Let’s Eat The World offers culinary tours and workshops in cities such as Parma, Georgia, Paris and Seville. [+] Mouthwatering destinations
Eat the world
My favorite way to experience a new destination is by eating on the go. Whether it’s a food stall crawl in Mexico City, a baguette crawl in Paris, or a gyoza night in Kyoto, whenever possible I discover new places by snacking on street food, finding fresh produce in markets and food halls, and eating like a big-gourmet local.
If I have the time, I take this approach a step further and buy ingredients to mash, stew, bake, or eat. When I’m in a new place, I try to find a cooking class or a market tour, or both, to immerse myself in the local culinary traditions and flavors of the region.
That’s the idea behind Let’s Eat the World, which organizes food and wine tours and hands-on cooking workshops in France, Georgia, Italy and Spain. From a week of cooking classes in Paris to eight days of paella and tapas in Seville, the company connects travelers with local chefs and foodies for travel experiences that offer more than just a quick taste. With small-group sessions that typically include multiple private cooking classes, wine tastings and meals in shared, centrally located villas or homes, Let’s Eat the World allows travelers to get a taste of the destination in a way that wandering through museums and checking out the sights never gets you.
My wife and two friends recently learned what Let’s Eat the World is all about with a magical evening class in Parma, Italy. The class was a small taste of what the company typically offers over its six-day, five-night trip. At a B&B 30 minutes outside of town, we learned about the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, a region known for its Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Our chef, instructor, and muse was Ilaria Bertinelli, a charming, charismatic food enthusiast who comes from a family of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese producers. Her passion and knowledge made the evening one of the most special experiences we had during our week-long trip through Italy.
Ilaria Bertinelli is a charismatic instructor at “Let’s Eat The World” in Parma, Italy.
Ruth Kennison
Over the course of a magical few hours, Ilaria helped me prepare a feast of local culinary classics, including a pasta course of tortelli delvetta, rose-shaped beef-wrapped Parma ham known as rosa di Parma, and a decadent, indulgent shortcrust pastry with plum jam called torte vescova (bishop’s cake), before our hosts brought digestifs and after-dinner drinks (Giancarlo, who runs the B&B, clearly takes pride in his homemade libations: cherries steeped in 100-percent-proof spirits, grapes marinated to intoxicating perfection in a giant vat of grappa).
Full and satisfied, I wanted to know more about the company behind this delicious meal, so I got in touch with Seville-based founder of Let’s Eat the World, Yetunde Oshodi.
David Hochman: How did “Let’s Eat the World” come about?
Yetunde Oshodi: The name of my culinary travel agency, “Let’s Eat The World,” is a domain name I acquired many years ago thinking it would come in handy someday. I have a culinary degree, but my goal was not so much to be a chef as it was to aspire to work with chefs. It was almost like learning a foreign language, my other love. But hospitality and food and beverage were always destined to be my focus. After helping my husband, French chef Eric Fradeau, open his French culinary school, “Cook’n With Class,” in Paris in 2007, I focused my energies on the hosting side with a vacation rental company based in Paris.
My clients wanted to do something special and unique in Paris, and for me, the perfect plan was to cook alongside a French chef, be shown around a beautiful market, and then return to the chef’s kitchen to prepare a three-course meal. We then opened a second school (now closed) in our new home of Uzès in the south of France, where the idea of creating chef-designed culinary holidays with the home cook in mind was born. Clients who attended our half-day French market classes would often request complex French dishes that would take too long to prepare in a morning’s time.
We felt there was a niche market in the region for people to spend a few days with us cooking, tasting and exploring the beautiful region. Thus, in 2016, the “Let’s Eat Uzès” tour was born. We wanted participants to discover the real France by creating delicious French meals, visiting local producers that we have become friendly with, and leisurely exploring the vibrant markets. We didn’t feel the need to offer elaborate recipes that would require the purchase of expensive equipment. Rather, we thought it was important to give people the confidence to make French cooking their own, with the knowledge that the skills and tips they learned from Chef Eric made it accessible. We ensured that all the recipes that we created with them could be easily recreated at home. This was a stepping stone to future destination tours and remains the benchmark for all tours offered by Let’s Eat The World.
David Hochman: How are we different from other food travel companies?
Yetunde Oshodi: I love to travel and believe that planned travel creates understanding and tolerance. By truly exploring the culture around us, we learn a lot about ourselves. There is nothing better than cooking and sharing a meal together with someone; it is a special moment where we can exchange experiences and insights.
With so many places to explore around the world, I wanted to go beyond France and truly “eat the world,” so I took tours to Seville, Spain; Tbilisi, Georgia; Parma, Italy; and also brought people back to where the story began, to Cook’n With Class in Paris. The tours are centered around food, but never skip over the cultural excursions that tie the whole thing together.
Almost every tour includes several cooking classes with a chef, or if they’re not a professional chef, they’re taught by the best ambassadors of that particular destination’s culinary culture: the moms and grandmas who inspired them. Group sizes are intentionally kept small (8 people or less) to ensure attention for everyone, making it an intimate experience and certainly more manageable than a group of 12 or more.
David Hochman: How involved are you with the different experiences that you offer?
Yetunde Oshodi: All my tours are tested by me, chef-approved and include time to explore the destinations we visit at a leisurely pace. As travelers, we always want to pack in as much as possible and offer more activities on our tours, but some of the best travel experiences leave you wanting to experience more and more. That is only possible when you take the time to savor everything on a slower trip. We pace our programs to make it all possible, so you never need a break from your vacation. When you finish a tour, you should feel like you have learned something about the region, about the small producers who preserve their culture and innovate their cuisine, and realize that you can recreate at home what you prepared during the tour. In how many cities/regions do you tour? What are your most popular offerings?
David Hochman: What advice would you give to someone who is having trouble deciding which tour to choose?
Yetunde Oshodi: We are best known for our week-long tour in Uzès, France, which we have been offering since 2016, Let’s Eat Uzès. Who could resist the French countryside? The tour focuses on Mediterranean and Provençal cuisine in the region that is France’s largest wine-producing region. The picturesque weekly market is the inspiration for our meals, and we offer seasonally-driven dishes that our guests will enjoy cooking and savoring. However, I have since offered tours in Seville, Spain, Let’s Eat Seville, where I work alongside a local Spanish chef, highlighting Andalusian culture in dance, music, food and wine. I have also recently offered tours in Parma, Italy’s gastronomic capital, and Tbilisi, Georgia, in the country’s status as the crossroads between East and West, Let’s Eat Georgia. Our final destination may not necessarily be on many people’s must-visit lists, but I personally fell in love with Paris and the surrounding countryside after visiting it and fell in love with the cuisine. We also offer a 5.5-day gourmet trip around Paris, France (Let’s Eat Paris) that includes a day trip to the Champagne region.
David Hochman: Ilaria Bertinelli is a fantastic instructor. From the moment you meet her, you can really appreciate the beauty of Parma cuisine.
Yetunde Oshodi: That’s right. I love passionate people and when I was introduced to Ilaria Bertinelli, I knew I had met an amazing woman. Not only does she speak fluent English, as all my tours are in English, but she has an incredible background and a unique approach to Italian cuisine, which I appreciate and love. Now I can proudly say that I can offer a culinary experience to those with special dietary restrictions, such as low sugar or gluten free, and do not compromise for those with no intolerances. She was the perfect candidate to be the chef and guide for my group on the “Let’s Eat Parma” tour of Parma.
David Hochman: What’s next for Eat the World? Any exciting plans?
Yetunde Oshodi: A lot of things. Together with my husband and son, I have traveled to over 18 countries in the past year. It was a combination of work and pleasure. I am currently working with local agents and agencies in Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Tanzania and Senegal to create tours that inspire people to travel, taste and discover. These are my next destinations, and I might include Sicily as I was recently approached by a potential partner in Sicily. I create tours that I personally want to do, but if my collaborators don’t have the same feeling when they hear about the tour, I will re-plan to create something that will really excite them. From running a culinary school, a vacation rental company and my previous tour experience, I know very well what to expect from an exceptional experience. I aim to provide an authentic connection to the local culture and a high standard of comfort and service. I can’t wait to publish these tours online and invite more people to explore with us.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
