Ever since I first tried Thai food in Holland, I have been fascinated by this cuisine. There is something about the combination of spices, fresh ingredients and complex curries that make it highly addictive. When deciding on a place to eat, Thai restaurants frequently made my short list.  I even took classes at the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) in New York so that I could feed my addition at home. The classes were taught by a woman who had studied in Thailand. Although I learned some great recipes and technique, none of that would prepare me for the experience of going to Thailand and immersing myself in the food, the smells and the culture.

As I have always loved Eastern foods and spicy flavors I was compelled to visit this country rich with culinary tradition. Lucky for me, I was able to convince my good friend Miryam, who also shares a passion for Thai food, to come along on this journey. Next we needed to find a good culinary school. There are many culinary schools all over Thailand. In fact the Thai culinary schools employ a remarkably large number of people. I received a great recommendation from a friend I met at a different culinary school. He had been to school in Thailand he recommended a wonderful place in central Bangkok. After reading their reviews on TripAdvisor I was convinced that this was indeed the best choice for us, so I went ahead and booked the intensive course.

The day finally arrived when we would embark on our cooking adventure. Miryam thought that as long as we would be in Thailand , we might as well spend a few day down South in Phuket. She took charge of booking some wonderful island tours for us to do as well. It was a nice surprise that in the end turned out to be one of the best adventures of my life. I went to Thailand with only one goal in mind; to learn how to cook authentic Thai food. We arrived in Thailand and went straight to our hotel. The hotel we selected was not glamorous, but it was only a 10 minute walk from the school and included breakfast. They had a wonderful buffet with at least three different main courses, fresh fruit, tropical juices, coffee, and more! If that did not sufficiently satisfy you, there is amazing market with a wide variety of street food just a block away. Like most Thai street foods, they were delicious and quite inexpensive. At the time of our visit, a pad thai cost you two dollars and a beer, 70 cents. What a steal!

A photo of the Silom City Hotel in Bangkok where we stayed. This hotel is conveniently located in the business center of Bangkok near major shopping centers, nightlife, the Bangkok Railway Terminal. The Sky Train (BTS) is also within walking distance.

This food market was located just one block away from the hotel. Check out their menu. You can get a vegetable stir-fry for 50 cents and a bottle of Thai beer for 70 cents! The food is  fresh and delicious. I ate at this market many times and I never got the sense I was eating anything other than food cooked with great care. Thai people tend to be very clean and meticulous when cooking.

After many years or dreaming about this trip, the day I had waited for arrived. This photo was taken on our first day at culinary school. I was so eager to finally get into cooking action!

During our first lesson, we learned about traditional Thai ingredients, how to make curry paste from scratch, and how to make the famous hot and sour prawn soup, (tom yum goong).

Making curry paste from scratch is time consuming work but you won’t get the authentic Thai flavor on your dishes unless you put in the effort!

Chicken Satay (Sa tay Gai), one of my favorites and so easy to prepare.

On the left side Red Curry with Chicken. On the right Red Curry with Prawn. I could live on this food for the rest of my life!

On the left, my adventurous friend and travel companion Miryam, next to her one of our chefs at Silom and me.

During our week long course we got to meet people from all nationalities. We had a blast cracking jokes with them. We couldn’t stop laughing. They were awesome!

Our graduation day came and I was really sad to leave. We got so attached to the staff at this point that it felt like we were saying goodbye to a group of family members.

Lucky for us, we still had a few days left to spare, so we flew to Phuket for the weekend and got to stay at the beautiful and luxurious Banyan Tree!

During our stay at the Banyan Tree, we took a one day cooking class with their resident sous chef Worapong Paenchoo.

These are the dishes we prepared with Chef Worapong. Fried Fish with Sweet Chili Sauce, Yellow Curry with Prawn, and Papaya Salad.

This is Miryam and I on a visit to James Bond Island. Our trip to Thailand was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience that we will treasure forever. If you are planning a trip to Thailand and would like to know about our trip, feel free to visit Miryam’s blog, eatgood4life.com, and check out her travel section. She wrote an amazing III part post about our trip. Peace & Light to you, and thanks for stopping by. Please comeback again as I am planning to continue visiting and sharing with you my culinary experiences around the globe.

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In 2014, I embarked on what was one of the best culinary trips of my life. I went to Tuscany, a famous region in Italy. I have always heard about the food in Tuscany and I wanted to check it out for myself. I started to do some research about cooking schools in Italy and came across a company called Active Gourmet Holidays. There were a lot of options to choose from, so the decision was really hard. After speaking to Jo-Ann at Active Gourmet Holidays, and enquiring about her cooking school vacations in Tuscany, I decided to go with Chef Paolo Monti in Lucca. Chef Paolo runs a restaurant and a culinary school. I bought an all-inclusive package where I would be provided accommodations, meals, cooking lessons as well as some food excursions. Now I had to find a travel companion to join me. After asking a number of friends, my long time friend Fabiana agreed to join me. We flew to Italy in July and we spent the first two days of our trip in Pisa doing some sightseeing. Since we flew into Pisa, we thought we might as well visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The following day, we hopped on a train and went to Lucca to meet our host, Chef Paolo Monti. We arrived in the afternoon, unaware that his expectation was for us to arrive late that evening. Luckily for us, Chef Paolo was at the restaurant. He greeted us with a big smile and allowed us to check in early. He accompanied us to our apartment which was located right above the restaurant and culinary school. Having traveled for several hours were had both grown very hungry. We hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast which consisted of a tiny chocolate croissant and a cappuccino. Chef Paolo said that his restaurant was closed until dinner, but if we wanted something simple to eat, he would whip something up. I was expecting a panino (sandwich), but instead I ended up having one of the best meals of my life. In a matter of 15 minutes, Chef Paolo prepared some homemade fettuccine pasta with homemade tomato sauce and delivered to our apartment with Italian bread and a bottle of white wine. Fettuccine al Pomodoro is a simple dish, but when made properly is truly amazing! I learned how to make this amazing sauce during our stay at his culinary school and will share it with you in a future post.

What an amazing first meal. Fettuccine al Pomodoro. The best pasta I ever had!

The apartments are located upstairs from the restaurant and the cooking school at the rear of the building.

Me having dinner at Chef Paolo’s restaurant. I was having a seafood sampler appetizer. The food at the restaurant and the culinary school was outstanding! We signed up for a one week long intensive course. Below are some of the dishes that we learned to prepare:

Raw beef carpaccio with arugula salad, mushrooms and shaved parmesan cheese.

Hunters style chicken alongside pork tenderloin in a lemon cream sauce.

Panna Cotta with orange marmalade and fresh berries.

Semifreddo al croccantino, (iced mousse with almond crackles and melted chocolate sauce).

During our stay, Chef Paolo took us on excursions to Parma and to Modena where we were able to see how Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto de Parma and the traditional Aceto Balsamic (balsamic vinegar) are produced.

Chef Paolo also took us on a wine tasting trip to the Castello Vicchiomaggio located on the top of a hill overlooking the valley of Greve, in Chianti. So beautiful!

The grounds of Castello Vicchiomaggio are immaculate. The castle, located in Chianti, was converted to a beautiful agriturismo (farmhouse). I would highly recommend this as a place to stay for a few nights. If you go off-season, you will likely enjoy lower rates.

Our delicious lunch on that day. So yummy!

During our return to Lucca, Chef Paolo decided to make a pit stop at the famous Antica Macelleria Cecchini located in Chianti. I was lucky enough to meet the one and only superstar butcher Dario Cecchini who happened to be there on that day. It was lunch time all over again!

The beautiful spread at Mr. Cecchini’s butcher shop. We were well fed and this helped make this one of the most memorable moments of my trip!

Introducing the best culinary arts chef in Tuscany, Chef Paolo Monti alongside my friend and travel companion, Fabiana (left), and me (right). If you would like to take this trip, feel free to contact Chef Paolo at chefpaolo@cucina-italiana.com or for another gourmet travel destination I highly recommend Active Gourmet Holidays. Bon Voyage!

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It is hard to describe in words how special my stay at this culinary school and B&B was back in the summer of  July, 2011. For those of you who are not familiar with, Fontana del Papa is a 16th century restored farmhouse located in Tolfa, about an hour and a half away from Rome. This is where my first culinary school adventure took place.

Assuntina the owner, picked me up at the train station in Civitavecchia, and we made several lovely stops in the town of Tolfa, while she was filling me in on the plans for the upcoming days, before we arrived at Fontana del Papa. I was traveling by myself, and I immediately felt welcome. She treated me like family, although we had never met before.

Turning into the driveway of Fontana del Papa I had to take a gasp. I have never seen something so ancient and so beautiful. The house was absolutely stunning with the dogs running up to greet the car, the rustic Italian style, the ivy-covered patio overlooking the rolling hills and the beautiful nature surrounding the property.

After a most needed rest my culinary adventure began.  I went straight into the kitchen and we started prepping for dinner. The kitchen was warm, and whether a beginner or someone with cooking experience, you come away having learned something.

I learned how to make my favorite Italian dishes and desserts like tiramisu.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

Ragu meat sauce.

Grilled vegetables and other traditional Italian dishes.

After the lesson we sat down with the other students and guests and we enjoyed our food creations.

One of the guests proceeded to entertain us by playing his guitar.

In between cooking we took a break and went to the town of Tolfa, for some sightseeing and shopping at the local markets.

Back at Fontana I took my camera and went for a walk in order to explore the beautiful groundings around the property.

Some of their vegetables and fruit grown on the premises.

A bird house made by hand.

Their own natural spring water fountain which Fontana del Papa was named after.

Fontana del Papa supports the local artists in the community by showcasing their paintings.

My amazing italian hosting family. To my right Assuntina the owner, and to my left her husband Claudio, our wine sommelier. With their staff members Adriana and Matilda, our cook and teacher.

I will never forget my stay at this beautiful farm house, and I hope to comeback again sometime in the near future.

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