Cool new podcast by managing partner Kristie Brablec

I can’t think of too many people who are probably better suited to the medium of podcasts than Food Tours’ managing partner Kristie Brablec. Kristie is an engaging extrovert and a consummate conversationalist! Which means that sitting and talking to cool food folks for an hour or so is right up her vocational alley. This new podcast is giving Kristie a compelling venue to bring her passions—and the artisan food and drink producers about whom she’s so passionate—to the public in primo form!

Anyone who’s been on one of the remarkable weeklong Food Tours to Europe—and of late also to South Korea, and to Oaxaca in Mexico—will already have a great sense of the power of Kristie’s engaging and engaged personality. The podcast lets her project that engagement to a much broader audience so that food, wine, and travel lovers all over the world can listen! Given her dedication to the particulars of place—and the influence that we have long believed that place has on the people and products that are part of it—“Tastes Like Somewhere” seems like a terrific name for Kristie’s compelling new program!

Each week, the podcast will present Kristie in an educational, enjoyable, and eye-opening conversation with folks who craft such amazing food. In Episode 1, Kristie talks to Kieron Hales, longtime chef and managing partner of Zingerman’s Cornman Farms. As I have come to expect from this pair of passionate Zingerman’s extroverts—with something like half a century of Zingerman’s experience between the two of them—their conversation is full of heart, laced with lovely (often very British on Kieron’s half) humor, and the deep love for food that is at the heart of what we’ve been doing here for nearly 44 years now! Other episodes have featured Copenhagen’s culinary powerhouse Maddy Kostros, Miss Kim’s chef and managing partner Ji Hye Kim, Danish food writer and consultant Mikkel Wejdemann, and winemaker Juli Carrique.

Tune in soon! “Tastes Like Somewhere” is free, fun, educational, and entertaining. It’s a wonderful new way to engage with the Zingerman’s Experience.

Listen (or watch!) now

“Andalucia, when can we see you?” The answer is in September 2023

One of my favorite songs of all time is John Cale’s “Andalucia.” Cale, who will turn 80 this coming March, is a classically-trained, avant-garde musician who went on to play bass, viola, guitar, piano, and organ in the anything-but-classical Velvet Underground. When the band broke up, Cale started a solo career as a musician and producer, as well as becoming a contributor to a host of other musicians’ work. He played on Nick Drake’s second album, Bryter Layter, and also produced Patti Smith’s first album, Horses. Although I like all of Cale’s solo work, I have a particular affection for Paris 1919. The album, which came out in 1973 (it will be 50 years this coming February), featured members of the band Little Feat and the UCLA Student Symphony Orchestra. Every song on the record is really good, but “Andalucia,” the fourth cut, remains my favorite. The first line is the lead-in for the wonderful, world-class Food Tour that this piece is actually about.

Andalucia when can I see you?

“Andalucia,” the song, is a delicate and gentle piece, both lovely and lush. The feeling it gives me is what I imagine it will be like to walk through the lush late-autumn week when our annual trip to the region commences on September 30 of next year. Andalucia, the region, is one of the most magical places I’ve been, filled to the brim with great food, wonderful wine, rich culture, and fascinating history.

There are a thousand good reasons, in addition to my affection for John Cale’s song, to go to Andalucia next fall with Zingerman’s Food Tours. One is that you’ll get to travel with John Cancilla and his amazing wife, Ana. John has worked for decades with Marqués de Valdueza, our long-time olive oil (and vinegar and honey) supplier in western Spain. He’s originally from Los Angeles, spent his junior year abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem (as I also did), and ended up finding what might well be a dream job working with the Valdueza family. John is one of the smartest, funniest, and all-around kindest food people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Ana’s exceptional network of friends produce some of the most precious gastronomic treasures one can find on the Iberian Peninsula. Between Zingerman’s Food Tours guide (and long-time IT Director) Elph Morgan, John, and Ana, you are guaranteed to eat well, drink incredible wine, see beautiful scenery, laugh a lot, and learn some of the very special history of the region. You’ll be invited far off the beaten track to hidden places even very few Spaniards are likely to know. John says,

This trip is all about the local gastronomy, but it’s also about the local economy, the social structure of Southern Spain, the role of women in agriculture, and the Jewish and Arab legacies in the Andalusian kitchen. All of this was planned with very close friends who have done their best to help us show the hidden face of Andalusian gastronomy and experience Spain off the beaten track.

The tour itself will spend a lot of time exploring the gastronomic world that sprang up in Andalusia, drawing on the springs that include the Roman, Arab, Jewish, and Christian kitchens that flow in the region after centuries of conquest, domination, and not-always-so-peaceful cohabitation. We will visit Sherry wineries and enjoy professional tasting for what amounts to a Master Class in the region’s wine. We will also learn about certain aspects of Andalusia’s unique, local food production with visits to a Retinto beef producer, a seawater-based vegetable producer, the remains of the original Roman fish conserves and garum factories, and a superb, Iberian ham producer in Jabugo. Also, tuna is king on the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia and we will learn about the ronqueo, or the carving of a tuna, in the hands of an expert chef in Barbate.

The hotels are great, too: Las Casas de la Judería in Seville is a hotel created in the old Jewish quarter of the city, in actual houses of the former Jewish residents. The streets, patios, and gardens of the quarter have been maintained, and staying at La Judería is really like flying back in time to experience life in what was one of Spain’s most vibrant Jewish quarters. The other hotel, in Jerez de la Frontera, is a five-star deluxe–it’s pure elegance and exquisite service. Our guests are going to love it!

Add in some long walks, great talks, terrific tapas, and a healthy dose of history, and this is a seriously awesome opportunity for a literally once-in-a-lifetime culinary travel opportunity!

Cale’s “Andalucia” is a song of unrequited love. In the lyrics, his unnamed lover chooses not to meet up with him. I have a feeling she might still be kicking herself all these years later for missing out on a special opportunity. The Food Tours are much the same. If you’re game for an exceptional week of eating, drinking, learning, loving, and laughing, book your spot today! It’s hard to convey the quality of connections and camaraderie that come together on one of these tours. Kristie Brablec, managing partner at Zingerman’s Food Tours says, “We find special humans doing really amazing things. It’s connecting people, and when you break bread with people, you have opportunities to grow tight bonds. It’s pretty special.”

Book now to get someone you love one of the most special gifts they’ll ever get!

P.S. If you want a bit more music to listen to while you consider coming on this world-class Food Tour, Yo La Tengo (in 1990) and Andrew Bird (in 2020) both did terrific cover versions of Cale’s classic song.

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A week of enjoying the food and wine of Lyon and the Jura awaits

If you’re one of the many folks I know who’s thinking about heading out for some significant overseas travel to try to make up for the last few years, this Zingerman’s Food Tour to France might just be the ticket. Not only is it an amazing culinary destination, the tour next year happens at pretty much the perfect time of year to go to France—the final days of May and the first few of June, when the weather is nice, but not too hot, and before the height of the tourist season begins!

Of all the tours on our docket, this is the one that Kristie Brablec, Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Food Tours, is currently most excited about. Why?

Lyon is the heart of gastronomy in France, started by the mothers of Lyon (this is a story we could tell in itself); many people don’t know that the gastronomy movement in Lyon was born from women. From Françoise Fillioux to Eugénie Brazier, the history is deep with women leading the kitchen. Paul Bocuse is the most well-known, of course, but still, he was trained by Eugénie Brazier, and sadly this is often overlooked. Eugénie was also the first person ever awarded 6 Michelin stars—three at each of her restaurants, and this dates back to 1933—a true female powerhouse in the culinary world, and it all started in Lyon.

The region is home of Comté, one of the finest cheeses produced in the world. Secondly, it’s home to one of my favorite wine regions worldwide. This region is often missed and very rarely traveled. It’s difficult to gain access to this region for various reasons. Outside of serious wine nerds, tourism is very limited in this area, even to the French. The Jura is the smallest wine region in France. Less than 500 producers spread across 80 kilometers of vineyards, covering four wine Appellations.

Lyon could be to France what Bologna is to Italy—a gastronomic wonderland that’s loaded with luscious cheese, wine, world-class cured meats, lots of good eating, and plenty of additional art and culture to boot. The city has shown up regularly on the New York Times’ list of “52 Places to Go.” The Comté-Jura region is, for me, even more special. I love the mountains and I love mountain cheese, and the Jura has the best of both! Comté cheese has long been one of my favorites, and the little-known Vin Jaune of the region is very much the perfect fortified wine you want to accompany it! Sipping on the latter, nibbling on some well-aged bits of Comté on a beautiful spring evening, and watching the sunset over mountain peaks sure sounds pretty superb.

If you’re ready to spend a week traveling, tasting, and creating lifelong memories, give some thought to signing up for this trip with Kristie. If you’re looking for skillfully guided travel, incredible food, wine, people, history, and culture, this superfine food tour will pay big dividends! You will still be sharing stories from it ten years from now when we are finishing our 2032 vision!

Reserve your spot!

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Only seven seats remain as I write

It’s been over 30 years since I went alone to Ireland for the first time. I knew very little about the country, I had no friends or food producers there to call on, and, back before the world of the web was the norm, I had very little idea what I was getting myself into. That trip changed my life in wonderful ways. Thirty years later, I have many friends there. I’ve swum regularly in the river of its history. I love the music (sad-music lovers—give a listen to the bagpipes on Lankum’s “Young People,” or the harmonium on band member Radie Peat’s somber dramatic performance of “Dark Horse,” live in Dublin’s Kilmainham Gaol on Easter 2017). The poetry is powerful, the literature lovely, and the landscape unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been back to Ireland now probably two dozen times.

In the years since I made that first trip, Irish food has, I believe, become some of Europe’s best. In fact, there is now so much wonderful food and drink that even this intensive eight-day tour will only scratch the surface in the best possible way! If you grab one of these last few seats, I will guarantee you a whole lot of great eating and drinking, combined of course with a wealth of creative connections, wonderful culture, learning, and laughing. And, if you fall in love with Ireland as I did all those years ago, you will likely go back many more times.

People ask me all the time why I’m so drawn to Ireland. In the context of what I wrote a few weeks ago about sadness, I’ve realized one of the big reasons, in a quiet way that I wasn’t conscious of at the time, is that there’s something powerfully evocative in the spirit of the place that resonates for me. Not the stereotyped jovial “Irish humor” that’s often portrayed in movies, but, rather, the extreme but gentle, moving, and really almost magical sadness. The bleak beauty of the landscape is really beyond belief. I’m haunted by all of it, and always hungry for more.

Zingerman’s Food Tours Managing Partner Kristie Brablec has connected with longtime friends of the ZCoB Kate McCabe and Max Sussman from Bog & Thunder, who will serve as co-hosts. You can see all the amazing details of the trip on the Food Tours site. Buy a seat soon before they run out! You’ll experience some amazing eating, a wide range of emotions, and take in some of the most beautiful and moving landscapes you’ll ever visit.

The first tour for Ireland will be September 19-28, 2022. Or, alternatively, you can go with Kristie, Kate, and Max October 3-12. Sign up soon! If you do, I’ll buy you a copy of Manchán Magan’s lovely Thirty-Two Words for Field to help you get ready!

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