Bon Appetit

What's the key to enjoying a fabulous gourmet meal guilt-free? Earn it.

Participants in Canadian Mountain Holiday's Epicurean Adventure with Chef John Ash will have an opportunity to spend multiple days heli-hiking within the dramatic lake and glacier wilderness of the Cariboo Mountain Range, interspersed with breakfast and dinner demonstrations hosted by the chef. Lodging is at the rustic-luxury Valemount Lodge near Banff, where you can soothe your hiking-weary muscles with a sauna session or massage. Named by Food & Wine magazine as one of America's Best New Chefs in 1980, Chef Ash is the former culinary director of Fetzer Vineyards and teaches regularly at prestigious institutions including the Culinary Institute of America. During evening meals, he'll share his expertise in wine pairing. Canadian Mountain Holidays provides all hiking gear, including boots, wind pants, jackets, rain gear, backpacks, and water bottles. The package is available July 26 to August 1, and includes ground transportation to and from Calgary, six nights of accommodations, all meals, three-and-a-half days of guided heli-hiking, and a food and wine-pairing workshop. Cost is $3,863 CDN ($3,475 US). For more information call (800) 661-0252 or visit www.canadianmountainholidays.com.

—D.B.

July/August 2007