Travel and food have a natural and indelible relationship. The food of a place is a culmination of the native ingredients, flavors, and traditions – so sampling the local cuisine gives us insight into the area’s lifestyles and culture. And that’s really the root of travel – to engage with people different from ourselves and learn about a place that’s not our home. Therefore, culinary events where we can not only taste the food but meet the chefs and learn about their ingredients and processes are epicurean travel bonanzas! If you’re a foodie traveler, here are three upcoming culinary events that you do not want to miss.

Cayman Cookout Culinary Events

If having an intimate beach barbeque with world renowned chefs is on your bucket list, the Cayman Cookout should be on your calendar. For the tenth year, Eric Ripert invited his famous chef friends to the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman for an exclusive food festival. Ripert is the expertise behind the hotel’s Blue, the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant in the Caribbean specializing in tasting menus of local seafood.

Ripert’s buddy Anthony Bourdain will be there discussing culinary adventures around the world and José Andrés will be cooking up his famous paella for everyone. Other great chefs attending include Daniel Boulud, Dominique Crenn, Michael Mina, Rick Bayless, and Sean Brock. You’ll be able to interact with this star-studded panel throughout the weekend at beach barbeques, a catamaran trip to Stingray City, a wine fair, and a grand finale 10-course dinner prepared by the chefs. The event takes place January 10 – 14, 2018. Prices from $1,169 per night, four-night minimum.

Italy’s Eataly World is a Theme Park for Foodies

Foodies know that Eataly is an Italian marketplace where you can purchase everything from white truffle oil and San Marzano tomatoes to veal and fine Italian caviar. They offer high-quality, sustainably produced products from local farmers, fishermen, butchers, bakers, and cheesemakers, both online and in New York, Chicago, and Boston locations.

On November 15, 2017, a 20-acre veritable theme park of food will open in Bologna, Italy with farms, cooking classes, orchards, restaurants, and bars. It’s so big that Italian bicycle maker, Bianchi, has installed 500 bikes with baskets so visitors can ride and shop across the grounds. Eataly World includes 40 workshops, 25 restaurants, guided tours, cooking and farming classes. Over 2,000 companies are represented and the park expects 6 million visitors a year, 500,000 of them children and another 500,000 business visitors. Eataly World covers everything there is to know from field to fork in Italy.

Epcot^® International Food & Wine Festival

If you want to satisfy your global foodie cravings but stay close to home, the annual Epcot^® International Food & Wine Festival in Orlando, Florida runs August 31 – November 13, 2017. Taste your way around the world by sampling international specialties at 35 kiosks at Global Marketplaces. You can also Eat to the Beat as popular bands take the stage three times each evening for free concerts in the American Gardens Theater and the American Adventure Pavilion.

Start your day with a scrumptious signature breakfast with guest speakers in a popular program called “What’s Cookin’ With…” Attend culinary and mixology demonstrations, learn about cheese or wine at a seminar, and meet Disney and celebrity chefs at culinary demos and festival events. 1-Day park admission starts at $99 and includes most of these events. Grand tasting events and specialty dining and pairings require an additional ticket and reservations.

In addition to these exciting culinary events, there are unlimited opportunities to pair food and travel. Contact our expert vacation advisors to start planning your next taste of the world.