“Faithful Foodie Adventures” is all about exciting opportunities that await us at various tables and food destinations across God’s beautiful world.  Some weeks I may offer a cooking class tip, a restaurant critique, or even some food ideas that hopefully expand our faith while satisfying our culinary sensibilities.  If you have any food adventure ideas, please be sure to let us know.  E-mail me your ideas at assistant@gracebeforemeals.com.

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Culinary Cruise Cuisine!

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  In this E-mail Blast get ready for some heavy duty reading, because I’ve uploaded some fun pictures from our culinary cruise for all of you.  So you’ll have the opportunity to follow us along as we sailed from Civitavecchia, Rome to Genoa to Tunisia to Spain to France, and then back to Rome for an extended Roman holiday!

(The view of the Holland America’s Noordam at the dock in Tunisia.)

I know lots of people wanted to go on this past trip but just couldn’t swing the time.  Many have called or e-mailed wondering if I would do another trip, cruise, or pilgrimage again in the future.  If there’s a chance in my schedule to lead another Catholic Culinary Excursion, I’d be very happy to discuss that with you.  Simply e-mail us back, let us know what you’re interested in, and then we can discuss with our Grace Before Meals team to see if there is a way to plan the events, generate the pilgrim guest list, and then set sail for the ride of your life!

For now, these pictures will hopefully whet your appetite.  Here’s a brief summary with pictures of the places we visited and, of course, the food we ate along the way!

(Chef Marc Andre, who assisted all of our group’s cooking demonstrations, cooking up a special treat!)

Our group’s first event was Mass together, followed by some downtime before our first of many exquisite dinners.

(Foie gras puff pastry with a citrus glaze.)

En route to our first port of Santa Margarita our Captain decided the winds and the waves were a bit too dangerous for us to take the boat’s ferry to shore.  Instead, he took us to the port of Genoa, where they make great salami, as well as the famous basil “pesto Genovese!”

(Genoa’s scenic port, with the second largest aquarium in the world!)

After a day of touring our group was treated to a special cocktail hour in the Ship’s private lounge.  How fancy, especially since it was one of the more formal nights on the cruise ship!

(It was so fancy that the chefs even made my grilled veggie salad look so good!)

The following day we had a wonderful visit to France.  Many of our group members stayed around the posh beach resort of Cannes while the Film Festival was in full swing.  For me, however, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a 40 minute ride to another posh spot – one full of Catholic culture.  In fact, this spot has its own unique culture because it’s an independent country:  Monaco!

They were preparing for the Grand Prix, and yes, I felt a little like James Bond as we passed by the famous Casino Royal Hotel.

(The famed hotel.)

The views from the mountain highways gave our group a chance to see the beauty of these historical seaport towns.

The next port offered a fascinating twist of culture, faith, and cuisine.  Tunisia!  It was a ton of fun!  The markets were filled with earnest salesmen.  The aroma of grilled lamb and cous cous wafted through the air.  And armed police guarded the tourist areas with sensitive vigilance, while our group visited museums and shops, all the while receiving tidbits of facts evidenced in the mosaic art, history, and the people.

(My mother got roped up into the Tunisian Seaport Band before her camel ride back to the ship!)

The following port took us back to the Catholic nation of Spain and the port of Barcelona.  Filled with faith, flamenco dancing and fantastic foods, this stop was surely a crowd pleaser!

(The Holy Family Temple by Gaudi, still under construction.)

(Traditional Paella Mariscos.)

After a busy few days of port hopping, our group was pleased to have some relaxing time on the ship, soaking up the sun, participating in some special cooking demonstrations, and even a private class on wine tasting with the ship’s cellar master!

(Featured wines paired with perfectly plated hors d’oeuvres.)

Our last port was Palermo, Sicily, where some members of our group ventured off to another perfectly picturesque town of Cefalu, with a Cathedral Square that overlooked the Mediterranean Ocean.  That view was enough to make us all marvel at God’s wonderful plan.

(Cathedral Square in Cefalu, the beautiful city in Palermo, Sicily.)

Finally we returned to Rome for a three-day excursion to some of the holy and historical sites of Rome.

(Inside the Roman Coliseum – the crowning jewel of the Roman Forum – where our group was given a beautifully guided tour by Liz Lev)

And, of course, we sampled all of the fine foods, including this unique dish called scrigno – a spinach, pancetta, and cream baked pasta – which our group ate in a restaurant with a natural vine canopy and the sweet sound of a nearby fountain.

Rome is one of those places that requires three weeks, not three days to really see and enjoy.  But our group made the best of it, seeing the fountains, sampling the food, and most importantly, witnessing the faith of the people!

(The Piazza San Pietro was absolutely packed during the Sunday Angelus prayer led by Pope Benedict XVI, who also imparted his Apostolic Blessing.)

Of course this gave my young niece all the more reason to throw the coins in the Trevi Fountain – a sign to ensure that one day you will return.

(My niece Alyssa with some new friends, young members of the Hungary Soccer Team, also visiting the Trevi Fountain.)

As said in the start of this E-mail Blast, a picture is worth a thousand words.  There were so many things worth remembering, which is why I snapped about 1,000 photos!  But above all, this trip/tour/cruise/vacation was also a unique pilgrimage opportunity to remind people that God created a big beautiful world.  Go out and see it!  And in seeing just how big the world is – but also how much we have in common with people from different cultures – we can travel throughout our life always remembering we are pilgrims who have a great responsibility to find God’s love and to share it with others.

The highlight was the unique opportunity to share some great cuisine with the pilgrims.

(Serving up samples of my prepared dishes to a line full of hungry spectators.)

This simply gave me the opportunity to feed the group spiritually.  After all, Jesus teaches us by word and example through the Eucharist:  if you want to teach people’s heart and minds, go through their stomachs!

(Tomb of the late Pope John Paul II, who was recently declared a “Blessed” just a few weeks before we arrived.  I had a chance to pray at this tomb before the hoards of visitors and pilgrims!)

Did you like this picture and summary of the trip?  Have you ever been on a pilgrimage?  What do you like best about that style of traveling?  Have you ever been on a culinary excursion?  If you ever want to join us for future trips, let us know.  Your comments and questions help encourage our movement.  Please post your comments or questions below.

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