At Lotus Culinary Travel our specialty is serving the food enthusiast who seeks an up-close and hands-on introduction to authentic Asian cuisines. If you not only want to see a city but participate in its life and culture; if you want to return home not just with souvenirs but with knowledge, skills and understanding that will last a lifetime; and if you believe as we do that the most direct route to the heart of any culture is its food, then one of our private or small-group culinary immersions may be the ideal adventure for you.

After much experience and research in culinary travel, we at Lotus Culinary have created a new model for people who see the world food first. We looked at the culinary travel landscape in Asia and saw two types of offerings: once-a-year, large-group tours that make whirlwind stops in several cities or countries over two to three weeks; or stand-alone, half-day cooking classes that merely whet the appetite without satisfying the craving.

Our tours, in contrast, explore one regional Asian cuisine at a time. They provide a full “tasting menu” of each famous food culture and allow the maximum number of new food experiences in a relatively short period. Our culinary immersions are offered most times of the year on request for private and small groups and are designed to fit into any Asia itinerary, from a two-night weekend getaway to a two-week multi-stop China tour.

You pick the cities you'd like to visit, the number of days and the mix of culinary and cultural activities, and we open the doors to the best restaurants, schools and kitchens in Asia.

Intimate
Because culinary travel is all we do, we don’t need to package large group tours. Thus, we offer private tours for a minimum of two people. We also assemble small group tours of no more than eight people. Our aim is to insure plentiful interaction with our chefs, instructors and hosts and a personalized, “un-tour” experience.

Insider
Our itineraries are exclusive to Lotus Culinary Travel, providing access to kitchens and chefs that you can’t get elsewhere or on your own. We partner with the best instructors in each city, professional chefs and home cooks who are adept at teaching all levels of cooking enthusiasts. Our local managers and tour leaders avoid government-designated tourist sites and commission-paying shops, bringing guests into direct contact with authentic city life while providing both up-to-date culinary guidance and cultural and historical perspective.

Immersion
Our cooking classes, market outings, producer visits and dining experiences are designed to complement and build on one another to provide a thorough introduction to the region’s cuisine. Once armed with this knowledge, guests can continue their travels confident in their food and menu familiarity or return home with the skills to prepare their own authentic feasts.