I have met several Traveling Spoon hosts now, and my conversation with Annette and Jose was among my best. Even though Jose and I did not speak the same language, Annette was incredibly attentive to translating – her skills as an English teacher in Sevilla are very apparent. It was fascinating to hear her and Jose’s perspectives on Sevilla and Spain overall. Jose was awesome, an opinionated and proud Spaniard. I learned so much and will always remember my incredible conversations and experience with these two!
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Cooking Experience
Cooking seafood Paella with Josh was one of the highlights of our 8-day stay in Barcelona. After hitting the typical tourist sites, it was refreshing to get the perspective of a local who is so passionate about food. He was very educational and patient, and we had a really fun time. It was great to pick up lots of tacit information not included in the recipe. Lastly, we enjoyed the food in the dining room with Josh and talked about his music and Catalonia. We loved hearing about Josh’s stories living in Barcelona, and greatly appreciated his tips and local perspective. We had an overall amazing experience and would highly recommend this!!
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Cooking Experience
Market Tour
Lovely kitchen! Lola was a wonderful hostess. Very good at getting everyone involved. Great food, we prepared the majority ourselves. Lots of good wine-a very pleasant experience
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Cooking Experience
Suzie was all kinds of fun! She is used to offering food tours so had lots of information about local food and local food culture! If I make it to Valencia, I will look her up!
Food Tour
Start your experience with a food tour of San Sebastian, led by Luis, a passionate local who will take you to all his favorite food and drink spots in the city. This is a unique culinary experience, where you will enjoy local food and drink tastings, then cook and eat together at a secret gastronomic society - a members only private club. Luis’s grandfather was a member at this club and then the membership was passed on to his father and now Luis is a member. Earlier the club was only for men, where they would get together every week to cook, drink and share stories. Later the club was opened to women and now tourists as well. This food tour is one of the best ways to experience San Sebastian like a local! <br><br>Your experience begins in the historic old town with a visit to a wine cellar, where you will sample txakoli (a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine), before moving to the next spot. Next you will visit 3 pintxo bars, where you will sample pinxtos - the Basque style of tapas, an unassuming small bite served at bars in the hours between lunch and dinner. Each pintxo is paired with the perfect pour, a sampling of cider to local whites and reds. After your food tour, you will accompany Luis to a members only, Basque Gastronomic Society. At the club, Luis will demonstrate how to cook fresh, seasonal fish, before you sit down to eat along with other fellow members (present at the club). Enjoy an evening of food, drink, stories and laughter, unlike anything you've done before! <br><br>Please note that there is no fixed menu, as Luis likes to showcase different foods depending on the season. Just as an example, in the summer months you might sample dishes such as wild mushrooms with egg yolk, scallops with ajo blanco (cold almond soup) sauce or octopus with roast red paper mayonnaise and onion and grilled baby squid or beef cheeks with pumpkin mass. Later at the club, Luis will cook anchovies with txakoli wine (local white wine) or white tuna with green peppers and tomato. End your experience with a tasting of idiazabal (a smoky lamb cheese), quince jelly (thick jelly made of the pulp of the quince fruit) and local cider.
Food Tour
We had the most incredible experience and can't speak highly enough about Jose! He was engaging, kind, and carefully explained and demonstrated each step. Our food was incredible and we can't believe how time flew by. It was meaningful to learn about Valencia food traditions, culture and community from a local. I especially appreciated the way Jose engaged my 16 year old and gave such careful instruction and encouragement. This was truly a perfect day we will never forget.
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Cooking Experience
Your Spanish cooking class takes place in Ari and Antonia’s beautiful family apartment in Madrid - visit a grandmother's house to learn to cook traditional Spanish food. A wonderful opportunity to visit a local home and learn more about their family, culinary traditions and life in Spain. In your 2-hour hands-on Spanish cooking class learn to make Spanish classics from scratch. You will be guided through the step-by-step process of making Spanish tortilla or gazpacho or Spanish omelet or paella. Learn how to cook traditional Spanish dishes using family recipes and just the way Antonia cooks for the family at home. While cooking Ari will share stories, useful trips and tricks and also local suggestions on the best things to do in Madrid. The menu is seasonal and if you have any preferences on what you would like to cook, please let Ari and Antonia in advance while booking your Madrid cooking class online. After cooking sit down to enjoy the seasonal, homemade and traditional Spanish meal you helped prepare, which will be served with sides, wine and dessert.
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Cooking Experience
Nicole was wonderful! She is so gracious and welcoming and had everything ready and nicely displayed for our cooking class. It was very fun to go through all the steps of making Paella and getting to eat it at the end of the class. We made dessert too! It was also nice to be in her home and hearing some about life in Spain and experiencing a bit of it at the same time! Thank you so much!
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Market Tour
Fantastic! The experience of going through a local market, meeting the artisans, and snacking on delicious bites was great. We learned about the local culture a well as recommendations for other places to visit while in Barcelona. Stefano and Veronique were gracious hosts. The class was well laid out and very hands on, which was amazing. Couldn't have had a better time! We hope all cooking experiences can be like this one!
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Market Tour
