Oaxaca’s 9th annual Food of the Gods Festival, one of Mexico’s most
delicious culinary events, isn’t scheduled until October. But now
is the time to register to take advantage of early-bird specials.
Register by March 15, and your clients will get 10 percent off
the basic package, which starts at $648 per person (double,
land-only) for an eight-day, seven-night stay that includes
accommodations in your choice of four hotels, airport transfers,
daily breakfast, all classes, tasting sessions, tours and
dine-around events. The packages are commissionable.
This year the theme is “From Chiles to Chocolate: A Culinary
Exploration of Culture,” and classes will delve into Oaxaca’s
pre-Hispanic roots as well as the modern variations on the region’s
cuisine.
The making of chocolate which natives called the “food of the
gods” is thought to have originated in Oaxaca, where European
explorers learned the tradition and spread it worldwide. Chocolate
commonly serves as a base for the bold and complex mole sauces for
which the region is known.
Festival attendees will learn how to make empanadas and salsa in
hands-on cooking classes, and watch traditional chocolate-making
demonstrations. Seminars will cover subjects such as an
introduction to Oaxacan chiles or pre-Hispanic medicinal herbs.
The package includes tours of local food markets and art
galleries, as well as a street food fair, mountain hiking, visits
to the Mitla archeological site and Tule Tree, a Mezcal tasting and
weaving demonstration.
Other tastings sessions will focus on exotic fruits and ice
creams, and a restaurant dine-around program will allow guests to
sample Oaxaca’s finest restaurants.
Pre- and post-festival extensions are available. Participating
hotels include the five-star Camino Real and Hotel Victoria, and
the four-star Hostal de La Noria and the Holiday Inn Centro
Historico.
Hosted by Zapotec Tours and the Oaxaca Hotel Group, the event
has been written up in several major food magazines, such as Bon
Appetit and Food & Wine.
A Web brochure is available at
www.food-of-the-gods-festival.com, or call 800-44-OAXACA for
reservations.
