- COOK: To prepare menus from house to house to travel all over the world with gourmets
- CUSTOMIZED.Travel to Fez for confessed foodies
The tireless cook and traveler Catalina Brennan , Tasting for friends (Madrid, February 13, 1969), has joined her two great passions, the good table and the passport to the world, in an adventure that anyone can sign up with the desire to discover New flavors and meet other places on par . "In the Traveling Foodies Club there is no predetermined profile, they are people of their father and mother," he explains about his original gastronomic tourism project. The peculiarity is that, given the experience of the chef, trained in the Basque Culinary Center and with influences of the most exotic kitchens, during these trips he organizes personalized meetings with his colleagues by profession, giving privileged access to attendees who otherwise It would not be possible.
The idea arose at the beginning of the year due to two personal circumstances. "I was looking for a group with which to travel and, at the same time, I had found a very changed Madrid and full of gastronomic novelties when returning to the capital, after living in the Canary Islands for a while. I thought that bringing together a great tribe of crazy people by the gastronomy and good times could work in the same way that I had happened to want to travel and try places and have no one to go with because my friends were involved with jobs, their children or simply did not share that foodie interest .. .", remember.
It did not cost him much to find people who did participate in these concerns. "The youngest person who has come on a trip was 25 and the oldest 77. He is a diverse and heterogeneous group that comes from all over Spain and that he usually repeats. They are joined by the desire to know and the response is always grateful because they know that organizing everything takes many efforts and that otherwise they could not do it alone. At least not in this way and with all the comforts, "she says excitedly.
Go for the fourth gastro trip
After four trips, many have become friends. "I know it is hard to sign up for a trip with strangers because you have to share a lot of time together but well, it is a weekend where you find happiness . It will sound cheesy, but from the first moment people are at ease and relax. Now everyone knows each other. " To let them go quickly, their welcome aperitif contributes, which the chef herself prepares, harmonized with a wine selected by her for the occasion.
First it was Fez , to discover the secrets of Moroccan cuisine by the chef Najat Kaanache and his restaurant Nur. Then Valencia, when they cooked rice cookers by expert David Montero (from Ricepaella) and visited Begoña Rodrigo (La Salita) and Quique Dacosta. Last April San Sebastián, in the oldest gastronomic society in Donosti. And now Granada arrives , from October 4 to 6 and for which there are still some places left. "And in November we planned Rías Baixas With Yayo Daporta. The ideal way to find out everything is to sign up for the distribution list."
How experiences are chosen
Brennan selects those restaurants that offer something other than if you went on your own with the intention of always surprising . "The Michelin stars are perhaps more standardized, that's why I dedicate myself to looking for interesting kitchens, that are left rolling ... For example, Xabier Gutiérrez, of Arzak , took us to make the purchase to the market and cooked us in the Gastronomic Society of Donosti, it was spectacular. Begoña Rodrigo , from La Salita , prepared a special menu paired with local wines in a separate reservation from the restaurant. "
They also do workshops to learn how to make those delicious dishes at home. "He really liked that of spice and rice. I like to do original things. In Rías Baixas we are going to do a tasting in a winery with a seafood expert. It is about leaving you feeling that they have contributed something more than a place where you eat well, take good note of their techniques and answer any questions. "
Trips include transfers, accommodation, visits to restaurants in the destination city and personalized meetings with their chefs, the best part. "When a person like Cata spends his whole life innovating and creating projects that make others feel, one can only feel privileged to enjoy it," says Carmen, one of the faithful who has gone to all trips. Mamen heard a podcast on the radio and was interested in the club. "I was confident that a cook would take it. I wanted to make a break and more if it was shared with people who like to eat. I went to Valencia and it was fun to buy your own menu in authentic places like the Central Market. "
Four trips from February to October is a very positive balance for Cata. "The club does not stop growing and now I want to make more international trips . I have in mind Japan and Sicily, and I would love to propose special projects with a soul." How far will the club go traveling with the palate?
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