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Any more, culinary travel does not necessarily preclude a hands-on experience. More and more hotels are enriching their guests' experiences by designing state-of-the-art accommodations to utilize their cooking skills.
Which means it is time to heat up the kitchen, roll up your sleeves and get down and dirty while working with prominent chefs who are more than willing to provide knowledge, guidance and scrumptious recipes.
The next time you make a reservation in these any of these hotels check out their cooking schools which aim to take their guests on a culinary journey through world-class delicacies.
Jekyll Island Club Hotel: Jekyll Island, Georgia
Add a little flavor to your vacation with a cooking class at Jekyll Island Club Hotel. With the help of culinary masters, you'll experience excellent levels of service draped in aromas of good ol southern cooking.
Not only will you add a dash of this and a little bit of that, the resort's cooking school package also comes complete with your very own chef's hat and jacket to make you really feel like you are an expert; patisserie lessons; complimentary breakfast buffet as well as a farewell dinner to toast to your new skills; winetasting Mondays; and a photo with a chef to hang in your kitchen as inspiration.
From August 24-28, put your money where your mouth is and head to Jekyll Island Club Hotel's Crane Cottage for lavish accommodations and the chance to compliment the chef.
The Biltmore Hotel: Miami, Florida
In the Biltmore Hotel, opulence is exuded throughout its entire property. From world-class spa facilities and championship golf courses to sophisticated venue spaces, its guests do not need to look elsewhere to have their needs meet.
The hotel also exceeds customer expectations with the prestigious Culinary Academy: kitchen areas where amateur and veteran cooks can roll up their sleeves and get down and dirty.
Under the instruction of the Biltmore Hotel's experienced chefs, children or adults can take part in a number of gastronomic activities like cooking buddies and kids camps for junior chefs as well as private lessons and regular classes tailored to a more mature audience.
For the passionate chef, the Culinary Academy is geared to kick their butts with boot camp courses, allowing its students to perfect their craft using different flavors and techniques.
Zero George Street Boutique Hotel: Charleston, South Carolina
Guests will have the pleasure of mixing some spice to their stay in this boutique hotel's renowned cooking school with the Create + Savor Cooking Class Package.
Join Chef Randy 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings and 11 a.m. Saturday mornings for an insightful preparation of Low-country specialties.
The class is also paired luxuriously with wine and a three-course meal, in addition to a $100 gift certificate to the restaurants Fig or Macintosh.
With a lesson with one of Charleston's finest culinary masters within the elegant spaces of Zero George Street, you will see why this cooking school has quick strides to becoming one of FOOD + WINE's choices for "best new cooking classes in the world."
Boar's Head Inn: Charlottesville, VA
Boar's Head Inn transforms an ordinary stay into an extravagant experience with a world-class sports club, golfing facilities, gourmet restaurants, soothing spa treatments, and an epicurean staff dedicated to introducing visitors to a new world dominated in delicious foods.
For about two hours its spacious kitchen will be your new classroom, where there is no pen and paper but an abundance of pots, pans, mixing spoons, blenders and knives, allowing you to cultivate your very own style, taste and recipes.
Put your thinking cap, or in this case your chef's hat, to good use as you and your team strategize to create new styles and flavors while competing with others in the "Culinary Challenge".
Not only will you be inspired to utilize your new skills but have fun in the process.
Cavallo Point Lodge: Sausalito, California
The Cavallo Point Lodge has substantially made its imprint on the gourmet map, especially with the state-of-the-art 1200 square foot working kitchen used to design its imaginative cuisine.
You can be a part of the resort's innovative programs to dish it up with treats like coconut candy, spicy Italian sausages and kale Caesar salad.
In the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, you'll be surrounded by history and beauty as Cavallo Point Lodge chefs challenge your cooking abilities and provide plenty of space to get in elbow deep.
Mansion on Forsyth Park: Savannah, Georgia
You don't need to be on "Iron Chefs" to experience an adrenaline-pumping hands-on cooking experience.
The AAA Four-Diamond Victorian-style property takes Southern hospitality up a notch in its 700 Kitchen Cooking School where the inexperienced and connoisseur put on their aprons and chef's hats and begin peeling, dicing, and spicing in preparing mouthwatering Southern favorites like shrimp and grits and homemade biscuits.
Voted by TripAdvisor time and time again as Savannah's must-visit attraction, The Mansion gives you a chance to compliment the chef and give yourself a pat on the back all at the same time.
Depot Hotel: Sonoma, California
At the Depot Hotel's Scuola Rustica cooking school, not only will you become a part of a growing tradition starting in the late '80s, but feel right at home under the charismatic atmosphere of the Sonoma region.
Whether a large party or intimate setting, get ready to spice up your life with a tour of Europe, Regional America, Greece and Morocco by exploring the rich ingredients, techniques and unique styles that make their staple dishes a cultural phenomenon.
For $90, your gastronomic experiences come complete with four-course dinner, bottle service and take-home recipes.
Ballantyne Hotel: Charlotte, North Carolina
On your mark, Get set, GO!
The Ballantyne Hotel offers a gastronomic experience like no other.
Its working kitchen areas give visitors the opportunity to showcase their talents in heart-palpitating races like chili cook-offs, dessert and coffee demonstrations, restaurant challenges and much more.
Put your taste buds, expertise and special ingredients to the test in a short space of time to produce a jaw-dropping, mouth-watering, sweet-smelling meal so extraordinary, you and your team will have your competition salivating at your feet.
By working with renowned chefs and high-tech kitchenware you may have the power to be the grand winner; "Top Chef" look out!
The White Barn Inn: Kennebunkport, Maine
The White Barn Inn lets you works side by side with Chef Cartwright or Chef Bissonette privately while they and their epicurean team bring your culinary fantasies to life.
Do well enough and your delicious creations could even wind up on the restaurants tables that night, making you an expert in your own right.
And if anyone doubts your credentials as a wiz in a kitchen, you'll be given a memento in the form of a white apron to prove your mettle.
Harrah's Resort: Atlantic City, New Jersey
Harrah's Resort is known for its fast-paced casino lifestyle, but did you know it offers an escape from those bright lights with a cooking school?
The Viking Cooking School neatly tucked in the resort allows single guests, lovebirds and groups of friends to play with modern kitchenware while creating gourmet specialties from the heart.
It also offers a store bursting at the seams where guests can then browse or purchase Viking's contemporary cooking supplies.
With an alcoholic beverage of your choice in hand, you'll have a grand old time learning how new tricks from some of the best chefs.
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