In 2012, Dine by Design Catering, LLC, will begin accepting reservations for twice yearly - once in winter and again in summer - small group tours (a dozen or less) to start in 2012. These will not be the standard, rigidly controlled sixteen cities in three days sort of tours; in fact, we may not visit big cities at all!* We'll be exploring some of the magical regions of Italy and France - one or the other per journey - (where your host is fluent in the local lingos) and the goal is a meaningful appreciation of these cultures via their traditions of food and drink.

We will allow the freshest ingredients of the marketplaces to dictate our day's menus and retreat to warm and welcoming hearths where we'll cook from scratch, respecting the culinary conventions of the locales. We'll forage and discover, get floury, sugary and oily, and we'll dine like peasants and kings.

Charming accommodations will be provided and carefully selected restaurants will be on the agenda to sample another chef's take on local ingredients and to give us a break from the washing up!

As with all tours, sensible shoes are a must, but not because you'll be expected to march from sunup to sundown, only because cobblestones are tricky in stilettos. The focus will be on leisurely pleasures, slow motion camera worthy sights, and the soul-deep satisfaction that comes from knowing you're in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

Trips will average seven to ten days and details of dates and prices to follow.

Please see our gallery of our Provencal Winter Tour for some fun highlights and previews!

*Note: For those of you who are interested in seeing some of the beautiful cities of Europe, we can always make arrangements to gather you up after a more traditional initial tour, or deposit you into the hands of traditional tour operators at the end of our sojourn together.

54 Logan Lane, Santa Rosa Beach, FL  32459