Reviews

Food and Wine in Madrid

I just adored Gabriela, and she is a wonderful chef. By the end of our classes together, I felt I had gained a new friend. The tapas tour was a delight. We did traditional tapas and then we visited a molecular tapas bar, which was fantastic. Of course she knew the chef and he came out and talked with us and discussed his art.
–Mary Ann, Santa Fe, January 2010

Cooking in Sevilla

Mila and I LOVED our time with Willy.  He truly is not just an amazing chef but a wonderful human being.  I will remember our time together and consider myself very lucky to have had the experience.  Mila and I will absolutely recommend Epicurean Ways to our friends. Thanks again.
Sheila, California, November 2009

San Sebastián

The three days in San Sebastian with Inaki were great.  He’s a wonderful guide with a good sense of humor, loads of energy, and great knowledge of the area.  The pintxos tour was delicious.  And when we did our own pintxos tour a couple of days later, we realized how important local knowledge is!  We enjoyed the winery visit and lunch in the gastronomic club, too. Thanks for helping us have a wonderful visit to Spain!
–Dan and Lynn, New York, October 2009

Cooking in Bilbao

It was interesting and informative to watch the chef work and be able to ask him questions. He made a sauce we had had a few days before and could not identify. Now we can make it-if we want to deal with salted cod. He also made pisto, the Spanish version of ratatouille. The Spanish, or really the Basque, have a different twist that we will now incorporate when we make the dish.
L.G., North Carolina, April, 2009

Gourmet Catalunya

The trip was a success in every way. The hotel was charming and the class with Vicenç was so much fun! Eating what we had made on the little private terrace made it even more wonderful. We also ate at the restaurant that night and had the special tasting menu, which was decadent and incredibly special. Thank you for everything,
Madeline, Canada, August 2009

Priorat Wine

Absolutley amazing. Your restaurant suggestions really made Barcelona even better. But just when we thought our trip couldn’t get any better, we arrived at Mas Figures. It was like a dream, and if we didn’t take pictures, I probably would not have believed we were really there. Rachel was very very nice. She knew so much about the history of the Priorat, and did such a great job selecting the wineries. We loved Ferrán too. We loved everyone and everything really. I can’t thank you enough.
–Lou, New York, September 2009

Priorat Wine Tour

My visit to the Priorat simply would not have been the same without Epicurean Ways.  They got me into the best wineries. My guide knew just the right restaurants and personally knew the owners.  It was wonderful.  You go a long way to get there.  Why not make the experience truly worth the journey?
–J.B., California, March 2009

Epicurean Roads

Our visit to Spain was truly a trip of a lifetime, special because of the personal touch and expertise provided by Gerry Dawes because of his overall knowledge of Spain and the “Gerry connections.” Our experience of Spain was unconventional from the moment we arrived. We met so many “real” people that shared their businesses, their families, their love of Spain and their generosity with us. They opened their places of business and homes just to accommodate us which undoubtedly made every aspect of our trip memorable.

The food and wine we sampled were out of this world and returning home to reality, we have been unable to duplicate it…
–Anita and Tyler, Newark, Delaware, August 2009

Epicurean Roads

I have taken ten trips to Spain, but the best trip was the one Gerry Dawes orchestrated. His love and knowledge of the foods and wines of Spain are intoxicating. His ever present enthusiasm made my Spanish experiences with him memorable.
—Mark Miller, Chef/owner, Coyote Cafe, Santa Fe

Cooking in Barcelona

The cooking class was fantastic. I also did one in France and the Barcelona one was much better. I would consider doing the three day country one if ever in Spain again.
A.R., Massachusetts, July, 2009