San Sebastian Food – December Newsletter
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DARINA ALLEN – IRELANDS CELEBRITY CHEF
JENNY TO RECCE PORTUGAL/RIBERA WINE ROUTE
Unique ‘Discover the Basque Country’ tour – 4 events to choose from (6th to 9th July)
A family prepares for the day's fiesta in the traditional costume of red and white
It is almost July and many are looking forward to the summer fiestas this region is famous for, among which the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona. For those who are looking for something more authentic and intimate, food guide Jon Warren and acclaimed author Paddy Woodworth have put their shoulders under a unique 5-day-tour, the program of which is built around the special San Fermin ceremonies of the picturesque Pyrenean mountain village of Lesaka.
This unique experience will now be broken down into modules, which means that anyone interested will be able to take part, even those who cannot take 5 days off to submerge themselves in Basque culture and culinary enjoyment. Just choose one of the organised events on a day you are free to join us!
Jon Warren, Food guide and founder of the culinary tour company San Sebastian Food
The San Fermin Fiesta of Lesaka begins on Wednesday 6th July with fireworks at 12.00. Those who join cultural expert Paddy Woodworth and local historian Rafael Eneterreaga that day to discover the beautifully preserved village’s hidden corners and secret narratives, will also have the chance to taste pintxos paired with wines in some of Lesaka’s infamous twenty-two bars.
The best day to fully experience the colourful festive ceremonies of the tiny village is no doubt Thursday 7th July, when the ezpata danza (sword dance) along the narrow stone banks of the Onin stream will take your breath away. You will immediately see why the village’s nickname, ‘Little Venice’, is a perfect one. This day also includes lunch in a local restaurant in between the rolling green Basque hills.
Friday 8th July then is ideal for those who long to travel deep into the ‘Pirineos Atlánticos’ and explore remote, beautiful and historic villages, to discover rich culture and a magnificent winery. Further details are available by clicking here San Sebastian Food.
If you cannot make it on one of these wonderful trips into the heart of mountainous Basque Country but are keen to learn more about Basque history, culture and politics, don’t miss the engaging talk by Paddy Woodworth on Saturday evening 9th July, complete with wine tasting and pintxos. Woodworth has been writing about the Basque Country since 1978, for publications ranging from the Irish Times to the International Herald Tribune, and for broadcasters including the BBC, and has been asked to give presentations at prestigious universities such as Harvard.
All these four tours, except the last one, offer a whole day of ultimate mix between history and cuisine, and take you back to San Sebastian at the end of the tour. On Friday 8th July a 3-Michelin star dinner can be arranged for you as well at one of the top restaurants of the city, Arzak, now rated 8th in the world rankings.
These Basque Country discovery tours, organised with expert Paddy Woodworth, are a great opportunity for those who have been longing to experience something completely different, to learn about the history of a long independent and very strong community, and at the same time taste the flavours of world famous gastronomy!
For further information, visit San Sebastian Food and request a tour brochure.
Alternatively, you can download their full tour brochure by clicking here. For those that would like details of their modular tour program, they have been put below.
Cultural expert Paddy Woodworth who will lead the series of tours along with Jon Warren
Event 1: Behind the Scenes at a Basque Fiesta
Date: Wednesday 6th July
Title: Behind the Scenes at a Basque Fiesta
Timing: 08.00 – 14.30
Description: We travel deep into the heart of the Basque Country to the little known Pyrenean mountain village of Lesaka with marvelously preserved architecture dating back to the 14th century. A local historian, Rafael Eneterreaga, will join cultural expert Paddy Woodworth in showing us Lesaka’s hidden corners and secret narratives.
At precisely 12.00, the official start of the San Fermin fiesta will be signaled with multiple fireworks from the balcony of the town hall. Having taken in the atmosphere, we will meet with the town mayor. After a drink and pintxos (tapas) in some of Lesaka’s infamous twenty-two bars, we will return to San Sebastian.
Includes: Private transport, guided tour of Lesaka with Cultural expert Paddy Woodworth and local historian, Rafael Eneterreaga, Pintxos (tapas) lunch with wines, fiesta scarf, photos from the event, 18% vat.
Meeting point and time: 08.00 sharp, San Sebastian Food offices – Calle Aldamar, 30 (See map for directions)
Price: €185 per person. Maximum 15 guests.
Event 2: San Fermin Day in Lesaka
Date: Thursday 7th July
Title: San Fermin Day in Lesaka
Timing: 08.00 – 16.00 (full day)
Description: Arriving in Lesaka, we enjoy breakfast in one of the village’s many bars whilst young men dressed in bright red costumes gather in the main plaza. The day is focused around experiencing the very special ceremonies of Lesaka’s San Fermin fiesta. This includes a breathtaking ezpata danza (sword dance) along the narrow stone banks of the Onin stream, one of the features which have given the village the nickname of ‘Little Venice’.
After the main fiesta is coming to a close, we travel deep into rolling Basque hills for a special lunch at a local restaurant packed with atmosphere.
Includes: San Fermin day in Lesaka, rustic gourmet lunch with wines, fiesta scarf, photos from the event, private transport, 18% vat.
Meeting point and time: 08.00 sharp, San Sebastian Food offices – Calle Aldamar, 30 (See map for directions)
Price: €235 per person. Maximum 15 guests.
Event 3: Cultural & Culinary tour through Basque valleys
Date: Friday 8th July
Title: Cultural & Culinary tour through Basque valleys
Timing: 08.00 – 17.00 (full day)
Description: We take a very special journey deep into the ‘Pirineos Atlánticos’, the foothills of the Pyrenees and explore remote, beautiful and historic villages including Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorri, Bideray, Itxassou and Ainhoa, uncovering rich culture and a magnificent winery.
Optional: In the evening, invited guests are welcomed for a 3-Michelin star dinner at restaurant Arzak* for their full tasting menu with selected wines. (*Rated 8th in the world rankings)
Includes: Scenic tour of French Basque villages with cultural commentary and insight, winery visit, lunch with wines, photos from the event, private transport, 18% vat.
Meeting point and time: 08.00 sharp, San Sebastian Food offices – Calle Aldamar, 30 (See map for directions)
Price: €235 per person (€395 per person including 3-Michelin star dinner). Maximum 15 guests.
Event 4: Basque history, culture and politics
Date: Saturday 9th July
Title: Basque history, culture and politics
Timing: 19.00 – 22.30
Description: Engaging talk by Paddy Woodworth based on presentations on Basque history, culture and politics he has given at Harvard and the London School of Economics.
Includes: Presentation by Paddy Woodworth, questions and answer session, wine tasting interval followed by pintxos (tapas) and wines, 18% vat.
Meeting point and time: 18.45 for 19.00, San Sebastian Food offices – Calle Aldamar, 30 (See map for directions)
Price: €95 per person. Maximum 25 guests.
About San Sebastian Food
Food is a journey. Let us share ours with you. Feel part of the food culture of San Sebastián, Northern Spain. Using local knowledge and contacts, we provide an intimate experience of the region’s gastronomy and wine. Our team is made up of food and wine lovers, chefs, wine experts, cultural experts, artisan producers and local shopkeepers. We are knowledgeable, dedicated and love what we do.
About Paddy Woodworth – Basque cultural expert
Paddy Woodworth has been writing about the Basque Country since 1978, for publications ranging from the Irish Times to the International Herald Tribune and Vanity Fair, and for broadcasters including the BBC, RTE, and National Public Radio in the US. His first book, ‘Dirty War, Clean Hands’, was described by Franco biographer Paul Preston as “one of the most important books ever published about post-Franco Spain.”
For further information or to make a reservation, please contact Jon Warren (jon@sansebastianfood.com) or by phone +34 634 759 503. All events start and end at our offices in the Old Town of San Sebastián.
Jon and Paddy are back for Lesaka 2011
We’re back! As we slowly emerge from winter, we’ve been working hard to release our brand new 2011 brochure for this summer’s specially extended 5 day ‘Discover The Basque Country’ tour. After last year’s success, Paddy and Jon are already regularly chatting about this year’s tour which will accept a maximum of 15 guests and promises to be our best yet!
With an extra day’s touring, extra luxurious rooms and a special Michelin star dinner experience, anybody that missed out last year will be in for a truly adventurous cultural and culinary 5 days. You can see last year’s guest comments San Sebastian Food Cultural Adventures
Discover The Basque Country 2011 - Reserve your limited places today with San Sebastian Food
Tour dates – Tuesday 5th July to Saturday 9th July
If you can’t make this year’s tour but would be interested to find out about future tours, sign up for our newsletters by simply filling in your email address on our homepage http://www.sansebastianfood.com/
Tour Brochure and further details – To see our brand new brochure, click here
Our Blog – a new weekly post!
Paddy and Jon are committed to sharing all the behind-the-scenes news and happenings with you! So, we will be making a regular weekly blog right here on EITB! Looking forward to keep in touch!
Until next time,
Jon and the team at San Sebastian Food
The Travel Editor – A Weekend Basking in Basque Cuisine
A Weekend Basking in Basque Cuisine writes travel writer Rupert Parker on Jon Warren’s leading culinary travel company, San Sebastian Food.
If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss over Basque cooking was about here’s your chance to find out. Get yourself to San Sebastian, find somewhere to stay for the weekend, and a number of exciting food options open up. Pintxos are Basque Tapas and, on offer, are a Pintxo Tasting Tour, a Gourmet Tasting Tour and a Pintxos Cooking Class.
Here is Rupert’s article in full or to to read the review on The Travel Editor, click here
San Sebastián Food is offering Basque tasting tours and cooking lessons, right in the heart of the old city, for food and wine lovers to discover this traditional, yet innovative, cuisine.
Pintxo tasting is an integral part of Basque lifestyle and visitors are guided around the streets of the old town, visiting six wonderful bars, in a two hour culinary adventure. You get choice bites of food paired with a glass of wine in each place. From slow cooked veal cheek to juicy grilled prawns, wild mushrooms, marinated anchovies or delicious seared foie gras, this is a great introduction to the Basque Country’s culinary culture.
A guest enjoying the traditional pouring of local white wine 'Txakoli' after the pintxo cooking class
The Gourmet Tasting Tour is all about quality ingredients and takes in historic landmarks such as the La Bretxa market, as well as small independent shops selling the finest quality Spanish and Basque produce. Visitors can discover the secrets of the local shopkeepers, sample their produce and get an understanding of where the produce is grown and produced.
If you want to try and recreate Pintxos at home, there’s an authentic cookery class, in a traditional working restaurant focusing on fresh, seasonal produce. San Sebastián born chef, Alex Barcenilla, has over 20 years of experience including two years at Akelarre***, the three Michelin star restaurant in San Sebastián. His passion for cooking and knowledge of traditional Basque cuisine makes him an excellent teacher. He also offers a number of other courses including the experience of working with him in his restaurant kitchen for the day.
Costs
A sample gourmet itinerary starts from €400 for two people and includes a Pintxo Tasting Tour, a Gourmet Tasting Tour and a Pintxos Cooking Class.
There’s also a three night food and wine adventure costing €1,195 for two people and including a Pintxos Tasting Tour, Basque cooking class, three course dinner and wine tasting at Rekondo (one of the greatest wine cellars in the world), and a three Michelin star dinner at Arzak Restaurant.
San Sebastián Food also offers a range of gourmet gift vouchers for food and wine lovers to treat themselves, their friends or family to the ultimate gourmet weekend away. Vist their website to buy and to book.
About Rupert Parker. Rupert Parker is journalist, photographer, cameraman and TV Producer. He specializes in factual programming and has worked for the BBC, Discovery and National Geographic, winning many awards including an Emmy nomination. His special interest is food and travel and he’s the chair of the judges for this year’s British Guild of Food Writer’s Food and Travel award. With over 100 countries under his belt, his work for the Travel Editor will reflect new and old travels as well as future adventures. He lives in London.
Gourmet Gift Experience Vouchers
We are delighted to announce the launch of our exclusive, new gift box vouchers, the perfect gourmet gift this Christmas. Our gift experience vouchers come in a beautiful box complete with your own personalised itinerary, recipe cards, behind-the-scenes information on San Sebastian and much more.
To download a fact file on the vouchers, click here. Order today by calling Jon on (UK) +44 203 286 77 77, (USA) +1 917 675 4894 (Ireland) +353 (0) 1 442 8435 or by email jon@sansebastianfood.com. See our website for further information. For press enquiries, please see our press release by clicking here
First ‘Basque Discovery Tour’ reviewed
Introduction
- The tour base was the family run 16th century Hotel Arraya in Sare, which also provided the perfect introduction to rural French Basque cuisine.
This summer witnessed our first Discovery Tour with Paddy Woodworth and Jon Warren, and we believe we can consider it a big success. But don’t rely on our opinion, listen to our clients:
After resisting planned tours for 25 years, I have finally found a company that designs a trip exactly the way I like it! I’m definitely returning for a future trip with San Sebastian Food. Tish Hendershot, San Francsico, USA.
For this first tour we had five guests, plus two more for the whole of the most important day. While we had hoped for a few more bookings – we can accommodate up to 15 guests – these numbers worked well and gave us valuable feedback from diverse national backgrounds – US, Australian and Irish.
From our guests’ testimonials, written responses to questionnaires, and their verbal comments, we believe the tour gave them everything they had hoped for, and everything we had intended to deliver.
Above all, they felt that they experienced parts of the Basque Country other tours don’t reach, in a context of comfort, great food, and good humour, with a dash of adventure.
Day 1 – Keynote presentation, gourmet dinner at Hotel Arraya
They were introduced to the culture, history and politics of the Basque Country with a keynote presentation by Basque specialist Paddy Woodworth, at the lovely Arraya hotel in Sara, one of the most beautiful villages in the French Basque region. Then, over a delicious dinner at the same venue, gastronomic expert Jon Warren outlined the characteristics of Basque cuisine – great local ingredients presented to maximise the impact of their specific qualities and flavours.
- The boat crossing from San Pedro to San Juan where we take our private cooking with renowned local chef Alex Barcenilla.
- The boat crossing from San Pedro to San Juan where we take our private cooking with renowned local chef Alex Barcenilla.
Day 2 – Village history tour and Basque cookery class
The following day, we visited the medieval Navarran village of Lesaka, where local historian Rafael Eneterreaga acquainted us with many aspects of its life down the centuries. These ranged from carvings used to ward the evil eye from houses, to a representation of the Trinity denounced as obscene and inappropriate by the Catholic Council of Trent in the mid-16th century, but which still stands defiantly above the old entrance to Lesaka’s magnificent Gothic church today.
At noon, we gathered in the village square (actually a most unusual triangular plaza) for the Chupinazo, the launch of rockets from the town hall balcony which announces the opening of the San Fermín fiestas. Afterwards the mayor, Juan Fermín Mitxelena, invited us for photos in the council chamber and balcony, and then for drinks in a local bar.
The tour remains one of the standout memories of my entire month in Europe. I haven’t stopped raving about it to anyone who stands still long enough to listen. The partnership of Paddy and Jon and the itinerary they developed is something quite unique. Never have I had such a close personal encounter with people involved in a fiesta and learned so much about the culture and the food and the people. Naomi Bickley, Australia
- Children excitedly wait with their drums for the start of the San Fermín fiesta in Lesaka
We drove through the steep green pastures and forests of the Cinco Villas region to its most remote destination, Arantza, a village whose huge stone houses seem to grow directly out of the earth. There we had a long table which was heaped with local produce, simply prepared and delicious including local tomato salads, wild mushroom pies, carpaccio of Duck, all carefully selected for us by Jon and the Aterpe restaurant. After a short walk in the village, including a visit to the pelota court and town hall, we returned to our hotel for a rest.
That evening we drove to the port of Paisajes San Pedro, where we took a ferry across the harbour mouth to the sister village of Paisajes San Juan. There we entered the kitchen of Ziaboga restaurant and met Alex Barcenilla. He has over 20 years’ experience as a chef including 3 years at Akelarre, one of San Sebastian’s famous 3 Michelin star restaurants. Alex showed us how to prepare a whole line-caught bonito tuna fished from local waters and prepare it in a variety of classic and modern styles. These ranged from marmitako, the fisherman’s stew very popular in local fiestas during the tuna season to marinated tuna (using lemons), and an escabeche where it is preserved using olive oil, white wine and vinegar. Guests participated enthusiastically in every aspect of the cooking lesson, from filleting the fish (a rather bloody task gamely undertaken by our youngest traveller) to chopping peppers and preparing sauces.
- Marmitako, a delicious tuna stew which everyone learnt to make during the class
We then ate all seven dishes we had prepared, on the quayside of the lovely harbour, sipping the locally produced Txakoli as well as red wine from the restaurant owners’ vineyards in Penedes north of Barcelona. There was a complication returning home, as Jon navigated the very narrow medieval street that is the town’s sole exit, and found that our van was, on at least one occasion, marginally wider than the street. Such moments, one guest assured us, were often the most memorable of any trip.
To enjoy the beautiful Basque countryside while gaining understanding of the culture, cuisine and complicated history of its people, we highly recommend the guidance of Jon Warren and Paddy Woodworth. They not only arrange delightful accomodations and all in-country transportation, they also provide insider access to community leaders, magnificent meals in authentic Basque restaurants and cooking classes with Basque chefs. It is an intellectual and sensual experience not to be missed. Siobhán & George Nicolau, Ireland.
Day 3 – San Fermín fiesta, tasting menu dinner in San Sebastián
On Wednesday, the feast-day of San Fermín, we returned to Lesaka and encountered the danzaris (dancers) who give the patron saint’s fiesta its unique quality. They were breakfasting on red wine and tortilla de patatas in the Kasino bar and restaurant. They discussed details of their extraordinary costumes with us (scapulars of saints, tiny bells) before leading the town council to a sung Mass at the church. The singing by the local choir, in Latin and Basque, entranced our guests.
- A town councillor ‘dances’ Lesaka’s banner outside the church in honour of the saint
After a councillor ‘danced’ the town’s banner outside the church in honour of the saint, we followed the dancers back to village centre. A very kind citizen, José Ignacio Goya, invited us to join his family on their balcony overlooking the Onin stream, on whose stone banks the dancers gave one of their most spectacular performances, the Zubigainekoa. This vantage point gave our guests an exceptionally privileged view, as only a handful of other balconies overlook the spot, and most people have to watch from street level.
Exhilarated by the morning’s spectacles, we retired to the Asador Basque in neighbouring Etxalar where we feasted on classic dishes such as Alubias, Txistorra and local lamb which had been specially chosen. After a brief visit to the unique collection of solar headstones, whose structure may be pre-Christian, beside the church, we drove to the pass of Palomeras. This is the one point in the Pyrenees where migrating pigeons are still hunted by an ancient technique involving nets and a kind of boomerang, which the birds think are attacking falcons.
Perhaps because of the volume of lunch consumed, some of us stretched out beneath the shade of an oak-tree – we enjoyed superb sunshine throughout the trip — while others climbed a nearby hill for slightly hazy views of the French Basque coast, and the start of the Cantabrian range on the Spanish side of the border. A griffon vulture and a black kite put in dramatic close-up appearances as they rode the thermals. Closer to earth, the air was rich with the scent of the flowering wild thyme – curiously rarely used in Basque cuisine – that we had crushed beneath our feet as we strolled.
Paddy and Jon made an excellent team of tour leaders, and their knowledge, interest and points of view complemented the other’s very well. Paddy’s local contacts and knowledge of the area got us access to some amazing places – and we got to speak to some very insightful and articulate Basques. Jon’s familiarity with the cuisine of the region – and access to some cracking chefs and their kitchens – meant that we always ate extremely well, and always learned about what we were eating.
Our French hotel was perfect: quaint, a bit quirky, very French, lovely little rooms with ample rural charm. And being part of the Lesaka festival (and meeting the mayor beforehand, and getting to know Rafael, and having those spectacular coveted views of the whole procession) was reason enough to come on the trip. Dinner on the last night was a perfect ending to a very memorable trip. Roger Norum, writer and photographer for Cara Magazine.
For our final evening we drove to the Basque gastronomic capital, San Sebastián (Donostia in the Basque language, Euskera). After a sunset walk on the Paseo Nuevo around the base of Mount Urgull, we sat down to dinner outside the Bokado Restaurant for our last supper. Sitting around a perfectly laid table with sparking wine glasses, we enjoyed an 8-course tasting menu paired with 2 magnums of Grand Reserva Rioja wines. As we drank the final toasts, we felt more like old friends than new acquaintances, tour guides and clients, as stories were swapped in an atmosphere of unforced intimacy.
- Dinner on the last night overlooking La Concha Bay
- Dinner on the last night overlooking La Concha Bay
Day 4 – Farewells and Departure
We had breakfast the next morning outside the Arraya, enjoying the hotel’s crisp homemade cherry jams and tart marmalades, before some of us parted for a visit to the Guggenheim museum en route to the airport, while others took a final stroll around the village before parting for other destinations.
Our guests questionnaire responses show that they give the tour top marks in all the categories we listed.
Above all, they feel that they got behind the scenes, both at the fiestas, and at the kitchens of the restaurants where we ate, and had a unique and intimate experience of the multiple aspects of the Basque Country, which was for us the main target of the tour.
However, they also gave us some useful feedback, which we hope will guide us towards making the next tour even more enjoyable. Several of them thought we had tried to pack too much into too short a schedule, though we had trimmed it back radically just beforehand. Two-three great experiences, including dinner, are probably all most people can absorb in 24 hours. So we are considering expanding the tour to four nights and three full days, to give people more time to rest, or simply wander around on their own, between events.
From the charming B+B to the drives through the Basque region to Lesaka, the afternoon “hike” and the San Sebastian dinner, it was all blessedly free from tourists, tourist traps, mass produced anything, kitsch, tacky souvenirs, or anything that smacked of the inauthentic. It was a day I will treasure. Michelle Sharon, USA
Our 2011/12 Adventure Tours
Jon Warren and Paddy Woodworth believed passionately in this project when we planned the first event, but with this experience, and the testimonials from our guests, we now know how well it works. With more long-term marketing, we are confident that we will fill our full quotas in future. We really hope you will feel moved to join us. Visit our website for more information: www.sansebastianfood.com
Forthcoming Discovery Tours
San Sebastian Food and Paddy Woodworth will be offering at least four more cultural adventures in 2011. Bookings are already being taken for an expanded version of the Lesaka festival trip, including an extended tour of Pyrenean villages, in part following the fabled French Basque cheese and wine routes: 5 – 9 July. Adventures still in preparation at the time of writing include: a visit to the carnival in Lantz from 7 — 11 March, featuring spectacular traditional performances including the ritual hunting and burning of the mythical figure Miel Otxin; a May adventure focussing on light hiking through coastal and mountain spring flowers meadows, but also including a village fiesta and the company’s signature fine dining, rustic dining and cooking classes; and, from 6- 10 September, a visit to the colourful and historic but controversial Alarde in Hondarribia.
For details, updates, bookings, and to sign up to the San Sebastian Food mailing list, please email discovery@sansebastianfood.com or call Jon Warren on +34 634 759 503. Alternatively, if calling from USA: +1 917 675 4894, Ireland +353 (0) 1 442 8435 or UK +44 203 286 7777
Visit our website: www.sansebastianfood.com
Photo Credit: Roger Norum
Winemaker joins San Sebastian Food team!
Welcome Jean-Paul!
Jean-Paul, San Sebastian Food's new winemaker guide
I’m very excited to announce that we now have the expert knowledge and premium guiding of a very exciting young talent in winemaker Jean-Paul Trijsburg.
Hello everybody,
I’m Jean-Paul. I’m from Holland where I grew up in a little town near the German border. I did a BSc degree in Agronomy at the University of Wageningen in Holland. During my BSc I got infected by the wine bug, and so after finishing my degree I decided to go to France and work in the famous wine region of Burgundy. This led to a Masters degree in Winemaking and Viticulture in France and Germany. I worked in the famous region of Pomerol in Bordeaux, in the beautiful Rheingau region in Germany and lately in South Africa.
Rekondo, one of the greatest private wine cellars in Europe where we run our special wine tasting
My experience has taught me that you can read a dozen books about wine and wine regions, but it is not the same as going to a region and seeing its vineyards, feel the soil which feeds the vines, visit the cellar where the grapes are transformed in wine, and taste its wines with the local food. Every wine tells a story of its origin and the culture of a region. When you learn about the story and where it comes from you will appreciate the product so much more.
This is what made me come to Spain, to learn about its wine and food, its history, culture and language. I want to take you with me on my discovery and share with you my passion and knowledge about this beautiful product. I hope to see you soon on one of San Sebastian Food’s wine tours. I will be guiding clients on the amazing Rekondo wine tasting, the unforgettable Rioja day tour and the NEW Txakoli wine tour.
Over the coming weeks, I will be reviewing my favourite vineyards so that even if you cannot join one of our tours right now, you will get a flavour for the magical places we visit!
Jean-Paul Trijsburg Msc
Winemaker & Viticulturalist
Txakoli wine region close to San Sebastian, home to one of our new wine tours
All set for the summer!
“I love my job!”
“I love my job!” THIS is what I’d hear from friends when I lived and worked in London. It used to puzzle me. How could someone really love their job when they were based in an office and spent most of their time rushing around London or at their computer stressing out. The more ’stressful’ someones job was, the more respect they seemed to earn from peers while chatting over a beer after work or at the weekend with friends. This did not make sense to me.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild - part of Rekondo's unique wine collection where we hold a private tasting on Sunday evenings.
Now, three years after leaving the ‘rat race’ of London, I find myself saying to myself “wow, I really love my job!” It last happened on Tuesday while I was running our Basque cookery class in San Juan. We were all around the kitchen, chatting about some anchovies which Alex, our chef, was preparing to salt and cure for the next 7 months. I was learning more about Basque cuisine which fascinates me and my two clients (on honeymoon from Los Angeles) were loving the unique experience we offer.
The last month has been a heady mix of food and wine adventures from the memorable Rekondo wine tasting with Martín and guests Eric and Kristen from Seattle, a unique Market & Historic Tour with Simon Gregory, head chef of Gordon Ramsay’s Boxwood Cafe to so many enjoyable cookery classes and Pintxo Tasting Tours with guests from Australia, Ireland, Holland, USA, Japan, London and South Africa. I have especially loved visiting my favourite vineyards in Rioja where we get VIP treatment and generous tastings.
Gateaux Basque at Hotel Arraya - fabulous
The best meal of the month, goes to a fabulous lunch at Hotel Arraya in Sare. A faultless, enjoyable and highly memorable Sunday lunch in the green hills of the French Basque Country (Iparralde in Basque translated as ‘Northern side’). From start to finish it was a constant pleasure and for 22 Euros (excluding wines), it was fantastic value for money.
Lastly, I’ve also realised why I love what I do. I create memories for my guests which will stay with them for a long time to come. From tasting wine beneath the medieval city of Laguardia in an ancient cellar to Alex explaining taste vs texture of fish in our Basque cookery classes, an indelible mark is left in the memory of every guest. That is surely what it’s all about?
Note: Bookings are still available for the Discover The Basque Country Tour next month (5th – 8th July). Contact us for last minute places and availability.
JON’S WEEKEND DIARY
I’ve had a very busy few days so am relieved to find a few minutes to report to you all a snippet behind the scenes at San Sebastian Food from last weekend.
Friday 23rd April - Friday early evening was a private tour for a gastronome from Denmark, now the favoured destination for people wishing to try Noma, the latest number 1 restaurant in the world (http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners). There followed my second pintxo tour of the evening at 9.30pm for an English couple as part of a Michelin Star gourmet weekend. Jovial chats were had with the bar staff especially in Goiz Argi as I re-ordered for the 2nd time in one night their fabulous Brocheta de gambas with refreshing glasses of Txakoli (local white wine grown in nearby Getaria)
Latest batch of Idiazabal Sheep's Cheese at the farm on Saturday morning
Saturday 24th April – Beautiful weather for a special countryside tour and I never tire of visiting, high in the hills, the hard working couple Imna and Mikel who kindly show my guests around their Idiazabal cheese farm. I have huge respect and admiration for the intense work which goes into producing their finest quality cheese.
I bought an extra cheese for Turlough, an Irish chef and close friend of mine who lives here and who has worked in many of San Sebastián’s finest Michelin star restaurants including Zuberoa, Arberlaitz and recently Martín Berasategui in Lasarte. He wants to take some cheese back for his Mum’s 60th birthday party next week. We then went on to the market in Tolosa, it was good but not as fun as other weeks, perhaps people were at the cider fiesta in Errenteria.
Being such great weather, we quickly headed off to Getaria, a fishing village not far from San Sebastián for a whole monkfish, grilled on the bbq and a delicious, simple salad. I had to order some Kokotxas (the meat from the chin of Hake), cooked in a parsley sauce called Salsa Verde. They were sublime but I think my guests weren’t so keen as I appeared to eat the lion’s share!
Still busy, busy with bookings, I managed to squeeze in a pintxo tour for a couple of Japanese guests staying at the Maria Cristina Hotel between 6.30pm and 9pm. There was little English spoken between us but with thumbs up and rubbing of tummies, we all enjoyed some fantastic pintxos. It was fun going to different bars I hadnt visited for a while and trying new pintxos on their menus. I was surprised just how much my Japanese guests ate and drank and dont think my accountant (nor my brother who acts as a business guru for me) would be very pleased with the net profit, oh well!
Jon with Martín Berasategui at his 3 Michelin Star restaurant
Then for the big dinner of the year so far, a night at Martin Berasategui in Lasarte, the three-Michelin star restaurant (position 33 in the world). It was a fabulous evening and I owe great thanks (and a steady supply of bellota jamón) to my cousin Mark who so kindly treated us all. Unfortunately my food photography is still of a very amateur level despite Damian from Go Spain giving me a crash course in the back of a taxi last week. So no photos of the food other than this one of me and Martín taken by Nicole after dinner!
Well, Sunday 25th April morning was another beautiful day, blue skies and warm breeze from the South and after picking up transport, it was time to drive over to the Maria Cristina Hotel to meet some American guests from Atlanta for a bespoke tour. We had plenty of time to chat en route which I always enjoy and took the old Igueldo track road back to San Sebastián by 2.30pm.
I then joined friends for Des’s birthday lunch at the new Kursaal restaurant Ni Neu (’me and myself’ in English or ‘yo mismo’ in Spanish). The menu, for 39 € including wine, was pretty good and sitting outside with views of the river, mountains as well as the sea was relaxing (the Torrijas dessert, a type of French Toast was fabulous).
Martín, sommelier serving the first wines of the evening in the Rekondo private cellars
By 7.00pm it was time for San Sebastian Food’s inaugural wine tasting and tour at Restaurant Rekondo. I was very excited because its such a special event and it went without a hitch. Txomin, the owner and wine lover who has single handedly selected what is certainly the most important wine collection in Spain, is the epitomy of modesty. With waves of his hands and an appreciative smile, he shyly rebuffs our compliments and tries his hardest to persuade us that his daughter, Edurne and Martín (their sommelier) are the ones to thank. It was a fantastic experience and I’m already looking forward to returning this Sunday for the next tasting so now I need to find some bookings!
With that in mind, we now have our first bookings under our belts for the Discover The Basque Country Tour, 5th – 8th July – 12 places to go!
Our tour is highlighted on US websites
We are told that one website reference is worth a thousand words in print, so we are very grateful to colleagues involved in the Basque diaspora in the US, and in Basque studies internationally, for giving our ‘Discover the Basque Country’ tour highlighted mentions on two websites.
Thanks to Joseba Zulaika, Sandra Ott, and Lisa Corcostegui for propelling our brochure onto the site for the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, where Paddy has twice enjoyed giving readings from his books. See http://basque.unr.edu/02/2.1t/2.1.1.news.htm#tours
And thanks to Jon Ysursa, of the North American Basque Organisations network NABO, for telling his members about the tour on http://nabasque.org/NABO/Tours.htm
Discover The Basque Country is a blog which takes you behind the scenes on a series of gastronomic and cultural tours with specialist food guide Jon Warren and author of two acclaimed books about the Basques, Paddy Woodworth. Together with small groups of guests, they explore hidden corners of the historic and romantic Basque region, discovering its rich and ancient culture whilst enjoying the pleasures of its superb cutting-edge gastronomy.
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