by Tom Bastek
Last updated: 4:00 AM ET, Tue April 14, 2015
Photo Courtesy of Thinkstock. All Other photos courtesy of their respective locations.
Culinary tourism is making waves around the world, whether it is cooking classes on cruise ships, food based tours around cities in Europe, or "you hook it and we cook it" fishing trips in the Caribbean. Here are a few unique locales featuring locally-sourced food and farm-to-table meals that are allowing tourists to step into the kitchen and make memories while making food.
Cheese - May Fold Farm - Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia
Ross and Rebecca at Many Fold Farm have been farming almost as long as they have been together: since high school. They now have their own farm with over 200 sheep, and 800 chickens. They produce eggs, wool, lamb, and of course, cheese. They also offer classes throughout the year. Whether it's studying and producing washed-rind and camembert-style cheeses or fabrication of yogurt, ricotta, basic cheeses, and jellied milks for your home dairy, there is a class for you. Being only 30 miles southwest of Atlanta means that you can have a great cheese experience and then get some of the best shopping and cooking the South has to offer.
Sausage - Hermann Wurst Haus - Hermann, Missouri
Well you can't have cheese without sausage and here is place to go to make it. The Hermann Wurst Haus is halfway between Jefferson City and St. Louis, and has been around since 2011. They offer periodic sausage-making classes as well as a full deli with eat-in and to-go service. The classes are $50 and cover mixing and grinding techniques, ingredients, types of casings, safe handling, smoking, and cooking times. Plus you get to take home two pounds of sausage that you made yourself. If you stay in Jefferson City, make sure you check out the Museum of Missouri Military History.
BBQ - North Carolina Barbeque Society (NCBS) - North Carolina
Every May, July, and September the NCBS puts on a Barbeque Boot Camp and Certified BBQ Judge Class. The two-day intensive class involves instruction on how to cook whole hogs, shoulders, Boston butts, chicken, ribs, beef brisket, pork tenderloin, beef prime rib, and whole wild fish. You also learn how to make eastern N.C. vinegar-based sauce and Lexington style BBQ dip and rubs along with side dishes such as collards, baked beans, and banana pudding. You also receive judging instructions and by the end of the two day class, you are a NCBS Certified BBQ Judge.
Creole and Cajun - Langlois - New Orleans, Louisiana
Langlois is not your ordinary restaurant. They offer a style of service called interactive dining. Think of it like a live cooking demonstration with the chefs actually preparing your meal right in front of you. Some voluntary participation is offered but you are learning from a distance. If you are looking for more hands-on, they offer classes where you can actually get your hands dirty while learning the fundamentals of Cajun and Creole cuisine, as well as a full range of foundation skills and cooking techniques. Their next class is a two-and-a-half hour intensive class on charcuterie and pickling basics.
So if you like to eat or cook or both, think about taking a cooking class or workshop and make yourself something you can not only enjoy, but with the skills learned show off to your friends as well.
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