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!)

 Day Six – Friday

We started off our last day of culinary adventure in Lesser Poland region with a cooking class at The Culinary Institute in Cracow, located in a small village on the outskirts of Krakow www.culinary.com.pl with Chefs Marek Widomski and Rafal Targosz.  The Culinary Institute in Cracow is a specious facility offering modern, state of the art kitchen appliances and equipment. Anyone visiting Krakow can sign up for a one-day Polish cooking class at The Culinary Institute in Cracow (CIC) and give yourself a break from all the wonderful sightseeing the area offers and an opportunity to learn how to make those famous Polish dishes like: pierogi, bigos – Hunter’s stew, cabbage rolls, borscht etc. Follow this link http://www.polandculinaryvacations.com/day_classes.php or simply click on One-Day Classes tab above on this blog page Smacznego and Happy Polish Cooking!

Cooking class at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Chef Marek Widomski at the Culinary Institute in Cracow, Lesser Poland region.

Chef Rafal Targosz at the Culinary Institute in Cracow, Lesser Poland region.

Polish recipes from the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Making golabki - stuffed cabbage rolls - at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Baking golabki - stuffed cabbage rolls - at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Making mushroom filled uszka for beet borscht.

Cooking beet borscht at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Tasting delicious smoked meats at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Pierogi cooked and served at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

The Culinary Institute in Cracow Polish cooking graduates!

 After our official “Polish cooking graduation” we left very satisfied for Wieliczka Salt Mine tour  www.kopalnia.pl  A virtual underground city, with galleries, lakes, chapels and murals – all carved from salt – Wieliczka Salt Mine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.  A must place to visit on a trip to Krakow and Lesser Poland region!

Wieliczka Salt Mine - a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.

After two hour tour of Wieliczka Salt Mine we headed back to Krakow to finish our sightseeing and shopping.  We had our farewell dinner at Wesele restaurant  www.weselerestauracja.pl Wesele restaurant offers old Polish and Krakow delicacies and specialties and is conveniently located in the heart of Krakow’s Market Square.  If you like simple potato pancakes you must try them at Wesele restaurant. Delicious!

Wesele restaurant - Krakow, Poland.

Delicious potato pancakes at Wesele restaurant in Krakow, Poland.

After dinner we reluctantly said our goodbyes!  On Saturday, some people were leaving for their home country and others extended their stay in Krakow. One could easily stay another week or even two to explore beautiful Krakow and Lesser Poland region.  We invite you to join us in 2010 in Lesser Poland on “Cooking Your Way From Krakow To Zakopane” cooking vacation. Do Widzenia i Smacznego! – See You and Bon Appetit!

 After picking up our guests from their hotels in Krakow on a gorgeous sunny morning and before heading out south to Zakopane we visited the Jewish district of Krakow called Kazimierz.  Later we decided to stop by the Pierogi Festival (Stuffed Dumplings Festival) going on in Maly Rynek in Krakow for a delicious lunch. Pierogi Festival is a real pierogi heaven! The festival takes place every August and is one of the most popular culinary festivals in the Lesser Poland region. We tried: pierogi Ruskie – with potatoes and cheese, with cabbage and mushrooms, with salmon, with spinach… fried, breaded and boiled. And of course we drank Polish beer Zywiec. It’s a great tasting beer especially with pierogi on a hot summer day.  

Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland

Salmon pierogi at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

Besides pierogi, a famous traditional and regional sheep cheese oscypek was also available at the festival.  Oscypki are often served grilled with cranberry sauce. Later in the week during our cooking vacation in Poland we discovered how oscypki are made by highlanders in their mountain huts called bacowki.

Oscypki cheese at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

Oscypki - regional hand-made sheep cheese.

A sign at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

 After enjoying the wonderful food, beer and live concerts at the Pierogi Festival in Krakow we joined our driver, Antoni, whom we later simply called Toni, in his mini bus to begin our short drive to Podhale region and Zakopane.  Zakopane is a beautiful mountain town south of Poland famous for the highlander culture and cuisine. 

Our guests stayed at Villa Marilor in Zakopane, a spectacular  ***** Hotel which was once a small palace and now includes a luxurious spa with swimming pool.  After settling into Villa Marilor we all gathered in the evening  for a festive Welcome Dinner at Villa Marilor restaurant, met the head chef Stanislaw Adamczyk and dined on local specialties.

Welcome dinner at Villa Marilor in Zakopane, Poland.

Stanislaw Adamczyk, Executive Chef for Villa Marilor in Zakopane, Poland.

Oscypki with bacon.

Szarlotka - apple cake - with vanilla ice cream.

We discussed day two of our culinary vacation in Poland during dinner. We headed to village of Rogoznik on Monday to cook with highlander women in their home but more on that in next post. Stay tuned and Smacznego!