Good morning!
I hope you are well and enjoying spring wherever you are! As we look ahead excitedly to a summer of travel, I’m very happy to share our next culinary journeys with you. From the foothills of the French Alps to the highest concentrations of Michelin-star restaurants in the world in the Basque region, these will be a deep dive into the gastronomic scene in some of our favourite European destinations.
We’re starting things off with a “Pasta tour de force” trip to Bologna and the surrounding region of Emilia Romagna in June. We’ll take a small group of food lovers to visit some of the best authentic trattorias in and around the city, as well as a Parmigiano Reggiano factory, an artisan salumeria, take part in a tortellini workshop, taste exceptional Italian vintage wines, regional produce and much more. Next up is a fine dining trip to Paris, centered around lunch with the legendary chef Alain Passard at his garden in Normandy and a specially curated dinner at Le Duc, the seafood institution and one of my favourite restaurants in Paris. Later in the summer, we’re planning our much anticipated Megeve trip; a three day culinary extravaganza in the French Alps, where we’ll go hiking and mushroom picking with three Michelin starred chef Emanuel Renault in Megeve. Finally, planning ahead for the Autumn months, dive into our Basque gastronomy temples tour, where guests will join a Pintxos crawl in San Sebastian, and visit the iconic restaurants in the Basque region such as Elkano and very difficult to book Etxebarri.
I’m also very excited about our tailor-made private food trips. Curated by Luxeat, we can design totally bespoke food-oriented tour according to your very own preferences. From booking impossibly popular restaurants to arranging the cutest boutique hotel stay for you, the goal of our bespoke food tours is to offer you an unrepeatable culinary journey with masterpieces from the industry, while taking the burden of all the bookings off your shoulders.
I work directly with the chefs of top restaurants around the world, having spent decades building up my relationship with them, to bring you to the heart of the experience. I love to understand the wishes and interests of our guests, before creating a tailor-made all-inclusive culinary itinerary based on my knowledge and experience within the field.
Spaces are going fast on our food tours, so get in touch if you’re interested in joining us or learning more about our personalised trips.
Love,
Aiste
“Pasta tour de force” in Bologna and its region
JUNE 16 – 19
Follow a trail of the most important trattorias around Bologna, learn how to make tortellini at the legendary institution, taste exceptional Italian vintage wines, regional produce and much more.
This June, Luxeat brings a chance to get into the belly of Italy – the gastronomic region of Emilia Romagna – with a three day culinary extravaganza. The city of Bologna is known as La Grassa, the culinary capital of Italy and home to many of its most famous dishes. Above all, it is known worldwide for tortellini, the delicate hand-rolled pasta parcels made by “nonne” in the same way for generations. The trip will showcase the best of what this part of Italy has to offer.
Lunch with chef Alain Passard at his Garden
JULY 8 – 9
Join us for a magnificent long lunch with three Michelin starred “vegetable king” Alain Passard, as well as a very special dinner at Le Duc, the legendary seafood institution and one of my favourite restaurants in Paris.
The star of the show will be a unique lunch with Alain Passard – a decadent affair which will take the best part of the afternoon as we taste the vegetable and herbs-centric cooking of the three Michelin-starred chef. Known as the “vegetable King”, Passard’s cooking philosophy is deeply connected to the produce he grows. As such, we’ll also take a long lunch at his garden in Normandy, where the secrets of the freshness and uniqueness of his cooking are hidden.
Hiking in the Alps with 3 Michelin starred Emmanuel Renaut
AUGUST 26 – 29
Take a deep breath and join us in Megeve in the French Alps, for a very special culinary trip with 3 Michelin stars chef Emmanuel Renaut.
During the three day gastronomic adventure in the French Alps, we’ll go hiking and mushroom picking with three Michelin starred chef Emanuel Renault in Megeve, picnicking with him in the mountains, enjoy an intimate cooking demonstration and finish off with a magnificent dinner at his restaurant Flocons de Sol. We’ll also take advantage of the exceptional local producers, visiting a number of artisans in the region.
Basque gastronomy temples
OCTOBER 13 – 16
Pintxos crawl and visits to the most difficult-to-book gastronomy temples in the Basque region.
Basque cooking holds a reputation for being one of the best cuisines in the world, Meca for foodies, who respect and adore the quality of local products and their simple preparation, not forgetting the roots of traditions.
Past trips
Japan meets Portugal
This March, we hosted a very special six day culinary tour to Porto, where we celebrated the fascinating and often unexpected links between Japanese and Portuguese food. We indulged in seafood dinners, Edo-style sushi, port tasting, suckling pig feast and the best of Porto’s street food… before culminating in a show-stopping dinner with chefs Vasco Coelho Santo and Tiago Cardoso da Silva to celebrate the unique union of two culinary powerhouses.
Uncovering the Diverse Cuisine of Marseille
Marseille is one of Europe’s most underrated gastronomic capitals, often overlooked in favour of other French and Italian destinations such as Bologna, Rome, Lyon and Paris. In fact, the city has a rich culinary heritage that takes influence from across the Mediterranean, thanks in part to its coastal location. Fish plays a huge part in Marseilles’ cuisine, with renowned dishes including the humble fisherman’s soup bouillabaisse, chickpea panisse, various shellfish dishes and – perhaps a little surprisingly – pizza.