America’s food frenzy is turning spa chefs into culinary stars. Cooking classes have become as common as kickboxing at many health resorts. And some spas even offer demonstration kitchens where you can cook with the chef.
La Cocina Que Canta Sings at Rancho La Puerta
The first-ever spa cooking school opens this spring at Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. Built amidst an organic farm and directed by Jesus Gonzalez, La Cocina Que Canta literally means you’ll sing for your supper. “We’ll work with ingredients from the soil to the table,” says Chef Gonzalez. International culinary educator, Toni Allegra, promises a new take on traditional Mexican food. Schedules and registration fee for four-day sessions will be online. Rancho la Puerta was founded 66 years ago by Deborah Szekely as an oasis of health and the opening of the culinary arts center marks Szekely’s 85th birthday. For more information call (858) 764-5500 or visit www.rancholapuerta.com
The Lodge at Woodloch’s High-Tech Culinary Classes
Pennsylvania woodland views bring nature into the kitchen as Executive Chef Lyle Bolyard hosts guests at his state-of-the-art Viking range. Equipped with overhead video cameras and a plasma TV screen, the glass-walled kitchen doubles as a private dining room. So you can study and cook, then enjoy a meal with eight classmates and friends. And the hour-long class is free with your stay.
After sampling the cuisine at Tree, the Lodge at Woodloch’s signature restaurant, you’ll want to take the recipes home with you – and fortunately many of them are available. The Lodge at Woodloch offers cooking class several times a week. Chef Bolyard begins each session with a brief overview of the organic, Slow Food approach to dining at Tree. For more information call (570) 675-8610 or visit www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com
Taste Thai at Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Start your day at the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai cooking school by shopping at the farmer’s market. The traditional central market of Chiang Mai is a classroom for Chef Pitak Srichan, who selects exotic produce for both the resort restaurant and his cooking classes. Six mornings per week (with no class on Sunday), you can join the market tour or visit the resort’s organic farm. Class meets in an open-air pavilion built expressly for this unique introduction to Thai cuisine. Chef Srichan deftly demonstrates each item on the menu, commenting on selection of tools as well as ingredients. Then it’s your turn to don professional gear and work at fully equipped gas stoves. Having several assistants helps, and there’s no cleanup. But when I got overly confident about using the wok, part of my lunch went flying into the garden.
Surrounded by rice paddies where farmers work with oxen, the Four Seasons Resort bridges the ancient Lanna culture and the latest in Thai taste. The Cooking School fee is $150 per person plus tax/service. For more information call (800) 819-5053 or visit www.fourseasons.com
Cruise and Cook with Holland America
With its entire fleet of 13 ships now featuring a Greenhouse Spa as well as a new Culinary Arts Center, the Holland America Line is reinventing wellness cuisine. For $29 you can join up to 12 cooks preparing the day’s menu. There are 14 menu themes from which a chef may draw, from Rustic French to Well-Being. This gives the chef flexibility to utilize regional menus based on the destinations of the cruise. For more information call (877) 724-5425 or visit www.hollandamerica.com
Vermont Shape-ups with Jimmy LeSage New Life Cooking
Two vacations rolled into one – hiking and cooking – was the original concept for the New Life program created by fitness guru Jimmy LeSage in the 1980s. A former professional chef, LeSage and his wife operate from the Inn of the Six Mountains in Killington, Vermont. When not leading hikes, LeSage cooks and shares his philosophy of energizing meals. This spring, they are adding a working kitchen where eight guests gain hands-on experience. Cost of an hour-long session is $65, scheduled May 18 through September 31. For more information call (866) 298-5433 or visit www.nlhs.com
Go Mexican at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess with Jane Butel
One of America’s foremost authorities on Mexican cuisine, Jane Butel will team with Reed Groban, executive chef at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, for culinary weekends in Arizona, Jan. 19 – 21 and March 23 – 25.
Two six-hour cooking sessions led by Butel get you into the action. The $1,650 weekend packages, which are limited to 15 participants, include lunches created during the sessions, cookbooks, your personal apron and diploma, and luxurious accommodations. On the menu: Mexican specialties such as Chiles en Nogada (a delicious chile relleno with walnut sauce), Oaxacan moles, regional tamales, and Tres Leches Cake. Jane Butel’s Southwestern Cooking School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been acclaimed as one of the “Best Vacation Cooking Schools in the World.” For more information call (800) 344-4758 or visit www.fairmont.com/scottsdale.
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