Tasteful adventures

Natural Health, May, 2004

Exotic dining is one of the most delicious extravagances of a far-away vacation--and the fun doesn't have to end when your trip does. Bring home the culinary treasures of your next getaway by taking part in a program that reveals native cooking secrets in small, hands-on classes. Here's just a taste of what's out there:

* The Thai House Cooking School; Nontaburi, Thailand

In an outdoor kitchen, classes of 2 to 10 cook coconut curries, seafood stir-fries and melon soups. Vegetables, spices and herbs are freshly picked from the school's garden, with the school's orchard providing ripe mangos, bananas, papaya and coconuts. $475 for three days, including lodging; thaihouse.co.th.

* Cooking Vacations; Sorrento, Italy

Located in a country farmhouse in the hills of Sorrento, this newly opened school focuses on cooking with locally grown organic herbs and vegetables. The vacation program includes daily classes (limited to 10 students), visits with local food artisans, nightly garden dinners and trips to nearby vineyards. $540 for three days; $1,650 for five nights staying at a four-star villa; cooking-vacations.com.

* Seasons of My Heart Cooking School; Oaxaca, Mexico

Students prepare native dishes in the outdoor kitchen's adobe oven, blending wild plants and herbs, artisan cheeses and foods from local corn and chocolate mills. The program offers trips to local markets and archaeological sites, as well as consultations with on-staff herbalists. $950 for four days, including meals, lodging and the planned activities; seasonsofmyheart.com.

For more information on culinary vacations in the U.S. and abroad, consult ShawGuides' 2004 edition of The Guide to Cooking Schools.