Foodies and Culinary Travel

It’s not enough just to be a food lover. A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger. Foodies may take pleasure in knowing the latest food trends, following restaurant openings, watching the Cooking Channel or Food Network, and visiting wineries and breweries to participate in tastings.

One big aspect of being a foodie is a passion for Culinary Tourism, which gives a traveler a chance to explore a destination’s local food trends through immersive experiences like cooking, food sampling, meeting with chefs, and specialty dining experiences.

Legacy Travel Designs is a Member of the Virtuoso Culinary Community

Our partners around the world have a passion for epicurean travel featuring culinary experiences that are immersive, interactive, and educational.

From popping bottles in a Champagne cave to foraging through the countryside with an award-winning chef, our partner hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, and on-sites take culinary travel way beyond the dinner table.

Spotlight on Fridheimar Tomato Farm

On our recent trip to Iceland with one of our top Virtuoso suppliers, my family made a stop at this unique tomato farm. You wouldn’t expect Iceland to be at the top of the world’s list of producing the juiciest tomatoes, but this family-run farm uses geothermal energy to heat and light the plants all year long. A volcanic growing medium is used in place of soil, and 600 bumble bees imported from Holland take care of pollination. We sampled their renowned tomato soup and unusual, but delicious, trio of desserts: tomato ice cream, tomato cheesecake and tomato apple pie. This place was a wonder!

Our Dream Team of Culinary Specialists

Our global partners are ready to sate travelers with novel experiences that give them a taste of their surroundings. Travelers looking to go beyond restaurants and food markets are seeking out opportunities to visit locals’ homes, cooking alongside them and even sitting down at their dining room tables to enjoy the fruits of their shared kitchen labor. Not only do these in-home cooking and dining experiences offer a true taste of traditional local life, but they provide income for host families who participate too. We can use our connections to arrange these private, one-of-a-kind experiences.

Not only do people want to know where their food comes from, some even want to have a hand in harvesting, gathering, and sourcing the ingredients used to prepare it. Many hotels and tour companies offer experiences that will find you picking grapes in a vineyard alongside winemakers or planting crops in the company of local growers. These encounters allow food-curious adventurers to learn not only about specific ingredients and dishes, but about the local economy and environment too.

Where Will Your Next Culinary Extravaganza Be?