Sunday, June 7, 2009

Olive Oil in Tuscany - An Epicurean Discovery

Exciting news!! The Scrumptious Pantry has teamed up with tour operator and travel agency Callisto Tours and Willett Travel to give you – our customers – the unique opportunity to visit Tuscany with a small group of fellow food lovers, meet the big family of producers behind The Scrumptious Pantry and take an in-depth look into the beautiful and tasty food world of Italy.

So excite your tastebuds by embarking on an epicurean olive oil experience this November! Tuscany is the perfect location to taste the world of olive oil and enjoy beautiful scenery and historic capitals such as Florence, Lucca and Siena.

We will be learning all about olives and their cultivation, the production of olive oil, how to use it in the kitchen and how to choose the right variety to match with which food. We will be tasting mono variety oils and classic blends in the Chianti Classico, visiting Cosimo (producer of olive oil for The Scrumptious Pantry) and joining the olive harvest in the hills of San Miniato (where we will take advantage of the white truffle season). We will learn about different extraction methods by visiting farmers and oil mills in the mountainous region around Lucca and finally taste the difference the sea makes at the coast of the Maremma, prized for its enormous wines such as Sassicaia and Ornellaia.

You will meet food artisans producing olive oil and wine, pasta and white truffles, chocolate and sweet delicacies, sun dried-tomato spreads and tomato jam.
You will discuss different farming methods, production techniques and ask every question that you always wanted to ask an Italian food artisan about his craft.
You will eat well, joining family style lunches with our food artisans, discover hidden wine bars and typical osterie, and celebrate happiness at a closing dinner with white truffles (hunted by ourselves) in a historic Bonaparte villa.
You will make new friends in Tuscany, being welcomed by our family of producers into our Scrumptious Pantry family.

For further info and booking please contact our travel partner:
Callisto Tours in association with Willett Travel
11365 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 100, Studio City, CA 91604
Phone 818.508.7619 or 800.994.5538
Pamela Abraham at PamelaA@WillettTravel.com
Or go to: www.WillettTravel.com/grouptravel.html
(CST# 2002558-10)