THE REAL MEAL
Authenticity is the new ‘luxury’
Fancy a seat at a private dinner party in Paris? Or how about hanging out in a family kitchen in Rome, discovering the secrets of lipsmackingly good home-made pasta? For those of us who can’t afford to take a jet to our dinner table, there’s a more affordable – and, you could argue, more satisfying – culinary must-have: authenticity. A number of organisations now cater to our appetite for a genuine experience. Like Tuscan Women Cook, a week-long immersion holiday where groups of 18 or less learn to craft traditional dishes from the best cooks in the region – ie the local women; the ‘nonnas’.
Then there are outfits that offer experiences worldwide, like Eatwith, which began with just two people. Jean Michel Petit’s appetite for culinary adventures was sparked in Peru, where a local family invited him to eat at their home. Meanwhile Camille Rumani had fallen in love with Chinese cuisine and culture on her travels. After crossing paths and sharing travel stories, in 2014 the pair set up Eatwith, aiming to change the way people travel “one food experience at a time’. You simply register
on their site, then choose a destination and a social eating experience. Type in, for example, ‘New York’ and up pops everything from ‘brunch tapas in a West New York home’ to ‘seasonal homemade ravioli dinner’. Or type in Spain and you’ll get ‘tapas cooking class with Lola’, ‘market tour and cooking feast in Madrid’ and ‘best vegan Spanish tapas’ – to name but three. Then request your preferred dates… and wait for the host to get back to you.
“Some of our most unique (and popular) experiences include dinner on a revamped London Tube train, a farm tour and cooking class in the Hanoi countryside; dinner with a local Barcelona sculptor (and the chance to weld your own masterpiece!); a traditional Jewish shabbat family dinner in Tel Aviv; and a macaron masterclass with a French Masterchef in Paris,” says Kimberlee Oo, global content and brand manager for Eatwith. Eatwith has grown from one city with a handful of hosts to 25,000+ hosts in over 960 destinations – with a notable rise in demand from the US and China.
FROM CUBA TO CHIANTI
Intrepid Travel’s Real Food Adventures is another company that has local leaders in each destination who find the most authentic local dishes and ingredients.
“On our Russia Real Food Adventure, groups will harvest produce from a family garden and then learn to prepare the iconic borscht from a famous home cook in the village of Suzdal. In Sri Lanka we learn to make crab curry with the ‘daily catch’ fresh from the sea and in Taiwan we harvest spring onions at a local farm, then prepare the country’s signature scallion pancakes,” explains Neil Coletta, Intrepid Travel’s Food Product Manager.
Neil has seen bookings shoot up 25 per cent from last year – with a 33 per cent rise in Kiwis booking. The average age of travellers is 35-40. Most are female. The most-booked foodie destination is Sri Lanka, but India, Vietnam, Japan and Morocco are also hugely popular.
Last but not least, of course there’s Airbnb Experiences, with travellers clamouring for food-related tours, classes and workshops.
The most-booked experiences offer hands-on lessons in creating regional food, whether it’s the Cooking in the Chianti Hills experience or learning to make Cuban dishes and drinks in Havana. dish food editor Claire Aldous happened on a ‘fabulous’ Airbnb experience in Montmartre, learning to make sourdough baguettes under the tuition of a third generation baker.
“A number of organisations cater to our appetite for a genuine experience”