Overview

Culinaria has been very careful in selecting destinations in order to offer you gorgeous locations that are off the beaten path and possess great culture and incredible cuisine. Culinaria hand-picks chefs and cooking instructors for their knowledge of local foods, talent, and teaching ability. They also choose hotels, restaurants, wineries, and cultural attractions that are unique, authentic and of excellent quality. You can rest assured that Culinaria visits, tastes, and experiences everything beforehand so that they may offer you the perfect culinary vacation.

In Argentina, Culinaria offers a variety of choices beginning with Buenos Aires, truly a sophisticated European metropolis in America. Whether it is taking in paintings of Frida Kahlo at one of many city museums, indulging in the tango, enjoying coffee and pastry at a corner café, experiencing the opera at the magnificent Teatro Colón, igniting your inner passions at a soccer match, or sampling some of the best beef the world has to offer, you will come to the realization that Buenos Aires is like no other place in the world. It is a seductive place. Each of its neighborhoods is very unique and filled with many cozy restaurants and cafes, intimate details, and individual accents which can give visitors a totally different flavor depending on their location in the city. Culinaria invites you to participate in the Buenos Aires programs where you savor not only the delicious cuisine the city has to offer, but dip into the culture, sinking in it as deep as you wish.

Culinaria's second destination is Mendoza, which lies on the western edge of Argentina at the foot of the Andean mountain range. Mendoza is a beautiful city with many parks and streets lined with huge shade trees that give it a lazy, small town feel. Outside the city limits you can engage in hiking, mountain climbing, rafting, skiing, fishing, hunting and many other outdoor activities. But the main reason why Mendoza is known around the world is its wine. This is wine country. With the stunning Andes as a backdrop, practically all vineyards are postcard material. Early European immigrants introduced wine making in these fertile lands and today there are dozens of bodegas (wineries) each one more gorgeous than the next. From rustic historic sites to architecturally modern facilities, there is something here for everyone. Wine making has seen an enormous resurgence in Argentina in the last 20 years. In the past, most wine production was consumed locally. Today a large percentage of Argentine wines are exported and have gained international recognition for their outstanding quality. Moreover, with great wine comes great food. Many bodegas offer their own incredible cuisine and the restaurant scene around town is simply amazing. The Mendoza program will help you discover this Andean jewel. Be warned, however, once you experience it you may want to quit your job and move here.

Culinaria's third destination is Salta, in the northwestern corner of Argentina. “Salta La Linda” (Salta The Beautiful) as it is sometimes called, is located in the Lerma Valley, surrounded by the Andes. A drive in practically any direction translates into stunning mountain views. In the city the old Spanish architecture is different from much of the rest of the country but perhaps more in tune with the rest of Latin America. To walk thru the city of Salta is practically to step back into Spanish colonial times. The Spanish-style homes, the old street lights, the churches, and the many narrow streets designed for horse and carriage are the norm here. There is also an indigenous atmosphere to the place, adding to its character and permeating the culture. Many indigenous ingredients make their way into local recipes, giving the food here a welcome twist of authentic earthly flavors that are often painfully absent in today’s world of processed foods. Culinaria will also let you in on a little known fact, the climate and soil conditions here make for some of the best wines Argentina has to offer.

Soon Culinaria will be offering culinary vacation packages in other destinations as well. How does fine tropical cuisine sound after taking a dip in warm Caribbean waters? Or would you prefer to travel back in time to explore ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations while enjoying the rich variety of authentic Mexican cooking? In the meantime, go ahead and check out the Argentina programs. The vacation of a lifetime awaits.

   Affiliations

• American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)
• International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA)

   Payments Accepted