The Santa Fe School of Cooking has added group classes focusing on seasonal local produce from the region's certified-organic gardens at Los Poblanos, as well as two organic meat suppliers, Pollo Real and Shepard’s Lamb. The school teamed up with Cookin’ Up Change, a local DMC that creates tailor-made teambuilding experiences for 48 people. There are classes for salsa, barbeque, tamales, chiles and fajitas. Or, a Salsa Making Contest pairs pro chefs with groups for a popular ice breaker opening event at the school or any of the area hotels.

Look into the Santa Fe Restaurant Walking Tours that begin at the school with an introduction into New Mexican cooking techniques. A sample culture-themed itinerary includes the Los Mayas Mexican restaurant, The Institute of American Indian Arts, the La Boca tapas-style diner and the Coyote Café to sample a variety of New Mexican, Mexican and Native American fare.

“We want to teach people about the food of the Southwest, but especially New Mexico to emphasize indigenous cuisine,” says Susie McClendon, assistant manager. She also recommends a series of Opera themed classes with recipes highlighting regions represented in actual operas. So, Mozart’s Don Giovanni class includes marinated artichoke hearts and manchego, Spanish olive tapenade and preserved lemon shrimp with jamon serrano. Verdi’s La Traviata includes French herbed chicken/mushroom skewers, and rillettes d’canard confit with creamy brie.

Sonoma County Grape Camp is a multi-day program where attendees pick grapes and blend their own wine during California's fall harvest season. Mornings are spent outside plucking grapes off the vine in the fragrant valleys, followed by gourmet lunches at wineries such as DeLoach, Coppola, Russian River and Sonoma-Cutrer. Afternoons are spent touring more wineries for barrel tastings and cooking classes. And then everyone gets together for dinner at one of the local restaurants with a local winemaker.

"The winery tour has really changed from days past,” says Robin McKee-Cant, meeting sales/services manager for the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. “There’s cooking and wine blending, and hiking through the vineyards to not only learn about wine, but how the winery is taking care of the land.” read more