Culinary Travel: Cooking & Food Tour of the Greek Island of Crete

	This is my third big trip with Culinary Communion and I can't wait for the next one!
—Guest of 2003 Cooking Tour of Maui and the 2005 and 2006 Cooking Tours of Provence

The arched entrance to our Cretan estate.
	What a wonderful week in Provence! Traveling with Chef Gabriel was a delightful adventure. His enthusiasm for good food and wine is contagious and I'm looking forward to more travels with Culinary Communion.
—May 2006 Provence Guest

Our sitting room, to relax or enjoy wine tastings.
	Even though there was a pretty full agenda, we still had time to relax. My favorite part was having the luxury of spending time out by the pool. I mean who has time for that in Seattle!
—May 2005 Provence Guest

Bright and airy, the gracious first floor of the estate.
	Good food, good wine, good company—Great Trip!
—May 2006 Provence Guest

One of the estate's suites.

HOME \| CLASSES \| ABOUT US \| TRAVEL \| COMMUNITY \| GIFT CERTIFICATES

Events Resources Travel


	2008 Cooking Tour of Crete! *One week of cooking, eating, drinking, fishing, foraging, and more!* The Cooking Tour of Crete will follow the same general format and feeling as our Cooking Tours of Provence have done: intensely food-themed weeks for culinary travelers (versus tourists) in a laid-back, intimate, community environment. The Cooking Tour of Crete is a group of eight "foodies" traveling to the Greek island of Crete for a week of cooking, eating, and soaking in the culinary delights of the area. We'll take hands-on classes and tours with local experts as well as having hands-on cooking lessons at our private estate and dining out frequently. Read on... Check out this interesting article in Britain's Telegraph about the foodie heaven that is Crete. Trip Dates May 2008 Trip Dates: Tuesday, May 6, through Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Maximum 8 guests. This trip is full; please email us to be placed on the waiting list or to receive information about Crete trips in 2009 and beyond! Accommodations Our property is a 200-year-old stone house, surrounded by the soft mountains, about 10 minutes by car to the sea (staying inland keeps us away from most of the tourism). There are 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, all decorated in traditional Cretan style and mostly in antiques. The property has an exceptional vegetable garden which is planted and tended for our use, plus a variety of fruit trees. An outdoor kitchen will be home to our BBQs, and the pool will provide a place for relaxation between our culinary adventures. Our group has the house to ourselves, with a communal kitchen for breakfasts and one or two evenings of cooking. Double occupancy is the norm. Single travelers are welcome; we will coordinate a roommate for you, or a single room if available; however, we can't guarantee single rooms and therefore can't accept a single supplement. The area in which we will be staying is on the north coast of Crete, 20 km from Rethymnon. Activities A tentative day-by-day itinerary is below. Our goal is to immerse ourselves in the food of Crete, with tours and in-depth, hands-on lessons at a variety of food producers, informal cooking classes with Chef Gabriel, and lots of intimate dining out experiences with Greek homestyle cooks. We will also plan to do some "tourist" travel, but all activities are optional and we'll have the flexibility to allow guests to participate or not as each person chooses. Rather than travel by bus, we rent several cars to fit in better and to create better flexibility; if a few people would like to go back to the market, for example, and others prefer to hit the beaches, we can accommodate both activities at once. In France we've found this approach to be far preferable to being tied down to one vehicle. Who Should Come This trip is focused heavily on the food and wine of the Cretan culture, with active days. Guests should be ready for lots of walking and hands-on cooking, but there is time for relaxing, too: we don't want you to have to go home and need another vacation to unwind. This trip is geared toward food- and wine-loving adults! What's Included The following is included in our Cooking Tour of Crete: Unique culinary education from local chefs and culinary experts, from cooking lessons to nature walks featuring wild culinary herbs; Cooking lessons and "guided tour" dining experiences with Culinary Institute of America -trained chef and certified sommelier Gabriel Claycamp; Week's lodging at our estate in Crete, double occupancy Most meals (all breakfasts and dinners, with a few lunches excepted), including a reasonable amount of wine; All ground transportation within Crete, from pick-up to drop-off at either of the Crete airports (airfare and transportation to and from Crete are not included (although we are happy to give you advice on how best to travel there); Custom-embroidered apron; Customized educational material about the cuisine of Crete; All recipes from the week's cooking classes; and Detailed itinerary with color maps etc. about our planned activities. Tentative Itinerary The following itinerary is subject to change, but you can expect the final schedule to be reasonably similar. We will start each morning, Thursday through Wednesday, with a Continental breakfast at the house including local pastries, yogurt, preserves, and coffee. Tuesday: Arrival. We will meet the group at the airport (time TBA) and arrange transportation to the estate. After unpacking, we'll unwind with a swim and Cretan mese and apperos of ouzo and retsina. You'll meet the rest of the group and we'll discuss our upcoming week together. Wednesday: We'll spend today outdoors with the nature guide, walking and learning explanations of the various comestible flora and their medicinal uses. We'll go out for lunch in the small fishing village. We'll enjoy an afternoon of relaxing in the garden and then cook together outdoors, Cretan style. Thursday: Today we will visit the Melidoni caves and the wine producer in the village, passing by the fields of hundred-years-old olives, with a guide to explain all about the various types of olives grown on the island. We'll go into the town to smell and see the hustle and bustle of the Cretan towns and to meet some very interesting people! Friday: We'll spend the morning out on a boat going through the caves of the cliffs. We'll take a swim in the Med to discover the small secluded beaches that can only be found via the caves. Fishing for those who wish is an option onboard. After lunch we'll return to the house for a cooking lesson on how to succeed in Cretan pastries, including spanakopita and tiropita. Saturday: A day with Mama Maria, a wonderful gardener and farmer, but this is nothing compared to her knowledge in the kitchen. This woman grows everything she eats, including the lamb chops. We will visit her garden and watch her prepare (from the first step) rabbits or chickens for a traditional Stifado. We will prepare with Mama Maria the mese and salads that accompany this plate. In the meantime we will have no other choice than to meet half the village who will all be curious as to what we are up to...drinks will be offered non stop! The afternoon (what will be left of it) ... relaxing. Sunday: We'll get an early start and drive across town towards Hania to the small creek of Haledoni, where Georgos will teach us the art of BBQ and three old ladies will show us how to prepare the fish that Georgos caught during the night. This stop always has the most amazing collection of wild salads, with which we will all by now be familiar as our first day taught us. Our evening will be spent assisting with a cultural night of traditional Cretan music and dancing. Monday: Today we'll have a visit to the shepherds and their cheese producer, including lunch. Then we'll visit the famous village of Vrisas where the sheep's yogurt is simply the best on this earth, and the honey that is harvested in the White Mountains of Hania and up and around Safkia is without any doubt the finest on this planet. We'll go back to the villa for a relaxing evening and cooking at home. Tuesday: After breakfast we will depart for the airport, where the group will disperse with many happy memories from this unique and wonderful trip! Cost and Payment Structure May 2008 Trip Costs The Cooking Tour of Crete trip is $2,950 USD per person by cash or check ($3,040 by credit card); see above for what this includes. A deposit of $750 is required to reserve your place; $1,100 is due on 12/1/07 and $1,100 on 3/1/08. Deposits are nonrefundable; the remainder of the trip costs are refundable up to three months prior to the trip and nonrefundable thereafter. To Make Your Reservation or Learn More Ready to join us? Or have some questions? Please give us a call at 206.284.8687 or email us.