There’s no better time for a cook’s getaway holiday than the last week in February.  A culinary windfall brings the Salon d’Agriculture to Paris for the week leading up to the final foie gras market of the season just an hour's flight away in Brive-le-Gaillarde. 

An early morning tour of the wholesale market at Rungis and a walk through one of the city’s most colorful neighborhood markets will further illustrate how French ingredients travel from farm to table. 

There will be time for two hands-on cooking classes and a visit and lunch at a truffle farm in the Dordogne.  Travelers can also expect a tour of the Denoix Distillery in Brive and meals accompanied by the wines of the Vezére Valley in the Dordogne. 

To help put this wealth of market memories in perspective, travelers will spend a morning touring the simulated prehistoric world at Lascaux IV in nearby Montignac before returning to Paris.

·  A half-day visit to the Salon International d’Agriculture

·  Early morning tour at the famed Rungis Market

·  Visit and lunch at a truffle farm in the Dordogne (and a truffle hunt)

·  Guided tour of the final Foie Gras fair of the season in Brive-le-Gaillard

It is strongly recommended that you purchase travel insurance for the trip in case your are unable to participate in the trip, especially since it will be taking place in winter when weather can affect travel plans . Global Gourmands works exclusively with Arch Roamright for travel insurance. To obtain a quote, please click here. 

Make your way to your hotel. Transportation can be arranged for you.

This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow travelers. Meet at the restaurant at 7:00 PM.

The trip opens with a guided morning tour of the Salon de l’Agriculture International.  This event combines farmers and their livestock with gourmet terroir products and French regional specialties plus 1000 vendors from 23 countries spread over eight roofs at the Porte de Versailles Convention Center.

The afternoon and evening are open to continue exploring the Salon and have dinner on your own in Paris.

The wholesale market at Rungis, five miles from Paris, is a pilgrimage site for food professionals and dedicated enthusiasts alike.  This epicenter of the city’s food supply serves everyone from small bistros to Michelin-starred restaurants and local markets.  Visitors arrive at 4:30 am, don protective gear and are guided through the fish, meat, dairy and vegetable and fruit pavilions.  A light breakfast at the market is followed by a return to the hotel to rest. 

This afternoon, we will be a wine and cheese tasting in the Latin Quarter. 

This morning will be a very special market tour and cooking class with Susan Herrmann  Loomis, an internationally-recognized expert on French food and an award-winning journalist and author ( In a French Kitchen, On Rue Tatin, and French Grill).  

The open-air markets of Paris are its soul, its breath, its direct link to France’s fine regional produce. On our private tour, she will take us on a guided stroll through the Marché President Wilson (16th arrondissement, border with 7th) where you'll learn about the bounty on offer and select groceries for the cooking class. 

We will return to her kitchen and she will take us through the preparation of a sumptuous lunch that showcases and celebrates the regions and traditions of French food, accompanied by flavorful stories and anecdotes. 

This afternoon, take a train to Brive-la-Gaillard, a picturesque village along the banks of the Corrèze River, surrounded by lush, green countryside. It is considered the gateway to the Dordogne Valley and the Périgord region. 

Today we drive into the Dordogne to explore the UNESCO world heritage site of prehistoric man at Lascaux IV.  A guide will share the amazing history of the cave from its discovery in 1940 to this exacting digital reconstruction. A museum at the site displays the cavern’s many paintings in vivid detail.

There will be time to rest back in Brive before dinner that evening’s dinner at a local restaurant (not included).

After breakfast, head to a truffle farm for a morning that every food lover will enjoy. Led by its passionate owner, enjoy a full tour of her family truffle farm and learn about 'the black diamonds of Quercy'. You will the visit the truffière which is a plantation of oak trees that have been inoculated with the truffle fungi and where black truffles grow underground, close to their roots. Two adorable labradors are trained for truffle hunting, and you'll see them doing their fantastic job. Afterward, sit down to a sumptuous lunch featuring... truffles.

This afternoon, visit the famous DENOIX Distillery, founded in 1839 in Brive-la-Gaillarde. Continuing the profession of the master liquorists of the 19th century, take a tour of the distillery followed by a sampling of their liqueurs and aperitifs made from nuts, plants and fruits. 

Wander through the Georges Brassens Hall in Brive-la-Gaillarde with a guide as you take in this unique festival of foie gras. See the stalls overflowing with capons, geese, ducks (all duly plucked), jars of foie gras, confits, truffles. Meet the producers, take part in tastings and leave with foie gras and recipes for festive dishes. Bring your shopping bags for jars and cans of duck confit, foie gras and more.

From there, enjoy an afternoon cooking class with a spectacular menu:

    * Eggs and mushrooms casserole with black truffle butter on bread soldier

    * Foie gras medallion

    * Duck breast with purple mustard sauce (Purple mustard is a speciality of Brive and is made with grape-must.)

     * Sarladaise potatoes

    * Warm cabécou (local goat cheese) with black truffle chards (prepared in advance by the chef)

    * Traditional Correzien dessert with walnut, chestnut and chocolate

This morning we will take a return flight to Paris and then enjoy the day to explore independently. 

Enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening with your fellow travelers and new friends.