La Combe en Périgord, France
April 30 - May 7, 2012
Join Julie for an incredible week of culinary and cultural experiences in the region which is the heart of French gastronomy. There will be three "hands-on" cooking classes, we'll go on a truffle hunt, visit to farmers' markets and artisans producing regional specialties, and dine at notable local restaurants.
The eight-day program includes all meals and wines, in restaurants and at LA COMBE, allowing you to enjoy the best this culinary paradise has to offer.
The seven-night, eight-day program costs €3,200. There is a limited number of spaces 8 in total to keep the experience special.
We design the program to take best advantage of the season's produce and special events. The following is a typical program; your program may vary.
DAY ONE Afternoon arrival and settle in. Meet your Guest Chef over apéritif and hors d'oeuvres, followed by dinner.
DAY TWO After breakfast, a short ride to Montignac, and a guided tour of the world-famous prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux. Lunch at a riverside auberge, followed by a tour of Eyrignac Gardens and an artisanal water mill making walnut oil. Our Welcome Dinner is Au Vieux Moulin, an old riverside restaurant in Les Eyzies.
DAY THREE A visit with your Guest Chef to the old city of Sarlat, one of France's most colorful farmers' markets, followed by lunch at a little charcuterie. Back to LA COMBE for our first cooking class, using fresh produce bought that morning. Apéritif and dinner at LA COMBE.
DAY FOUR After a demonstration of preparing foie gras mi-cuit at LA COMBE, we go to the farmers' market in St. Cyprien, followed by a lunch in an old abbey. After a short walk through a riverside village, we return to LA COMBE for our second cooking class, the results of which we enjoy that evening!
DAY FIVE No classes today, so we go south to the ancient walled city of Monpazier, lunch alfresco at a 'ferme auberge' and a thrilling visit to craggy Château de Biron, location for many a swash-buckling movie. After all that, a quiet supper back at LA COMBE.
DAY SIX An early-morning truffle hunt is followed by a visit to Le Bugue farmers' market on the banks of the river Vézère. Lunch in a little bistro/winebar and back to LA COMBE for our third cooking class. Apéritif and dinner at LA COMBE.
DAY SEVEN All cooking classes over, we spend this morning exploring the hilltop towns, castles and villages along the Dordogne River. After a gala Farewell Luncheon at the Michelin-starred Vieux Logis in picturesque Trèmolat, the late afternoon is free for last minute shopping or packing, before apéritif and a light dinner at LA COMBE.
DAY EIGHT Breakfast and au revoirs before your onward journey.
To learn more about La Combes' cooking classes Click here.
Or call Gigi at 1-888-522-6623.
I hope to see you there!
Passports & Visas
A valid passport is required of all participants. It must be valid at least six months after date of return to the U.S. The name on your reservation must match the name on your passport. Non-U.S. citizens must consult with the appropriate consulates to determine if any visas are needed.
It is suggested that all passengers, regardless of the passport they hold, check with the appropriate consulates of the countries being visited to determine if any visas are needed.
-SECRET GARDEN COOKING CLASSES
This year I’ve planned four days of gardens exploration and cooking at two beautiful sites. The first garden is in St. Helena and the other in Yountville. These intimate garden-to-table wine and food experiences will feature a four-course meal using the bounty of the gardens and orchards we visit.
SUNDAY September 25, 2011 SOLD OUT or October 9,SOLD OUT 2011
2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
We meet at the historic Logan-Ives House, a restored Gothic revival farmhouse built in 1874. We will tour the organic garden, learn to taste olive oil tour, and learn about food and wine pairing. Then we will have a private tour of the kitchen and a meeting with the chef.
This intimate garden-to-table wine and food experience will feature a four-course meal using the bounty of their gardens and orchards. You will be able to observe the chefs as they cook our meal. The menu will be paired with Long Meadow Ranch’s' hand crafted wines paired with our dinner.
Included in the price: garden tour, olive oil tasting, wine tasting, 4-course meal, and wine.
Cost per person $135
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MONDAY September 26, 2011 SOLD OUT or October 10, 2011 SOLD OUT
9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
In the morning we will visit a small CCOF-certified organic farm in the center of the Napa Valley in Yountville. The diversity of produce grown there is so amazing it is sometimes referred to as a “culinary dreamworks.” The produce is exclusively contracted to one of the finest restaurants in the Napa Valley (many believe it to be one of the finest restaurants in the country). We will have a guided tour of the garden as we select some of the most perfect fruits and vegetables. Then it will be your turn to cook with the freshly harvested vegetables and herbs. We will collaborate on the menu, then cook our lunch in the outside kitchen, which is set in an orchard. We will dine in the garden, enjoying perfectly paired wines from Hill Family Estates. It will be a garden-to-plate experience to remember for a lifetime.
Included garden tour, salt tasting, aprons, cooking instruction, 3- or 4-course meal and wine.
Cost per person $235