Rural Development & Culinary Travel

Gastronomy travel has the unique ability to support rural businesses, create jobs and protect and promote culture and heritage.

I design and operate our tours collaboratively with local people on the ground, who have deep ties in the communities we visit. I believe this gives my clients the richest, most rewarding travel experiences AND contributes to the strengthening of local cultures and economies. This way, Global Gourmands helps generate revenue for small-scale food producers and artisans, locally-owned restaurants and independent winemakers, all of whom are committed to innovative and environmentally sustainable practices.

And, by focusing on areas off the tourist circuit as well as operating many tours in the low and shoulder seasons when crowds have subsided, we help build economic resilience, contribute to the preservation of local cultural traditions and reduce our environmental impact.

What is culinary travel?

Baking bread in an old windmill, perched on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Lunch at a picnic table on the Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia. Learning about olive oil from an artisan producer at her mill in Crete. Hearing firsthand from a Hungarian winery owner about making wine during Communism. Dining with a family in their home in Lucknow.

With Global Gourmands, inspiring moments like this are only the beginning of your adventure. Because our culinary tours aren’t just about gastronomic pleasures, they are about experiencing a destination like a local then coming home as a global citizen.

Culinary travel is experiential travel, bringing you beyond the tasting room and immersing you in your destination’s culture and flavors, its people and its history. You won’t just sample a region’s specialties, you will learn the secrets of its terroir and discover the traditions, stories and personal connections that you can’t find on TripAdvisor or anywhere else.

Traveling with Global Gourmands is a journey of discovery – of your destination and of yourself. Choose from one of my upcoming tours or contact me at 708-305-7354 to plan your custom adventure!