A Feast for All the Senses: Serious Fun in Spain for Vacationing Writers and Cooking Enthusiasts.

British journalist and New York chef will teach food & travel writing and Sephardic cooking classes side by side in a Pyrenean mountain village, July 14-18.

Barcelona, Spain (PRWEB) June 7, 2006 - Alison Fleming and Janet Amateau will again offer writers and cooking enthusiasts an opportunity to learn, side by side, the finer points of food & travel writing and the pleasures of Sephardic (Judeo-Spanish) food at Casa Mauri, a beautiful, stone farmhouse in the foothills of the Catalan Pyrenees with creature comforts and breathtaking views.

Through daily instruction combined with short, independent excursions and one full-day outing, writing students will be guided through the process of constructing a marketable travel or food article on a topic of their own choosing. They will learn the tools for successful food & travel writing, including: choosing your approach; the components of a review; how to structure and conduct an interview; fact checking and self-editing. Those focusing on food and restaurant writing will be able to use the cooking classes as an additional resource.

Daily cooking classes will lead into lunch and dinner, and there will be a guided outing to taste and discover local produce and artisan foods. Students will learn traditional recipes and techniques as they make stuffed vine leaves and vegetables; savory pastries; meats and fish; fresh and cooked salads; rice and grain dishes and desserts from the Sephardic culinary repertoire of the Island of Rhodes, to develop an understanding of the overall character of this “most Spanish” of Sephardic styles and of its important place in Spanish culinary tradition. "If you'd like to know the origins of traditional Spanish foods, this is an excellent place to begin," says Amateau.

Writing instructor Alison Fleming is a former print & broadcast journalist and course writer for the University of London. She has covered cultural and political events in Italy, Spain, Palestine and Hong Kong, where she edited a popular lifestyle magazine and hosted a weekly arts program on Radio Hong Kong. Janet Amateau, a lifelong Sephardic chef, teaches, writes and lectures in Barcelona and New York about Sephardic food, culture and history. She has been an official Barcelona caterer for the European Day of Jewish Heritage and is currently doing research for an upcoming book.

The July workshop is open to a maximum of eight participants. The very special introductory price, €625.00 per person (based on double occupancy), includes 5 nights’ accommodation, the writing workshop, cooking classes, welcome reception with wine & hors d’oeuvres, all meals from dinner Friday through breakfast Wednesday, wine at dinner, and applicable taxes. Limited singles are available on request for a supplement of €189.00. The nearest airports are Reus, Barcelona, Girona and Zaragoza (all served by either RyanAir or EasyJet). A private car is suggested; limited train service is available from Lleida.

For reservations & further information about the program, visit www.SephardicCooking.com.

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