Culinary Activities in/around Barcelona, Spain

Private Cooking Class in Barcelona - visit the Boqueria food market with a local chef to buy the seasonal ingredients that you'll use to cook a whole menu based on traditional Catalan dished at a private penthouse overlooking Barcelona.

If you’re spending a few days in Barcelona and you love food, you are sure to enjoy this small journey into the Mediterranean kitchen… Take a few hours to discover one of the secrets of Spanish cuisine: the use of the freshest ingredients.

Barcelona is an excellent example, taking from the quiet sea and fertile lands of Catalonia, for a remarkable range of possibilities. You’ll confirm this on a guided visit to the well-known Boquería market, near Las Ramblas. Set in a 19th century Modernist building, it is nothing short of a paradise for any kind of foodie! With your first glance at the colorful, endless variety of products, you’ll easily understand what makes it one of the most amazing food markets in Europe.

Your guide will be a professional chef, Jaume, also the instructor for your very special cooking class. Jaume has trained in France, England, Germany and Catalonia, and currently combines his work as pastry chef in a well-known location in Barcelona, with food consulting for prestigious hotels all over Spain.

He will help you prepare a full lunch – everything from the hors d’oeuvres to dessert - based on some of the most famous recipes of regional Catalan cuisine. Relax and chat, have a bite while you’re cooking… the venue* is a private home, a charming penthouse set in lovely surroundings, with a large kitchen and wonderful terrace overlooking the Tibidabo mountain, where you can enjoy what you have cooked if the weather is right. Fine regional wines will accompany the meal.

In sum, treat yourself to more than 5 hours with a professional chef – in a private class, designed just for you - and learn all about the taste of the Mediterranean.

More info: http://www.atasteofspain.com/index.php?menu=5&sub=13&ssub=16

Avant Garde Cooking Class in Barcelona - enjoy a hands-on private cooking class, you will learn to reproduce some of the innovative cooking techniques developed by Spain's leading chefs.

Some of the most revolutionary chefs in Spain are based in Catalonia. If you’re visiting Barcelona, you’ll soon learn it is a city in the vanguard of Spanish art, architecture, interior design, fashion and other artistic expressions; gastronomy is no exception. We propose some time off from conventional tourism, to teach you the secrets of Catalonia’s culinary masters.

Your instructor is Monica, a professional cook who has successfully worked as head chef for a number of well-known restaurants and hotels. The idea is to combine regional and exotic ingredients with the most innovative cooking techniques and personal creativity. The preparation will produce as much pleasure as the eating itself: exciting flavors, textures, and colors combine to make you enjoy every minute, from preparation to the last bite of dessert!

Featured chefs include the internationally acclaimed Ferrán Adrià, considered by many as the most revolutionary chef in the world. In the words of superstar French chef Paul Bocuse: “He’s doing the most exciting things in our profession today”.

Also featured is Carmen Ruscalleda, chef of the 3 Michelin-starred Sant Pau restaurant, and its sister restaurant in Tokyo. Based on her creative interpretation of the Catalan culinary tradition – always combing sweet and savory, fish and meat, hot and cold, vegetables and fruits - Carmen has developed recipes that are both complex and balanced. Some of them are presented in our cooking class.

This unique experience takes place in a private home in a quiet quarter, North of Barcelona. Lovely surroundings for a charming penthouse with a large kitchen and wonderful terrace overlooking the Tibidabo Mountain. After the three hours of hands-on cooking class in a completely relaxed atmosphere, the best part is you can enjoy lunch or dinner based on the prepared recipes, accompanied by fine Spanish wine, of course…

This unique culinary experience will add a very special touch to your vacation!

More info:
http://www.atasteofspain.com/index.php?menu=5&sub=14&ssub=28

Cooking Class in Palafrugell - visit the food market at the charming medieval town of Palafrugell, in the Costa Brava, and enjoy the best of Mediterranean food during a private cooking class

One of the richest culinary regions in Catalonia is the Baix Empordà, an area close to the Costa Brava, the rugged coast North of the province of Girona, at the foothills of the Pyrenees.

We suggest some original “time out” during your journey in Catalonia, for an introduction to the cuisine of this interesting region. Why not give yourself a treat and learn how to prepare some of their recipes? You can bring a long tradition of refined cuisine back home with you, with dishes that vary from the fish of the coast, in recipes like suquet, to typical inland roasts, meaty broths like escudella, or hearty stews like carn d'olla, all side by side with some of Spain’s finest wines and olive oils.

Your class is individual, and specially designed, just for you. You’ll begin with a visit to the food market at the charming medieval town of Palafrugell. The market is a picturesque site in the heart of town, where you can start to take in the colors and aromas of local produce. After the visit, move on to your class, which will be held in a beautifully renovated private home with a fully equipped modern kitchen, just minutes away from the market.

Your instructor is a retired Arts & History professional who is now pursuing a full-time career in her favorite - and lifelong - pastime, cooking. With her help, you’ll be preparing a complete regional menu. No hurries here; relax and enjoy the cooking, take your time, ask questions… and best of all, when you’re done you can sit down and enjoy what you’ve prepared as lunch (accompanied by fine Spanish wines, of course!).

Take this unique culinary opportunity to plunge deep into the authentic taste of Catalonia like you never imagined…

More info:
http://www.atasteofspain.com/index.php?menu=5&sub=13&ssub=18

Barcelona Tapas Tour

A private Tapas tour guided by an English-speaking expert who will take you to some of the most emblematic bars of Barcelona. Enjoy the local specialities, with a focus on the best seaonal products.
More info:
http://www.atasteofspain.com/index.php?menu=20&sub=22

Olive Oil Experience in Barcelona - a tutored olive oil tasting at the Santa Caterina food market followed by a delicious lunch specially designed to highlight the uses of olive oil in cooking

The Santa Caterina market is located near the Cathedral, in the delightful Gothic quarter, which you’ll find is a perfect place for gastronomical adventure…

You’ll visit a unique little shop specialized in olive oil, offering an impressive selection of the most distinguished PDO’s (Protected Designation of Origin). With the help of your host and olive oil expert, you’ll be tasting four to five different varieties of extra virgin olive oils in a relaxed and laid-back atmosphere. Each olive variety has a characteristic aroma that can be assessed through proper tasting. You’ll find it’s quite similar to the world of wines, and you’ll be amazed to discover the enormous range of flavors and applications for one of Spain’s star products, often referred to as liquid gold.

After the visit and tasting session, enjoy a mouth-watering lunch in a nearby restaurant. We’ve put together a specially designed menu to help you perceive the varied tastes of olive oil, when used with different cooking methods. The meal is, of course, accompanied by fine Spanish wines.

This small journey into the secrets of Spanish olive oils will stay with you long after you’ve left Barcelona…

More info:
http://www.atasteofspain.com/index.php?menu=20&sub=24&ssub=30

Catalonia Gourmet Tour - learn about local products at the Boqueria food market, enjoy a private hands-on Catalan cooking class and visit the beautiful Priorato wine region.

If you are a food lover, you will know that Catalonia is one of the most important culinary regions in Spain. The wise combination of traditional cuisine with the work of the most innovative chefs and modern techniques has awarded the region worldwide recognition.

Its quiet sea and fertile land provide a wide variety of the freshest ingredients, as you will confirm on a guided visit to the well-known Boquería market, in Barcelona, one of the most interesting food markets in Europe.

But you won’t simply look at these products from afar; you’ll learn to use them to create mouth-watering dishes… Join our active and experienced, professional cooking teacher for a hands-on cooking class, and prepare signature Catalan recipes you will want to share with your friends back home!

Finally, your journey will be complete with a visit to Priorato, a region almost untouched by time, yet recently brought to light for its powerful wines. Spend a relaxing day discovering the charm of its landscapes while you dive into the culture of its wines with a visit and tasting session at a selected winery, with lunch to follow at a charming traditional restaurant before returning to Barcelona.

Explore a Gourmet Catalonia like you never imagined; the itinerary is designed so you can set your own pace and truly capture the soul of the places you visit in a unique way.

More info:
http://www.atasteofspain.com/index.php?menu=4&sub=9&ssub=3