countries.

All the itineraries provide hands-on cooking classes in a number of different settings. The accommodation ranges from fabulous, rustic two hundred year old farmhouses to luxurious hotels. What is common to each is the warmth and hospitality of the hosts, the great chefs that you will teach you and finally, the history and culture that surrounds you in each of the destinations. The cooking classes are combined with guided historical walking tours, visits to wineries and food producers and carefully selected local restaurants. Mediterranean Kitchens Cooking Vacations believes it offers the best of all worlds in three remarkable countries.

< SICILY > - - - - - - - - - - - - < ISRAEL > - - - - - - - - - - - - < MOROCCO >

Agrigento - the many Tastes Of Sicily

Includes:

• 5 nights accommodation, twin occupancy. Private facilities
• 5 half day cooking sessions
• Transfer to and from airport or rail station
• Meals as outlined in the itinerary - including 2 special dinners. Local wines with dinners.
• All excursions, with local English speaking guides
• All entrance fees on excursions.
• All transfers and ground transportation.
• Mediterranean Kitchens apron and recipe booklet

ITINERARY - SUNDAY TO FRIDAY

Sunday ~ Dinner
The group will be met at the airport in Palermo and transfer directly to Agrigento. You will spend the next five nights at Fattoria Mose - home to the Agnello family for over two hundred years. After your long trip, you will have time to rest before a welcome reception, dinner and orientation.

Monday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast, you will visit the organic garden to gather some of the products you will use in your first cooking class today. After lunch you will take a guided tour of the spectacularly well preserved Greek ruins and then a walking tour of the town of Agrigento before dinner and a wine tasting at Enoteca Spizzulio.

Tuesday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast you will return to the kitchen for your second cooking class and lunch. Following lunch you will visit a local producer of artisanal goats milk cheeses and then on to an olive oil producer. In October you will be able to watch a pressing - perhaps of Fattoria Mose's own olives. In the evening you will travel a few kilometers to the seaside town of San Leone for dinner at the Leone d'Oro and then return to Fattoria Mose for the night.

Wednesday ~ Breakfast / Lunch
After breakfast, your third cooking lesson and lunch. In the afternoon you will be at leisure and have the opportunity to visit the cafes and shops in Agrigento - or simply relax on your own terrace with a good book. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Fattoria Mose.

Thursday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning after breakfast you will travel to see the ruins in Selinute. you will return to Agrigento for a picnic lunch in the Garden of Kolymbetra in the Valley dei Templi. Then back to the fattoria for your fourth cooking session. Tonight's dinner will be your last night at Fattoria Mose and a special menu will be accompanied by a selection of the finest Sicilian wines. Overnight at Fattoria Mose.

Friday
After breakfast, you will have your fifth and final cooking class and lunch. In the afternoon you will be transferred to the rail station in Agrigento to continue your Sicilian adventure or directly to the airport in Palermo for your return home.

The Chef

Anna Lind has been cooking for discerning Italians for thirty-eight years. Her life is divided between culinary research and development in Italy and private, hands-on courses, of Tuscan Culinary Culture which she conducts in Toronto, Canada. Florence is home in Italy.

However, during twenty years of permanent residence in Italy, Anna has experienced many diverse cuisines with their subtle differences and distinct characters on her travels throughout the country.

Anna's summer home for many years were Pantelleria, a small Sicilian island in the Mediterranean south of Trapani, and the rugged shores of the Ionian Sea. In these settings she was immersed in regional culinary traditions through her Italian family and friends. For Anna, nothing is more exciting than learning how local produce, climate and culture shape regional dishes and nothing is more rewarding than the challenge of preparing and the joy of consuming the diverse cuisines of Italy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND AVAILABILITY EMAIL <CLICK HERE>

Marrakech and Essaouira - a Feast for the Senses

Includes:

• Five night accommodation twin occupancy at 5 star La Maison Arabe, Marrakech
• Two nights accommodation twin occupancy at 5 star Riad Mimouna, Essaouira
• Transfer to and from airport or railway station
• Meals as outlined on itinerary. Local wines included with dinner (includes 3 special dinners)
• 5 hands-on cooking lessons
• All tours and excursions with English speaking guides
• Entrance fees to all museums and attractions
• $100 of the cost will be donated to the Fondation Mohammed V
  

ITINERARY - SATURDAY TO SATURDAY

Saturday ~ Dinner
Guests will be picked up at the Marrakech airport or train station and transferred to the luxurious La Maison Arabe. After checking in, you will enjoy a welcoming dinner before settling in for your first night.

Sunday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel you will transfer to the Palmerie for your first cooking session. After lunch you will return to the medina for a guided tour of the souks. Early evening will be spent in the exotic Djemaa el Fna watching the musicians, the snake charmers, the storytellers and the acrobats and jugglers. Perhaps the more daring will try a snack of steamed snails. Dinner tonight will be in the medina in a restaurant overlooking the Djemaa el Fna. Overnight at La Maison Arabe.

Monday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel you will again transfer to the Palmerie for your second cooking session and lunch. In the afternoon you will take a guided historical bus tour of Marrakech. Among the sites you will visit are the Koutoubia Mosque, Almosravid koubba, the Bahia Palace, the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Mellah (the Jewish Quarter). Dinner tonight will be at the Fassia Restaurant. Overnight at La Maison Arabe.

Tuesday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast you will return to the Palmerie for your third cooking session and lunch. After lunch you will spend several hours relaxing at the swimming pool before returning to the city for demonstrations of the making of both couscous and of warka (the traditional pastry used in bastilla). Dinner tonight at a small local restaurant. Overnight La Maison Arabe.

Wednesday ~ Breakfast / Dinner
This morning you will have the morning at leisure and lunch on your own. Everyone will meet back at the hotel mid afternoon for the transfer to the Palmerie for your fourth cooking session. Tonight you will share your final dinner at the Palmerie and weather permitting, you will enjoy it poolside. Overnight La Maison Arabe.

Thursday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning you will have your fifth and final cooking session, once again followed by lunch. From here, you will leave by private coach directly for Essaouira. you will check into the five star Riad Mimouna, and relax a bit before heading out for dinner at a restaurant by the pier. Overnight Riad Mimouna.

Friday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel, you will have a guided tour of Essaouira – including the souks, the Mellah and the port. You will stop along the way for lunch. The afternoon will be at leisure. Everyone will meet again in the evening for the farewell dinner. Overnight Riad Mimouna.

Saturday ~ Breakfast
After breakfast at the hotel, you will transfer to Marrakech airport or train station for the trip home.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND AVAILABILITY EMAIL <CLICK HERE>

Fes - a Feast for the Senses

Includes:

• Seven nights accommodation (twin occupancy). Private facilities
• 5 half day hands-on cooking lessons
• Daily breakfast
• Lunches and dinner as outlined on itinerary. Dinner with local wines
• Transfer to and from Fes airport or railway station
• All excursions with local English speaking guide
• $100 of tour cost will be donated to the Fondation Mohammed V
• Mediterranean Kitchens apron and recipe booklet
  

ITINERARY - SUNDAY TO SUNDAY

Sunday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Guests will be picked up at the Fes airport or train station and transferred to the Riad al Bartal for a week of cooking and enjoying the intoxicating foods of Morocco. After checking in, you will enjoy a welcoming dinner – and orientation - before settling in for the first night.

Monday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast you will head for the kitchen for your first cooking lesson followed by lunch.
After lunch you will have a guided tour of Fes el Bali (Old Fes) including the souk. Fatima, our chef, will meet us in the souk at the end of our tour and you will shop for vegetables and spices for tomorrow’s class. Dinner at the Medina Restaurant.

Tuesday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast, you will again head for the kitchen for your second cooking session followed by lunch. This afternoon, a guided historical tour of new Fes, including a visit to the mellah (Jewish Quarter). Tonight you will have dinner at L’Ambra in the new city.

Wednesday ~ Breakfast / Lunch
Your third cooking session will again be followed by lunch. The afternoon will be at leisure – time to return to your favourite parts of the souk, or to enjoy a visit to the hammam. Dinner on your own.

Thursday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning after breakfast you will have a guided tour to food producers including a demonstration of the making of couscous and warka (the pastry traditionally used for b’stilla). After a stop for lunch you will return to the riad for your fourth cooking session to make b’stilla for your dinner. B’stilla is traditionally served on special occasions and it has been chosen as the feature dish for your ‘graduation dinner’.

Friday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast you will return to the kitchen for your fifth and final cooking session (fish tagines) followed by lunch. After lunch you will depart for a guided tour of Meknes. The city is dominated by extraordinary monuments from the past - creations of Moulay Idriss who reigned from 1672-1727. In the fifty-five years of his reign, Meknes grew from a provincial centre to a spectacular capital with twenty gates, over fifty palaces and 45 km of exterior walls. You will visit the medina and the mellah in Meknes and enjoy dinner at the Riad Didi. You will return to Riad al Bartal following dinner.

Saturday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast this morning you will travel to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss. These two cities embody much of Morroco’s early history. Volubilis was the Roman Empire’s most remote base and in this city you will find the most impressive Roman sites in Morocco. Moulay Idriss is the home of the most important Islamic shrine in Morocco. You will have lunch mid-day and then return to Riad al Bartal for uour farewell dinner. Overnight Riad al Bartal.

Sunday ~ Breakfast
After breakfast you will transfer to the airport or rail station for your departure home.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND AVAILABILITY EMAIL <CLICK HERE>

Jerusalem - Foods of the Middle East

Includes:

• 5 half day hands on cooking sessions
• 5 nights accommodation, twin occupancy. Private facilities
• Transfers and ground transportation
• All meals as outlined on itinerary. Israeli wines with dinner
• All excursions, with local English speaking guides
• All entrance fees to museums and attractions
• $100 of trip cost will be donated to the Barenboim-Said Foundation
• Mediterranean Kitchens apron and recipe booklet

ITINERARY - SUNDAY TO FRIDAY

Sunday ~ Dinner
The group will meet at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv and transfer to the Mount Zion Hotel in Jerusalem. After the long flight, you will rest until dinner at Tzakho Restaurant and after dinner coffee and jazz at Mizrahi in Mahane Yehuda Shuk before we return to the hotel for the night.

Monday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel, you will transfer to the cooking school for an orientation before a tour of Mahane Yehuda market and an opportunity to shop for ingredients for your first cooking lesson - Israeli salads and appetizers. The class will be followed by lunch. In the afternoon you will take a guided walking tour of the historic area of Nachlaot and Mea Shearim. After a short rest at the hotel you will have a Moroccan dinner at the truly exceptional Darna Restaurant.

Tuesday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel, you will again transfer to the cooking school for your second cooking class - Yemeni cuisine. After lunch you will visit the Old City. The guided tour will take you to the four quarters of Old City with stops at the most important sites of each of the three great religions represented here – the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As well as visits to religious and historically significant sites, you will have an opportunity to shop in the souks. After our tour you will return to the hotel for a short rest before dinner at the Ambassador Hotel.

Wednesday ~ Breakfast / Lunch
After breakfast at the hotel, you will again transfer to the cooking school for your third cooking lesson - Lebanese and Syrian cuisine and lunch. After lunch, you will take a walking tour to Ben Yehuda Mall and Yoel Solomon street with time to shop for Dead Sea skin care products, Naot sandals and original Israeli arts and crafts. Then, you will transfer to the Israel Museum for a tour of the Archaeology wing with Dudi Mevorach, curator of Hellenist, Roman and Byzantine Archaeology. Dinner tonight will be on your own.

Thursday ~ Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel, you will visit several of Israel’s premier wineries and also a local artisan cheese maker. You will have lunch in the village of Abu Ghosh before returning to the school for your final cooking session - Moroccan cuisine. Tonight will be your Farewell Dinner at the school and you will enjoy some of Israel’s finest wines with dinner.

Friday ~ Breakfast / Lunch
Today after breakfast you will have your final cooking session and will learn to prepare some of the finest dishes from the Persian Cuisine. After lunch, you will return to the hotel until your transfer to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for your departure.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND AVAILABILITY EMAIL <CLICK HERE>

Lindan Toole
Mediterranean Kitchens Cooking Vacations is run by Lindan Toole, who has built a career around her love of travel – first as the founder and producer of The Travel & Leisure Show in Toronto, Canada and then as a tourism consultant in developing countries.

She's organized and led nature and birdwatching trips to Ecuador and the Galapagos, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica. And now, after 30 years and 40 countries, she’s realized her dream and founded Mediterranean Kitchens - combining cooking lessons and walking tours in the countries she loves most – Israel, Sicily and Morocco.

The concept for Mediterranean Kitchens is borne out of her personal wish list when traveling – travels that indulge her love of cooking and her passion for great food, fine wines, comfortable accommodations and discovering the hidden wonders of the places visited in each destination. She’ll be on hand to welcome each group, to help in the kitchen and to show you some of her favourite places.