Italy Food Tour

A Journey to Italy… Food, Friends and Family

We’re so excited to pair up with an inspirational Winnipeg-based Chef that shares a passion for the art and representation that food brings to all of our lives. Chef Jaya will be leading a group of food loving individuals to visit Italy with a chance to immerse into the local culture, cuisine, and lifestyle of Piedmont and Turin!

Here’s Chef Jaya’s story:

About 1 year ago I told myself, at one of the Italian Family Style Pop-Up Dinners I had, that I was going to re-evaluate what the term `Chef` meant to me. For years I had only understood it to mean someone who sacrifices their lives in the pursuit of flavour and prefers the lack of human interaction.

Italy Food Tour

Chef Jaya

My reasons for feeding people started to change, my appreciation for the food I was able to work with wasn’t as powerful as it once was. I was also scared of not doing what I saw others doing, reading cook books. I was told once that I would never re-invent the wheel, I said that’s fine, you regurgitate that man’s re-invention and I`ll be over here figuring out mine.

What I lacked in years of experience, I wanted to make up with knowledge of not just the food, but its cultivation, the people associated with it, How did that ingredient get into my fridge? Eventually with that desire came the need for Art, History, and Lingustics; pairing the study of the food with the language made the food more important to me.

The most integral part about my re-interpretation of what the term ‘Chef’ meant to me, was that I didn`t want to love food the way that others told me I had to. I want to put my hands in the earth, foraging for the food that you see on your plates, but I want to do it right beside you, not concealing myself in a kitchen.

The power of the feasting format is for a production effect; auditorily & visually it becomes this fantastic way for strangers to connect quickly. I love the expediency and power that can come from breaking bread with another, how intimate one can become by sharing a meal. It’s a memory you will have forever and I want my food to be a part of your memories. It’s the greatest gift anyone could give me.

My food is how I carry my home and memories with me. Its how I express my love for you, even as a stranger. Come into my home, eat my food equates to come into my life- You are welcome here.

That being said, what I want to experience here on these travels with you, is an immense amount of pleasure. I want you to be inspired by understanding the food and how it gets to your plate through the hands of a chef, so you can do it for yourself. I want you to Learn with me, Eat with me, Laugh with me, and most of all, Drink with me!

“A Travola Non Si Invecchia“ – At the table with food friends and family, you do not become old…

How to Join Chef Jaya in Italy:

This incredible journey takes place September 21 – October 4, 2017 and is open to anyone with an interest in food, culture, history, and traditions! For more details visit on her upcoming Italy Food Tour here.

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