Entries tagged with “Culinary Vacations”.
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Sun 17 Jan 2010
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Cooking Your Way From Krakow to Zakopane - Poland cooking tour.
Happy 2010 Year! We are looking forward to an exciting year of wonderful cooking and sightseeing in Poland this summer and fall.
For those of you busy planning your 2010 vacations to Europe, we recommend one of our three exciting and “delicious” cooking and sightseeing tours to Poland. We offer the best value in 2010 Poland tours, offering not only great sightseeing but also, off-the-beaten- path, hands-on and demonstration-style cooking classes in Polish villages and cities all at affordable rates.
When you book our August 15, 2010 “Cooking Your Way From Krakow to Zakopane” tour, you’ll be joining us at one of Krakow’s best culinary festivals – The Pierogi Festival. We highly recommend this particular tour, especially if you love, pierogi, like we do!
Cooking Your Way From Krakow to Zakopane - Poland cooking tour.
“A Taste of Poland in Mazovia and Warsaw” tour is a perfect way to experience the Mazovian regional cuisine and traditions in depth. And since it’s Frederic Chopin’s 200th birthday anniversary, we’ll attend musical concerts devoted to this beloved Polish pianist. Warsaw’s fine dining and cooking classes with some of Poland’s most talented chefs will for sure make this tour one to remember for a lifetime.
If you want to explore the best-kept secret in Poland travel – the Lower Silesia region in southwestern Poland, join us on “The Flavors of Lower Silesia” tour. Lower Silesia’s capital, Wroclaw, offers beautiful sightseeing and dining.
The Flavors of Lower Silesia - Poland cooking tour.
Our one-day Polish cooking classes offered in collaboration with The Culinary Institute in Cracow are for those who don’t have time for our week-long tours. Learn to cook your favorite Polish dished with Chef Marek Widomski and other Krakow’s famous chefs!
Please give us a call today and learn more about our authentic Polish vacation offers! Let us help you make your Poland vacation plans, we’ll be happy to answer any questions and provide best recommendations. Our goal is to ensure that you have a fantastic time in Poland and want to come back!
Szczesliwej Podrozy i Smacznego!
(Happy Travels & Bon Appetit!)
Tags: cooking classes, cooking in Poland, cooking tours, cooking vacation, cooking vacations, culinary institute in Cracow, Culinary Vacations, food tours, Krakow, Krakow tours, Krakow travel, Mazovia, One-day cooking classes, pierogi, Poland tours, Poland travel, Poland vacation, Polish cooking, Polish food, Warsaw, Zakopane
Sat 21 Nov 2009
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Sign up for communications from Poland Culinary Vacations
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Miss an issue of our newsletter? Here’s an archive of past Poland Culinary Vacations Newsletters we’ve sent…
Poland Culinary Vacations E-Newsletter, May 2010
Poland Culinary Vacations E-Newsletter, April 2010
Poland Culinary Vacations E-Newsletter, November 2009
Poland Culinary Vacations E-Newsletter, August 2009
Poland Culinary Vacations E-Newsletter, April, 2009
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Tags: cooking tours, cooking vacations, Cracow, culinary tours, Culinary Vacations, Krakow, Krakow tours, Kurpie, Lower Silesia, Mazovia, Poland tours, Poland travel, Polish food, Warsaw, Wroclaw
Mon 5 Oct 2009
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We’ve met amazing people on our cooking vacations in Poland and they’ve shared with us some wonderful memories and thoughts inspired by their Poland Culinary Vacations. Here are some of our favorites:
“I can’t speak highly enough about my tour to Krakow and Zakopane with Poland Culinary Vacations. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken! Malgorzata ‘Sarna’ Rose runs a first-class operation. I am not a fan of large tour groups so this tour with its small number of participants and its flexibility really appealed to me. Our time was divided between cooking, sightseeing and, of course, lots of good eating. Because I’m of Polish descent the tour took me back to my “roots”. The hotels and restaurants chosen for us were excellent. My fondest memories are of the cooking sessions with village women in their kitchens. They were so welcoming and eager to share their recipes with us. After enjoying the lunch we had prepared together we were treated to singing by the women.” – Nancy J., Springfield, VA
“Want to say it has been a wonderful trip! I especially enjoyed the countryside, towns and shopping was good, too.” – Kris A., Great Falls, MT
“If I had to pick a highlight I couldn’t, I’d pick three. The three mornings we spent cooking with the country housewives were great. From the food to the nalewki it was great. There was plenty of wonderful food – especially borscht and croquettes. But, the highlight was being in those kitchens, working as a group, then sitting down to a great lunch you had a hand in making. If you’re lucky there will be singing – and you will probably be lucky.” - Jim B., Minneapolis, MN
“I recently spent a wonderful week in Lower Silesia, Poland, participating in a culinary tour. Our accommodations were great staying part of the time in a 16th century castle! How often can you say that, lol. It was a beautiful place to stay in the countryside of Poland. We spent part of our time in the country visiting some of the villages and participating in the hands on cooking with the village ladies. These wonderful women cooked and sang for us sharing their cooking knowledge. We made pierogi, golabki, and red beetroot borscht among the many dishes they shared with us. Our week was busy with touring as well as cooking. We got to experience the Polish culture and history of the area. We ate in fine restaurants, eating the tasty Polish cuisine. Being third generation Polish I found it a very emotional trip. My Grandmother had grown up near the area I was touring and I felt a part of the country. My thanks goes out to all who accommodated us, especially Sarna, the President of the Poland Culinary Vacations, Inc.” - Barbara M., Great Falls, MT
Thu 1 Oct 2009
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A few fun pictures from our 2009 cooking vacations to Poland.
Thanks to all who traveled with us to Poland in 2009 on our fun-filled and “delicious” culinary vacations! Hope to see you again soon and don’t forget to tell your family and friends about joining us in 2010!
Enjoying Welcome Dinner at Villa Marilor Palace/Hotel in Zakopane, Poland.
Cooking in Rogoznik village, Lesser Poland region.
Making pierogi in Lopuszna village with Maria.
With our hosts in Lopuszna village, Lesser Poland region.
Cooking in Gronkow village, Lesser Poland region.
Enjoying dessert in Gronkow village, Lesser Poland region.
After Polish cooking class at the Culinary Institute in Cracow, Lesser Poland region.
At Harvest Festival in Klodzko, Lower Silesia region of Poland.
Making golabki - stuffed cabbage rolls - in Oldrzychowice village, Lower Silesia region.
Busy making pierogi in Jaszkowa Gorna village in Lower Silesia region.
Enjoying an outdoor dinner at Castle on the Rock Hotel in Trzebieszowice, Lower Silesia region.
Posing with our hosts in Krosnowice village in Lower Silesia region.
Making Bronia's yeast dough pierogi in Harklowa village in Lesser Poland region.
Shopping at an outdoor market in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Busy cooking and having fun in Nowa Biala village, Lesser Poland region.
Making golabki - stuffed cabbage rolls - in Nowa Biala village, Lesser Poland region.
Posing with our hosts in Nowa Biala village, Lesser Poland region.
Thu 1 Oct 2009
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Pictures from our September 2008 cooking vacation to Lower Silesia region of Poland.
Thanks to those of you who traveled with us to Poland in 2008 on our fun-filled and “delicious” culinary vacation! Hope to see you again soon and don’t forget to tell your family and friends about joining us in 2009!
Making mushroom filled croquettes in Krosnowice village, Lower Silesia region of Poland.
Making pierogi in Jaszkowa Gorna village, Lower Silesia region of Poland.
Busy cooking in Jaszkowa Gorna village, Lower Silesia region of Poland.
Thu 1 Oct 2009
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Poland Culinary Vacations participated at EAT!Vancouver – The Everything Food + Cooking Festival in May 2008
Thanks to all who stopped by our booth at EAT! Vancouver www.eat-vancouver.com and plan to join us on our exciting cooking adventures in Poland! We look forward to cooking and traveling with you in Poland!
With 'BBQ' Naz Cavallaro, Grilling Expert/Spokesperson Weber-Stephen Products Co. in Vancouver, Canada.
At EAT!Vancouver Festival promoting Poland Culinary Vacations.
With Charlie at EAT!Vancouver Festival promoting Poland Culinary Vacations.
Tue 15 Sep 2009
Day Five – Thursday
We left Zakopane and Podhale region early Thursday morning and headed back to Krakow. On the way we stopped in town of Nowy Targ and did some shopping at the Nowy Targ open market which is very popular among the locals and neighboring Slovakians.
Highlander in Nowy Targ, Lesser Poland region.
Market in Nowy Targ, Lesser Poland region.
Fresh cucumbers at Nowy Targ Market, Lesser Poland region.
Sunflowers at Nowy Targ Market in Lesser Poland region.
Once back in Krakow and had a delicious pierogi lunch at Pod Aniolami restaurant http://www.podaniolami.pl/ before heading up to Wawel Royal Castle. Pod Aniolami is located in a 13th century building at the Royal Route, leading from the Wawel Castle to the Main Market Square.
Fried pierogi served with cranberries in Krakow, Poland.
Wawel Royal Castle was home to three dynasties of Poland’s monarchs. We also visited Wawel Cathedral where many Polish kings and their family members are buried.
Hiking up to Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.
Touring Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.
We had a delicious dinner at
Ancora restaurant
http://www.ancora-restaurant.com/_pl/ Offering modern Polish cuisine Ancora is the creation of
chef Adam Chrzastowski. Recommended by Michelin Guide in 2008 and 2009. A must restaurant to visit while in Krakow, Poland.
Delicious food at Ancora restaurant in Krakow, Poland.
After dinner guests checked into
Turowka Hotel www.turowka.pl near Wieliczka Salt Mine, their home for next two nights. Turowak is a **** Hotel and the building of the hotel dates back to 1811. It’s an exceptional place to stay while exploring Lesser Poland region because of the relaxing atmosphere, great food and luxurious spa facility.
On Friday morning we headed to The Culinary Institute in Cracow for a Polish cooking class with chefs Marek Widomski and Rafal Targosz. Stay tuned and Smacznego!
Thu 3 Sep 2009
Day Four – Wednesday
Wednesday was our third and last cooking class with Podhale region women. We headed to Gronkow village and again after brief introductions got right into cooking.
Cooking with women from Gronkow village in Lesser Poland region.
Making kluski scynane - potato noodles.
Nell showing cooked potato noodles.
Cooking and having a great time.
It was a beautiful, sunny day so again we decided to have our lunch in the outside garden. We set up a small table and covered it with white, hand-made table cloth. It looked festive and inviting!
Setting up our table for lunch in the garden.
We had delicious soup made with fresh Boston lettuce, potatoes, potato noodles, beans with mushrooms, drank herb tea and home-made nalewki – fruit cordials.
Enjoying delicious lunch with women from Gronkow village in Lesser Poland.
Enjoying great regional cuisine and conversation in Gronkow village, Lesser Poland.
Kolacz – the sweet cheese filled coffee cake we made earlier was ready for us as we were finishing our lunch. It looked beautiful and tasted sooooo good! Fabulous!
Beautiful, freshly baked kolacz - a yeast-raised, sweet cheese filled cake.
Kolacz - sweet cheese filled coffee cake.
Having a delicious lunch in Gronkow village garden with out hosts.
After dessert, tea, coffee and listening to Gronkow women singing for us we said our Goodbyes! It was a lovely time in Gronkow and the food and hospitality of Gronkow women will always remain in our memory.
Our guests wanted to spend more time at the beautiful and relaxing Villa Marilor
www.hotelmarilor.com so after cooking class we returned to the hotel. Villa Marilor is a 5-star hotel which was once a small palace and is a historical and an architectural monument.
Villa Marior Palace/*****Hotel in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Villa Marilor Palace/Hotel in Zakopane, Lesser Poland at night.
Blue room at Villa Marilor Palace/Hotel in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
A bathroom at Villa Marilor Palace/Hotel in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Swimming pool at Villa Marilor Palace/Hotel in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Sauna at Villa Marilor Palace/Hotel Spa in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
For dinner we headed to Karczma Czarci Jar in Zakopane
www.czarcijar.pl . Karczma Czarci Jar offers delicious regional cuisine and great atmosphere in a quiet neighborhood of Zakopane.
Karczma Czarci Jar - a regional restaurant in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Preparing food at Karczma Czarci Jar in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Musicians in regional costumes at Karczma Czarci Jar in Zakopane, Lesser Poland.
On Thursday morning we left Zakopane and slowly made our way back to Krakow and Wieliczka to begin the urban portion of cooking vacation in Lesser Poland. Stay tuned and Smacznego!
Mon 31 Aug 2009
Day Three – Tuesday
On Tuesday morning we met at Maria’s house in Lopuszna village and got right into cooking! Maria, as I previously wrote, is 82 years old but has the energy and enthusiasm for life of a 25 year old! She and other women were excited about cooking with us and sharing their favorite recipes. So were we! Their hospitality, humor, story telling and singing made the whole culinary experience even more enjoyable! We will never forget the wonderful time we spent in Lopuszna!
With Maria in her home in Lopuszna village, Poland.
Ken rolling out the dough for pierogi with blueberries.
Cooking with Maria in her country home.
No matter what region of Poland you visit, pierogi will always take the center stage, although there are hundreds of other region specific recipes cooked in family kitchens. Because of the late summer season and availability of fruits such as blueberries, resberries and plums pierogi are made with those fruits and often eaten as dessert lightly sprinkled with sugar or sour cream with a touch of vanilla extract. We made pierogi with blueberries and those turned out just right! Delicious!
Pierogi are ready to be boiled.
Poles eat lots of vegetable salads mixed with various cheeses or plain. Those vegetables are often grated and mixed with herbs such as parsley, dill and chives. Here, Ken is grating eggs for a regional egg, vegetable and cheese side salad.
Ken busy grating eggs for an egg and cheese salad.
Everyone makes moskole, a variation of potato pancakes in Podhale- a subregion of Lesser Poland where highlander cuisine and culture dominate. Moskole are simply made with potatoes - locally called grule - flour, an egg, salt and pepper.
Nell cutting out moskole, regional potato pancakes as Maria looks on.
Ken making sure moskole are cooked just right.
After all that cooking we decided to have our lunch outside in Maria’s garden since the weather has been gorgeous. We ate moskole, with warm beans and cabbage side dish, drank home made nalewki and talked with the women about their life in Lopuszana. We also took lots of photos with them in their traditional costumes which are truly beautiful!
Time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Barbara wearing regional scarf with Jozefa, Maria and Danusia.
Ken posing with Maria.
Delicious, home made desserts are often served after each meal in Poland with tea or coffee. Danusia often bakes for weddings and she brought the drunkard tort to share with us for dessert. Again, fabulous!
Delicious drunkard tort made by Danusia.
After our cooking with Lopuszna village women we headed out to Debno Podhalanskie to tour the St. Michael the Archangel Church, which dates back to 15th century and is listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The interior is a masterpiece of decoration with the so-called stencilled paintings reminiscent of fabrics which were painted in tempera and are truly world unique.
St. Michael the Archangel's Church in Debno Podhalanskie, Lesser Poland.
On our way back to Zakopane we also made a stop by bacowka, a highlander mountain hut, to learn how hand-made oscypek – a traditional smoked sheep cheese- is made. The process is very interesting and time consuming. While in Podhale we also tasted the traditional sheep milk cheese called bryndza. The locals also drink zentyca – which is simply fermented sheep milk.
In bacowka, highlander hut learning about oscypek cheese production process.
Soaking oscypki cheese.
Oscypki cheese before smoking process.
Oscypki before the smoking process.
Freshly smoked oscypki cheese.
Oscypek cheese - the finished product.
Posing in front of bacowka.
We continued our drive to Zakopane through Chocholow village, a Podhale village with the best preserved complex of wooden architecture and on the official Wooden Architecture Route of Lesser Poland region.
A house in Chocholow village on the Wooden Architecture Route in Lesser Poland region.
Houses in Chocholow village on Wooden Architecture Route in Lesser Poland region.
Artist at work in Chocholow village in Lesser Poland.
After finally arriving to Zakopane in the evening, we strolled through the open market there and took a tram to the top of Gubalowka hill from which we enjoyed spectacular views of Zakopane and surrounding mountain ranges. We decided to have dinner on Gubalowka hill at Dominium restaurant which offers pizza and traditional regional dishes, many from the grill, which is what we had. It was a perfect place to unwind, drink cold Zywiec beer and talk about our favorite places and restaurants we visited during our world travels.
Outdoor market in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Selling honey at outdoor market in Zakopane, Lesser Poland region.
Grilled lamb with vegetables.
On Wednesday we headed to Gronkow village for our last cooking experience in Podhale. Stay tuned and Smacznego!
Fri 28 Aug 2009
Day Two – Monday
On Monday morning after breakfast we headed out to our first cooking class with women in the village of Rogoznik. The drive from Zakopane to Rogoznik took us through beautiful countryside, we passed several villages on the way, saw many animals: storks among them (which fly to Poland from northern Africa every summer to breed) cows, horses, sheep, goats, roosters and chickens.
Barbara with women from Rogoznik village in Lesser Poland.
Getting ready for a cooking class in Rogoznik village.
First, the women showed us how to make cranberry sauce with horseradish and some vodka and served it with oscypek cheese, the regional sheep cheese, as an appetizer. The cheese was delicious, so fresh and went perfectly with the cranberry/horseradish/vodka sauce.
Oscypek with cranberry/horseradish/vodka sauce.
We tried home made bread, and watched as the Polish women finished cooking regional cabbage soup called kwasnica. This was the best kwasnica I’ve ever had! The smoked bacon it was cooked with gave it the perfect flavor.
Home made bread.
Kwasnica, cabbage soup.
Besides tasting all the wonderful food and drinking home made nalewki, home made fruit and herb cordials, we also had a chance to admire and try on regional costumes which the local men and women wear on special occasions.
Nell wearing regional costume. Looking like a real Podhalanka!
Later we stepped outside and took a short walk to our host’s fruit and vegetable garden right in the back of their house. Fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables are used in their daily cooking where the distance from the field to table is truly only a few yards away!
Enjoying Polish countryside.
Stacks of beans drying out in the sun.
When we returned to the house, topielec, a poppy seed roll, was waiting for us. Fresh from the oven, warm and moist, best poppy seed roll some of us ever tasted. Delicious! We all wanted the recipe and the women shared it with us!
Delicious topielec - poppy seed roll.
Before we left the wonderful women from Rogoznik, we took some time to talk with them about their cooking, farming and life in the countryside in general.
Time for rest and conversation with women from Rogoznik village.
We also had live band playing for us and the women sang and danced to their favorite songs as we said – Goodbye!
Since the weather was gorgeous in the afternoon, we decided to drive to Sromowce for rafting on the Dunajec River Gorge. During rafting we enjoyed excellent views of the Pieniny Mountains and our flisak – men in charge of the raft – who loved to tell Slovak jokes as the trip goes along the Polish-Slovak border.
Rafting on Dunajec River Gorge.
For dinner we visited Bakowo Zohylina reginal restaurant in Zakopane http://www.wyznio.zohylina.pl offering great food and live music every evening, which we really enjoyed!
Dinner at Bakowo Zohylina in Zakopane, Poland.
Delicious trout from Bakowo Zohylina restaurant in Zakopane.
What a great and adventurous day! On day three we headed to Lopuszna village to cook with Maria, who is 82 years old and her friends. Stay tuned and Smacznego!
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