Do you have $4995.00 (excluding airfare) to spare? You could be one of the intimate group of 14 joining Osteria chef-owner Jeff Michaud and his wife Claudia on a seven day trip to Franciacorta in Northern Italy from April 18 through April 24. So what does a cool five grand get you?
Michaud, whose wife Claudia is from nearby Bergamo and who lived and worked there himself for three years, says the aim of the trip is to give guests an experience that is devoid of “touristy stuff.”
“It’s what my wife and I like to do when we’re there,” he explains. “We’ve always gone with friends, but we wanted to give other people the chance to experience it in a way they wouldn’t have unless they had lived there or knew someone who lived there.”
As the base of operations, they’ve rented a renovated farmhouse in Franciacorta that has a full restaurant kitchen. He’ll teach several cooking classes throughout the week that will be based around whatever they find at the market that day, plus pasta-making lessons. Michaud says the kitchen also has a wood-burning rotisserie oven, which he’ll put to good use. There will also be field trips to nearby Lake Garda, lunch with winemaker Mattia Vezzola from Bellavista Winery and visits to three restaurants that Michaud himself worked in when he lived in the area, two of which are Michelin-starred. Update: You can view the entire itinerary here.
The $4,995 price tag includes everything - room rental, meals, restaurant dinners, wine tastings, excursions, cooking classes and transportation to and from the airport - but the airfare. This is the first trip they’ve organized and if it’s successful, they may do another in the fall.
If you want to sign up for the trip, email cibus.italy@gmail.com or call 267-639-5313.
