I am very honored to accompany you on this journey to Paris, which remains for me one of the cities I love most in the world for its culture, beauty and above all its food culture.

I love living in Vancouver, my home for the past twelve years, and if there is one thing I miss about my home country it is the pace of life with its focus on food.

My idea for this tour is to share with you that experience as we take in the special atmosphere of Parisian bistros.  Through plentiful wine and delicious food, you will experience five very intense days focused on life in Paris.

I look forward to seeing you in Paris and hope that you return home with special memories of a very unique experience.

Warm wishes,

Alain Raye, Chef and Co-owner

Download the program flyer : Bistronomy Tour de Paris_flyer_Final (3)

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

• A VALID Canadian passport is required.   Passports (and  if required most Visas) should be valid for at least six months beyond date of scheduled return.
• Ensure that there are two blank pages in your passport so that any required visas or permits can be attached.
• Travel outside of Canada requires infants and children to have their own passport (and if required, Visas)
• A VALID Canadian passport OR Canadian Resident Card will be required for re-entry into Canada.

VISAS

• Travelers are responsible for securing and fulfilling visa and passport requirements to enter/exit a country. For details on each countries specific requirements please visit CIBT’s web site at www.ca.cibt.com
• IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING UNDER A NON-CANADIAN PASSPORT PLEASE ADVISE YOUR TRAVEL ADVISOR AS YOU MAY HAVE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS. For  Non-Canadian passports, please visit CIBT’s web site at www.ca.cibt.com.

Note -  Entry to another country may be refused even if the require information and travel documents are complete.

We’re still finalizing the last few details, but if you love real French food, you won’t want to miss this very special “bistronomy” tour of Paris to be led by renowned French chef, Alain Raye of award-winning La Regalade Bistro in West Vancouver, and Cafe Regalade, in Vancouver British Columbia.

I will post more details shortly, but in the meantime, here is what we know:

• Tour begins and ends in Paris
• September 10 – 15 2012, 5 days, 6 nights
• Tour host:  Chef Alain Raye
• Accommodation and breakfast in upscale, chic boutique hotel on the Left Bank, close to upscale shopping dining, museums and sightseeing
• Lunches and leisurely dinners, with wine, per the itinerary
• Tastings galore
• Traditional and street markets
• Hands-on cooking class with a Parisian master-chef

Participation is limited to just 12 people, so don’t delay!  If you would like to be notified when arrangements are complete, please contact me so that I can ensure you are kept informed.

If you are not sure what to buy your loved one for Christmas or Valentine’s Day, isn’t this something you would like to look forward to together?

Did you know that the world’s finest travel agencies and advisors are Virtuoso?

With my worldwide network of Virtuoso connections, I can provide you with:

• Customized travel experiences
• First hand knowledge and expertise
• Exclusive amenities and VIP access
• Trust and confidence.

Happy Thanksgiving

It’s that time of year again.  As a child in Britain, I always looked forward to “Harvest Festival” as we would call Thanksgiving.  Each child would take one food item – either directly from or made with food from the land – to school for later donation to a local charity.  Our school stage was a colourful array of food of the land:  huge loaves of bread shaped like sheaths of wheat, fresh vegetables, and fruits all combining to form a beautiful backdrop to our school service and harvest hymns.  I particularly loved the hymn that started “We plough the fields and scatter, the good seed on the land ….” and just thinking of the tune takes me back to those special services in my primary school and the warm feeling they elicited in me.

In Canada, Thanksgiving is a celebration of harvest.  Most often associated with this celebration is a roast dinner that includes Turkey and a pie that is made of Pumpkin.  Personally, I prefer cake to pie, so I would like to thank you for visiting my site today and to give you a recipe that I have made each Thanksgiving since I first came to Canada in 1982.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup oil, apple sauce or natural yogurt
• 2 cups canned pumpkin (unsweetened, organic)
• 2 cups any flour (I use 100% wholewheat)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• Half a teaspoon of salt
• Walnut halves for topping if no icing is added.
• Icing
• Half a cup of butter, softened
• 1 pkg or 8oz of cream- ricotta- or mascarpone cheese)
• Icing sugar to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Combine all cake ingredients and blend thoroughly.  Pour into pan and add walnut halves if you prefer to leave out the icing.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until tests done (insert a skewer in the middle.)  Cool.  Prepare icing by combining ingredients and mixing until smooth.  Spread on cooled cake.  Enjoy!