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Bike Riders
The Art of Travelling Wellsm
P.O. Box 130254
Boston, MA 02113
www.bikeriderstours.com
info@bikeriderstours.com
Contact: Lorenzo De Monaco,
President
1.800.473.7040 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
NINE ACCLAIMED CHEFS JOIN BIKE RIDERS FOR A SERIES OF CULINARY CYCLING TOURS THROUGH EUROPE'S GREATEST FOOD REGIONS
(March 12, 2004) Boston, Mass. - Bike Riders, the adventure travel company offering distinctive bicycle vacations, has announced its 2004 line up of award-winning chefs for its Guest Chef series of cycling trips. Now offered for the seventh consecutive year, the Guest Chef series offers travelers a chance to combine biking through such well-known culinary regions as Provence, Burgundy, Tuscany, Sicily, and Umbria with cooking lessons, vineyard tours, wine and cheese tastings and dining in four- and five-star restaurants with a renowned chef as a traveling companion.
The nine chefs hail from top American restaurants, from the celebrated Daniel of New York City and award-winning Galileo in Washington, DC to the world-class Mary Elaine's of the Phoenician in Phoenix and Studio at the Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach, California.
Two new chefs are featured this year. Tom Gutow of The Castine Inn in Castine, Maine, one of Food & Wine Magazine's 50 Great Hotel Restaurants for 2002, leads a culinary tour of Tuscany. Michael Anthony of Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City, joins Bike Riders in exploring the cuisine of Umbria. "The Guest Chef series is an ideal way to marry a love of biking with a love of good food," said Bike Riders' President Lorenzo De Monaco. "The chefs share cooking tips, wine choices and little known ingredients to help our travelers to enjoy the best a region has to offer, from a Proven(al pistou to Tuscan artichokes, fava beans and pomodoro straight from the fields. The only requirement is a good appetite!"
Of all the active travel companies, only Bike Riders offers a Guest Chef series. Unlike other cycling tours, Bike Riders limits its Guest Chef series (and its other trips) to no more than sixteen travelers, ensuring that each food lover enjoys personal, first-hand experience of cooking with the guest chef, and a rich give-and-take with local producers and restaurateurs. "Our roots in Italy and France are strong," explained De Monaco. "Over the years we've built excellent relationships with family farms and innkeepers. As a result, we can offer our travelers a chance to taste the first pressing of the olives, sample fresh ricotta, and savor a delicate Morgan from Burgundy from the cellar of the winemaker."
The Bike Riders Guest Chef Series 2004 itinerary includes:
Italy
Tuscany: Cucina Toscana
May 23-30 - Francesco Ricchi, Owner and Chef of Etrusco Trattoria, Washington DC and Cesco Trattoria, Bethesda, MD
Sept. 19-26 - Alessandro Stratta, Executive Chef of Renoir - The Mirage, Las Vegas, NV
Oct. 17-24 - Tom Gutow, Owner and Chef of The Castine Inn, Castine, ME
Umbria: Cycling & Cucina
Sept. 12-19 - Roberto Donna, Owner and Chef of Galileo, Washington, DC
Oct. 3-10 - Michael Anthony, Executive Chef of Blue Hill, New York, NY
Sicily: Cucina Rustica
Oct. 10-17 - James Boyce, Executive Chef of Studio at the Montage Resort & Spa, Laguna Beach, CA
France
Provence: La Cuisine du Soleil
Sept. 20-27 - Bradford Thompson, Chef de Cuisine of Mary Elaine's, Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 4-11 - Francis Reynard, Sous Chef and Special Events Consultant of Daniel, New York, NY
Burgundy: Grands Crus & Great Chefs
Sept. 12-19 - Francesco Ricchi, Owner and Chef of Etrusco Trattoria, Washington DC and Cesco Trattoria, Bethesda, MD
Oct. 10-17 - Sanford D'Amato, Owner and Chef of Sanford Restaurant, Milwaukee, WI
About Bike Riders
Since 1991 Boston-based Bike Riders has been offering small, elegant cycling trips to Maine, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, the Canadian Maritimes, Ireland, France, Italy and Spain. A Bike Riders trip features off-the-beaten track itineraries, world-class inns and celebrated restaurants, many of which are Bike Riders' exclusives. Privately owned and operated by Eileen Holland and Lorenzo De Monaco, a husband-and-wife team who share a passion for travel and good food, as well as roots in many of regions they visit, Bike Riders "saturates [travelers] in the locale" and avoids the "generic tour" atmosphere of larger travel companies. Bike Riders has been recommended by such publications as Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, Vogue, USA Today, The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, Fodor's, Departures and Italia Magazine. Bike Riders also offers self-guided and private tours. More information can be found at www.bikeriderstours.com
Contact: Lorenzo De Monaco, President
1.800.473.7040
The 2004 Bike Riders Guest Chef Series
About The Chefs
Michael Anthony - Umbria: Cycling & Cucina
Chef Michael Anthony's love for cooking was fueled during his years in Japan. The clean and fresh Japanese esthetic along with the seasonal approach to cuisine inspired Mike to continue his culinary education. Graduating at the top of his class with a C.A.P. de cuisine from Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Fran(aises, Paris, Mike spent three years training in France's finest restaurants including Chez Pauline and L'Auberge de Tal Moor. It was during his tenure with Restaurant Jacques Cagna that he met and worked with Dan Barber. In 1995, the opportunity to work at Restaurant Daniel brought Mike back to the United States. Two years later, excited by the prospect of greater responsibility and autonomy, Mike joined March Restaurant as Sous Chef and was later promoted to Chef de Cuisine. Blue Hill is happy to welcome Mike as executive chef. He will continue to promote Blue Hill's market driven and ambitious menu and contribute his extensive knowledge of traditional French and international techniques.
James Boyce - La Cucina Rustica Sicily
Boyce, Executive Chef of Studio at the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach, CA, was a 2002 contender in the James Beard Foundation "Best Chefs" awards. Boyce was most recently the general manager/chef de cuisine at The Phoenician's showpiece, Mary Elaine's. During his three-year tenure at this award-winning Scottsdale restaurant, he helped engineer its ascent into world-class status. Under his direction, Mary Elaine's scored five-star status from Mobil Travel Guide, a prestigious Five Diamond designation by the American Automobile Association, and the Grand Award from Wine Spectator - making it one of a handful of restaurants in the country to have garnered all three honors. He trained under the expert tutelage of the legendary Daniel Boulud at New York's Le Cirque. "Cooking is in my blood," said Boyce. "You either have the passion for it or you don't."
Sanford D'Amato - Burgundy: Grands Crus & Great Chefs
Sanford Restaurant was awarded the Fine Dining Hall of Fame Award by Nation's Restaurant News as well as the DiRONA Award (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) in 1994. Sanford has consistently received the AAA Four Diamond Award and the Four-Star award from Mobil Travel Guide. After being nominated for six consecutive years by the James Beard Foundation, Sanford won the Perrier Jouet Best Chef Midwest award in April of 1996. In February of 1999, Sanford and Angela opened their second restaurant, Coquette Café, in historic Third Ward in Milwaukee. In November of 1992, Sanford was one of 12 chefs in the nation to be personally chosen by Julia Child to cook for her 80th Birthday Celebration in her hometown Boston.
Roberto Donna - Cycling and Cucina in Umbria
Born in the Piedmont Region of Italy, Roberto Donna's mission is the promotion of authentic cuisine. As a James Beard Award-winning Chef and Restaurateur in Washington, DC, Roberto is committed to introducing others to the real flavors of Italy, which he provides in his eight restaurants. Expanding his culinary horizons early in his career by working in kitchens across England, France and Switzerland, Roberto arrived in DC at the age of 19. Four years later, in 1984, he opened Galileo and gained a strong following. In 1997, Wine Spectator called Galileo one of the "10 Best Italian Restaurants in America," and the magazine presented Mr. Donna with the Grand Award of Excellence for his wine cellar from 1997-1999. In 1996, Galileo was named one of the twenty finest Italian restaurants in the world by the President of Italy, and Roberto published his first cookbook "Cooking in Piedmont with Roberto Donna."
Tom Gutow - Tuscany: Cucina Toscana
Tom Gutow draws from his diverse experiences in the U.S. and France to create dishes with multiple layers of concentrated flavors and contrasting textures. Tom began cooking professionally at the age of seventeen for chef-owner Harlan "Pete" Peterson at Tapawingo in northern Michigan. Tom also worked in New York City for David Bouley at Bouley, David Burke at Park Avenue Café, and Diane Forley at Verbena. He trained in France with Michel Guèrard at Les Prés d'Eugenie and with Bernard Loiseau at La Côte d'Or, both Michelin three-star chefs. Looking to local producers as his primary source for ingredients is the anchor of Tom's cooking philosophy. Each spring he hosts a Producers Dinner at The Castine Inn to recognize the contributions of local Maine growers, fishermen and cheesemakers who provide so many ingredients to the Inn throughout the season.
Francis Reynard - Provence: La Cuisine du Soleil
Francis Reynard, a native Frenchman, first became known when at age 25 he served as Sous Chef under Alain Sailhac at the 4 star Le Cirque in New York City. Later, Francis was promoted to Executive Chef at the Relais and Châteaux Bosman's Hotel Grande Roche in Paarl, South Africa. It was here that he won the Best Deluxe Restaurant Award in '92 and '93 and demonstrated his culinary expertise on "Good Morning South Africa." Currently Francis is Sous Chef/Consultant for Daniel Boulud of Daniel and Café Boulud in charge of special events, promotions, new openings and outside catering. Highlights of his current post include: organizing private fundraising dinners for President Clinton in 1998 and 2000; consulting with the Plaza Hotel and Daniel for a 2000 person dinner at Radio City Music Hall held in honor of the 75th anniversary of Time Magazine; organizing a 10 city tour of 2000 person cocktail parties for the Mercedes Benz 500 launch in 1999; and hosting a cooking demonstration with Daniel Boulud for the University A. Morumbi in São Paulo, Brazil in June 2000.
Francesco Ricchi - Tuscany: Cucina Toscana and Burgundy: Grand Crus and Great Chefs
A native Florentine, Francesco Ricchi brought a family tradition of old world cooking and the freshest ingredients to Washington, DC where he founded Ristorante i Ricchi, playing host to President Bush only weeks after its opening. Continuing the tradition, Chef Ricchi opened Cesco Trattoria in Bethesda, Maryland minutes from downtown Washington. Chef Ricchi's newest restaurant Etrusco Trattoria, located just north of Dupont Circle in Washington, DC boasts a menu of Tuscan dishes made famous by the chef who in 12 short years has become a Washington landmark. Chef Ricchi has earned dozens of awards including such honors
as Best Newcomer (Washington Magazine); Best Italian Restaurant (Washington Magazine); Best New Restaurant in the United States (Esquire); Distinguished Restaurant of the North America Award; Top Twenty-Five Restaurants in North America (Food and Wine); Restaurant Hall of Fame (American Restaurant Association, 1995). Cesco Trattoria has been listed among the Washington Post's " 50 Best Restaurants" as well as being named one of the "100 Very Best Restaurants" by Washington Magazine.
Alessandro Stratta - Tuscany: Cucina Toscana
Alessandro Stratta is the executive chef of the new Renoir Restaurant at the Mirage. Chef Stratta brings a lifetime of work and experience to his new showcase. Renoir exhibits its namesake's extraordinary paintings in company with the award-winning chef's style of cooking which is marked by a subtle blending of regional French and Italian cuisine. The combination has garnered the Five-Star rating from the Mobil Travel Guide, and has caused many to revisit the relationship between food and art. Graduating with Honors from the California Culinary Institute, Chef Stratta's first experience was under the tutelage of pastry chef Jim Dodge at San Francisco's Stanford Court Hotel. Soon after accepting an internship at the Michelin Three-Star Hotel De Paris in Monte Carlo, Stratta was invited by Alain Ducasse to join his team at the Louis XV. Chef Ducasse was also the mentor who advised Stratta to work with Daniel Boulud at Le Cirque in New York, which he did for two years. In 1989, Stratta was hired as the executive chef at Mary Elaine's at the Five-Star Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona and established it as the finest dining destination in Arizona during his tenure there. In 1998, Steve Wynn, Chairman of Mirage Resorts, Inc. asked Stratta to become part of the expanding Las Vegas culinary circle as executive chef of Renoir at the Mirage.
Bradford Thompson - Provence: La Cuisine du Soleil
Bradford is currently the Chef de Cuisine of Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician Resort. Bradford began his tenure at Mary Elaine's working with Alessandro Stratta. It was here that he learned Mediterranean cuisine, highlighting healthy ingredients and preparation. After two years as the Chef Tournant at Mary Elaine's, he became the Sous Chef working with Executive Chef and James Beard Award Winner Jim Cohen. His duties included catering, special functions, and menu development. Passionate about healthy eating, over the years he has worked with vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic and low (or no) fat menus. When Thompson heard that 4 star Chef Daniel Boulud was about to open a new restaurant, Café Boulud, Thompson applied and was offered a post as Sous Chef. After joining Chef Boulud's team, Thompson has been a Sous Chef at both Café Boulud and Daniel. He has also collaborated with Chef Boulud on many special projects, including working on Chef Boulud's cookbook and as Sous Chef on a 6 state tour for Mercedes Benz in conjunction with Chef Boulud's catering business, Feasts and Fêtes.
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Contact: Lorenzo De Monaco, President, Bike Riders 1.800.473.7040
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