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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,
Director
1.800.473.7040 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
NINE ACCLAIMED CHEFS JOIN BIKE RIDERS FOR A SERIES OF
CULINARY CYCLING & WALKING TOURS THROUGH EUROPE'S GREATEST FOOD REGIONS
(March 29, 2005) Boston, Mass. - Bike Riders, the adventure travel company offering distinctive adventure vacations, has announced its 2005 line up of award-winning chefs for its Guest Chef Adventures. Now offered for the eighth consecutive year, Guest Chef Adventures offer travelers a chance to combine biking or walking 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 including Chef Rick Moonen, one of the world's most celebrated seafood chefs of rm Seafood at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and Chef Roberto Donna of the award-winning Galileo in Washington, DC.
If walking is more your speed, Bike Riders now offers two new Walking Guest Chef Adventures. Acclaimed Chef Francesco Ricchi of Cesco Trattoria in Bethesda, MD leads a culinary tour through vineyards and open-air markets on our Grand Crus and Great Chefs Burgundy trip. Or for a true Italian experience, Jeff Tunks, DC Coast Chef and Owner, walks you through Italy's heartland on our Countryside and Cucina Umbria tour. "Guest Chef Adventures are an ideal way to marry a love of adventure travel with a love of good food," said Bike Riders' Director 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 Provençal 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 offer Guest Chef Adventures. Unlike other biking and walking outfitters, Bike Riders limits its Guest Chef Adventures (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 Adventures 2005 itinerary includes:
Italy
Tuscany: Cucina Toscana - Biking
Cost: $3480/person
May 15-22 - Francesco Ricchi, Owner and Chef of Cesco Trattoria, Bethesda, MD
Sept. 18-25 - Francis Reynard, Sous Chef and Special Events Consultant of Daniel, New York, NY
Oct. 16-23 - Rick Moonen, Owner and Chef of rm Seafood at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Umbria: Countryside & Cucina - Walking
Cost: $3480/person
Jun 5-12- Jeff Tunks, Chef and Owner of DC Coast, Washington, DC
Oct. 2-9 - Ron & Colleen Suhanosky, Chef & Pastry Chef/Owners of Sfoglia, Nantucket, MA
Sicily: Cucina Rustica - Biking
Cost: $3480/person
Oct. 9-16 - Roberto Donna, Owner and Chef of Galileo, Washington, DC
France
Provence: La Cuisine du Soleil - Biking
Cost: $3680/person
Sept. 12-19 - Alessandro Stratta, Executive Chef of Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
Sept. 26 - Oct. 3 - Greg Higgins, Owner and Chef of Higgins Restaurant & Bar, Portland, OR
Burgundy: Grands Crus & Great Chefs - Walking
Cost: $3480/person
Sept. 18-25- Francesco Ricchi, Owner and Chef of Etrusco Trattoria, Washington DC and Cesco Trattoria, Bethesda, MD
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. Spain and Portugal. 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 2005 Bike Riders Guest Chef Adventures
About The Chefs
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.
Francis Reynard - Tuscany: Cucina Toscana
The son of French diplomats, born in Brazil and raised around the world, Francis Reynard began cooking after attending the Toulouse Hotel School in France. His true love for cuisine developed after a six-month stage with Michel Guerard. From Guerard's kitchen, he began his journey working with the top chefs and the best restaurants of the world. In 1986, Francis was appointed Sous Chef with Jean-Paul Lacombe at Leon de Lyon. From there, he traveled to Lugano, Switzerland and earned one Michelin star and 17/20 points in Gault et Millau, as Executive Chef of the Villa Principe Leopoldo. Francis's success then took him to the culinary capital of the United States, New York. With the help of his friend, Daniel Boulud, Francis became his corporate chef and consultant in charge of special events, promotions and openings for high profile individuals including Presidents Clinton, Bush, Chirac, Mandela and Gorbachev. Francis's cuisine reflects the influence of his mentors. He incorporates Verge's "Cuisine of the Sun" and takes inspiration from the Riviera and Alain Ducasse, as well as his love of Italy. It is with these regions in mind that Francis's style has developed into one that is "French classic with a Riviera influence and a New York twist".
Rick Moonen - Tuscany: Cucina Toscana
Chef Rick Moonen, one of the world's most celebrated seafood chefs, joins Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's newest wave of destination restaurants with the opening of rm Seafood. The $8 million, 16 thousand square foot multi-level restaurant features the freshest and very best seafood. r.bar.café, offers regional coastal favorites and a bountiful world-class raw bar in a bustling market atmosphere. restaurant rm features Chef Moonen's inventive and refined tasting and a la carte menus, a signature of his craft. As executive chef and owner of New York City's rm, Moonen earned critical acclaim and 3 stars from The New York Times and four stars from 2005 Mobil Travel Guide. He has moved to Las Vegas to personally oversee the new venture. It would be difficult to name another chef, cooking anywhere in the world, whose acknowledged skill of fish cookery can match Chef Moonen's. Pair this with his sophisticated culinary skills, passion for the sea ("our last wild frontier" as he calls it), a keen palate, sensitivity to the environment, an analytical mind, and an eye for seeing what's great in "down-home" dining and translating it to a 3-star dish - and you've got Rick Moonen.
Jeff Tunks - Umbria: Countryside & Cucina
Chef Jeff Tunks is one of the best and brightest in the ever-growing constellation of new American chefs. Like many in his field, Tunks attended the Culinary Institute of America where he received the prestigious Frances L. Roth Award for outstanding performance. From there, he served an externship under Dean Ferring at the Veranda Club in Atlanta, transferring with him to the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, where Tunks worked at Mistral, a sister restaurant on the complex. There he met his mentor, the classically French-trained chef Takashi Shirmaizu. It was under Shirmaizu's tutelage that Tunks was introduced to the idea that at the foundation of every great dish must be superior ingredients and solid cooking techniques. Tunks secured a "Best Restaurant" rating from Gourmet in 1997 and he earned five Mobil stars for The Grill Room, the highest marks bestowed by the association. Shortly after Tunks and a talented team of chefs made their way to New Orleans. With the opening of DC Coast in June of 1998, Tunks created the perfect stage for his distinctive cuisine. Showcasing ingredients indigenous to the tri-coastal areas, Tunks developed a modern American cuisine all his own. DC Coast has garnered outstanding reviews from Gourmet (1 of the top 5 restaurants in Washington), Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, Wine Spectator, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In August 2000, Tunks and his partners launched TenPenh, where they have been delighting diners with Southeast Asian - inspired cuisine. September 2003 saw the rise of yet another side of Tunks' culinary passions, Latin American and the Caribbean fare: Ceiba is heating up Washington and joins DC Coast and TenPenh as one of DC's most popular dining establishments.
Ron & Colleen Suhanosky - Umbria: Countryside & Cucina
Ron is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. He has held positions at restaurants such as The River Café (NYC) and Park Avenue Café (NYC). After an eight month excursion of cooking through the backroads of Italy, he returned to become the chef of Alloro (Boston), Galleria Italiana (Boston) and Il Buco (NYC). Ron's romance and devotion to pasta began as a child when his great grandmother would cook for the family every Sunday. Ron and his wife own Sfoglia, named after his true passion. Sfoglia refers to pasta sfoglia, a sheet of uncut pasta.
Colleen is also a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. She has cooked at Biba (Boston), and spent eight months traveling north and south in Italy cooking at various restaraunts including Il Cibreo (Florence) and La Crota (Alba). Upon returning to America, she realized her passion for pastry and refined her skills at La Bettola (Boston) and Gramercy Tavern (NYC). Colleen and her husband own Sfoglia, where she pursues baking rustic Italian style bread, spinning gelato and reviving traditional Italian cookies.
Roberto Donna - Sicily: Cucina Rustica
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."
Alessandro Stratta - Provence: La Cuisine du Soleil
Alessandro Stratta is the executive chef of Wynn Las Vegas in Nevada, the two-billion-dollar resort to open next month. Former executive chef of Renoir Restaurant at the Mirage, brings a lifetime of work and experience to Wynn Las Vegas. 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.
Greg Higgins - Provence: La Cuisine du Soleil
Greg Higgins, owner and chef of Higgins Bar & Restaurant in Portland, Oregon turns out fine cuisine in support of his premise that food is community - an idea that creates respect, commitment and responsibility from farmer to chef to diner. "We're interested in nourishing and sustaining not only our customer's appetites but also the land and the quality of life we all enjoy," says Higgins. With an agricultural region that provides unparalleled abundance and diversity - from wild salmon, mushrooms and huckleberries to some of the finest wines in the country, Higgins is defining a cuisine that is truly rooted in the northwest. He attended Hartwick College to study fine arts and worked nights at a traditional Italian restaurant, where he was introduced to classic northern Italian cooking. Higgins has promoted Northwest regional cuisine around the world from Shanghai, China and Fukuoka, Japan to Paris, Vienna and New York. Higgins contributed to "Wild about Game" by Janie Hibler, authored the Oregon section of "Northwest Beautiful Cookbook" by Kathy Casey and furnished recipes and information for dozens of regional and national cookbooks. Higgins has appeared on many television programs including Martha Stewart, Bur Wolf's "What's Cooking" and "Healthy Eating," as well as PBS's "New American Cuisine."
Contact: Lorenzo De Monaco, Director, Bike Riders 1.800.473.7040
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