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Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Are you NOT going home for the holidays?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Isn’t it ironic: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has 1,300 new parking spaces, yet Thanksgiving travel is projected to be down out of Atlanta this year.
Would-be travelers who are feeling the economic pinch might not go home for the holidays this year. Are you one of them? If so, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter might contact you.
Let us know if you’re keeping it close to home in Atlanta instead of traveling to see friends and family this year.
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It’s time to cook up a culinary getaway
Would you combine vocation with vacation?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s that time of year when I wish I was a better cook. Mind you, I’m not terrible. Day in and day out, I cook solid dinners for my family and friends, and (to date) I’ve never given anyone food poisoning or served something that makes them gag. I came close a couple of years ago, when my Christmas goose was cooked a bit too long. It was edible, but that’s about all that can be said for it. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, I dream of preparing a dinner that goes beyond edible to noteworthy or even spectacular.
So like a growing number of travelers, I am considering taking a culinary vacation. (Let’s face it, I’ll probably need several.) I am not a natural in the kitchen. I could really benefit from expert instruction, as well as the freedom to experiment and make mistakes without the worry of ruining someone’s dinner - holiday or otherwise.
Mention a cooking vacation, and most people envision pasta-making in a Tuscan village or lessons in French cuisine along the Seine. But you don’t have to travel overseas or even out of state to take a break with a whisk and a spatula. Chateau Elan in Braselton offers weekend recreational cooking classes that include instruction, wine for the budding cook, one of those cool chef hats, a recipe booklet and a serving of the dishes you prepare. The classes this month and next focus on preparing Thanksgiving and holiday dinners, but themes change throughout the year.
Every August, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel offers a “Cooking at the Club” package, which includes a four-night stay, gourmet cooking classes in the Crane Cottage kitchen, patisserie sessions, wine tasting, a Jekyll Island Club Hotel chef’s jacket, daily breakfasts and a farewell dinner.
Similar culinary packages can be found at the Amelia Island (Fla.) Ritz Carlton and the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV. The Greenbrier even offers classes for the kids, and both offer classes on mastering the art of barbecue.
If you don’t fancy a stay at one of those places, try booking a cooking vacation through a culinary travel company like Epiculinary.com. The service offers tours throughout the U.S. and round the world, including three in the southern U.S.: Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn.; a Cajun Country tour in LaFayette, La.; and a New Orleans Creole tour in a Big Easy bed and breakfast.
Does getting pampered while learning tricks of the culinary trade sound like a good vacation to you? Where would you go? Do you any advice for the novice culinary traveler?
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