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Culinary Excursions: 10 Savory Cooking Retreats
by Carrie Miner
A French Fairytale
Once upon a time, a girl had a dream. Today, that dream is realized on a magical, nine-acre resort where Chef Erna Kubin-Clanin blended the country charm of a French Provençal château with the lush landscape of the Sierra foothills to create the prestigious, five-diamond destination found at Château du Sureau and Erna's Elderberry House Restaurant.
While a stay at the Château du Sureau is an experience in itself, twice a year the estate adds an additional incentive to visit this transported piece of Europe in the California countryside.
 Two weekends in March and again in November, Executive Chef James Overbaugh and staff take 12 students and hone them into creative chefs in their own right. Students spend three information-packed, 8-hour days learning the secrets of the craft designed to impress even the most elite gastronomes.
Best of all, at the end of the day, you have the chance to sit down and enjoy the fruit of your labors at a six-course dinner with such decadent dishes as pan-seared Tasmanian sea trout dusted with ginger powder served with wild mushroom risotto and shaved black truffles.
The closest airport to this elegant estate is the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport [KFAT]. After renting a car, the 45-minute drive through the rolling countryside sets the stage for a sumptuous stay at this elegant estate.
And if you decide to stay an extra day or two, you can sample some of the estate's other adventurous activities—four-wheel-drive excursions, rock climbing, river rafting, hiking, mountain biking, gold mining, fly fishing, train rides, horseback riding, championship golf and water sports on the nearby Bass Lake.
 Old World Elegance
According to Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report, it doesn't get any grander than at Wheatleigh, which was recently ranked as the "Hotel of the Year".
This elegant, French-inspired country château was built in 1893 on 22 acres overlooking Massachusetts' Berkshire Mountains. Just a 10-minute ride away on a complimentary shuttle from Pittsfield Municipal Airport [KPSF], this stylish retreat offers luxurious lodging and five-diamond dining.
In the swanky Dining Room, Chef J. Bryce Whittlesey whips ups such elite entrées as halibut baked in luting dough with baby artichokes, cubeb pepper and vin jaune; heirloom Challans duck with spring onions, buckwheat and sherry gastrique; and dry-aged sirloin with gnocchi, foie gras and pineau des charentes.
Chef Whittlesey takes it down a notch in the less formal, alternate dining venue in The Library with such traditional main dishes as grilled salmon, grilled tenderloin and roasted chicken.
But the real treat is when Chef Whittlesey brings guests into the kitchen for a look into the world of gourmet cuisine. Offering half-day and evening classes as well as his more in-depth two day culinary escapes, Chef Whittlesey shares his passion for food at its finest.
Chef Whittlesey started the cooking classes more than three years ago and has since garnered a devout following of culinary aficionados. Students clothe their whites and learn all of the basics shoulder to shoulder with the Chef Whittlesey's culinary staff as they cook up breakfast, lunch and dinner for Wheatleigh's other guests.
"They are in the middle of the action," says Whittlesey. "It changes their perspective of cuisine."
 The shorter, half-day and evening classes focus on everything from stocks to soufflés. But it is the two-day culinary escapes that are in the highest demand.
Chef Whittlesey takes students through a sensory experience with classes focusing on luxurious ingredients, flavor dynamics and flavor pairings. A gorgeous range of beautiful ingredients tempt participants as Chef Whittlesey explores the preparation and use of such fine items as Russian caviar, 100-year-old balsamic vinegar, foie gras and truffles in the "Luxurious Ingredients" classes; "Flavor Dynamics" focuses on how to get the best results in your kitchen by properly pulling the flavors out of food with such techniques as caramelizing and deglazing; and "Flavor Pairings" evokes all of the senses as students explore more than 30 savory ingredients such as Moroccan cured lemons, truffle oil and roasted hazelnuts.
"By learning about the individual ingredients and which flavors go together, you can buy what is best on that particular day and be able to create your own dish," says Whittlesey.
And if all of that hasn't worn you out, you might want to sit back and relax with a private, two-hour wine and champagne class led by Wheatleigh's sommelier. While Wheatleigh is renowned as a dining destination, this elite property also offers several amenities to round out a relaxing weekend in the New England countryside with complimentary bikes, a tennis court, an outdoor heated pool, in-room spa services and a Petanque field.
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