Guests enjoy hands-on instruction by a Graycliff executive chef in the restaurant's five-star kitchen. (Source: Tru Bahamian Food Tours)
After leading award-winning delicious and educational food tasting and cultural walking tours through Nassau's downtown community for a little over three years, Tru Bahamian Food Tours is now expanding its reach to include cooking classes.
The "Authentic Bahamian Cooking Class and Lunch Experience" is the company's newest interactive culinary adventure and presents an opportunity to enter a five-star kitchen and prepare a traditional Bahamian meal with an executive chef. Following the hands-on food preparation, guests enjoy a private wine cellar tour of the renowned third largest private wine collection in the world, and a three-course feast in the Graycliff Restaurant dining room.
"Our team is thrilled to be able to introduce this unique cooking class experience to both Nassau visitors and members of our local community," said Bahamian entrepreneur and founder of Tru Bahamian Food Tours Alanna Rodgers.
"We've been developing this product for over a year now in collaboration with our partners at Graycliff and think it is a perfect complement to our signature "Bites of Nassau Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour. The cooking class allows our guests to slow down and connect with Bahamian cuisine and culture on deeper level by going behind the scenes and learning how to prepare a 'tru-tru' Bahamian meal with their own hands. The experience is interactive, personalized and full of entertaining Bahamian hospitality -- a great option for special events and private group activities. What's more, unlike our walking food tour, the class is accessible for guests who are unable to walk long distances or who prefer to do an activity indoors the whole time."
Rodgers said just spending time on the Graycliff property is a magical experience as the estate has so much history and is full of old world charm.
"Graycliff is an outstanding partner of ours and we're very excited about being able to offer this cooking class in collaboration with them," she said.
The meeting point for the cooking class is in Downtown Nassau's Pompey Square (free parking options are available) and following a quick introduction, guests are lead on a short six-minute stroll to the esteemed Graycliff Hotel and Restaurant where the class takes place. During the three-and-a-half-hour experience, guests prepare an authentic three-course Bahamian feast under the expert and charming instruction of executive chef Elijah Bowe, a native of East End, Grand Bahama, and are immersed in the fundamentals of traditional Bahamian cuisine, and shown basic cooking techniques that they can apply in their own kitchens at home.
In the second portion of the class, guests enjoy the unique opportunity to dine in Nassau's only five-star restaurant while savoring the delicious meal they've prepared, along with chef-selected wine.
The seasonal menu features fresh, local ingredients and has been specially designed for the class with a focus on replicating a hearty Bahamian meal. A sample menu includes welcome cocktails and nibbles; Bahamian conch chowder topped with Graycliff's signature sherry pepper sauce; fresh hog snapper broiled with native limes, bell peppers, onions, and garden thyme, served alongside Bahamian peas and rice, embellished tropical coleslaw, and traditional baked macaroni and cheese; and a decadent dessert of guava duff topped with a rum butter sauce. No one leaves hungry.
In addition to a full belly, guests also walk away with a Eating Nassau Dining Guide -- a printed booklet full of insider's restaurant recommendations as well as "must-eat" local foods and a special recipe collection for recreating chef Bowe's tasty Bahamian dishes at home along with a branded Graycliff apron.
Public cooking classes are available on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and limited in size to 12 guests, ensuring participants receive personalized attention from the chef and Tru Bahamian Food Tours' guide. Private classes are also available Monday through Sunday between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. upon request for groups of two to 16 guests. Priced at $136 per person plus tax, this culinary experience provides exceptional value as a memorable, fun, and educational experience and is designed for both cooking enthusiasts and kitchen novices alike.
The launch of the company's "Authentic Bahamian Cooking Class and Lunch Experience" comes three years after the company's signature "Bites of Nassau Food Tour" was introduced back in late 2013 -- an activity that has since garnered much International acclaim. Lead by a knowledgeable and charismatic local guide, the three-hour walking cultural tour takes guests on a culinary journey through the historic Old Nassau neighborhood highlighting Bahamian cuisine, food traditions, history, culture and architecture along the way. The tour features six delicious local tastings (enough for a hearty lunch) from restaurants, cafes and specialty stores in the Downtown Nassau community including Bahamian steamed chicken, baked macaroni and cheese and conch fritters, to locally-made Bahamian fruit gelato and freshly baked rum cakes.
"We are so grateful to our tasting partners for their partnership and willingness to allow us to share their stories and their delicious local foods with our guests. The tour is all about showcasing the chefs and artisans of our diverse and distinctive Downtown Nassau community. We're so proud that we have the opportunity to introduce curious visitors to such talented and hardworking local business owners. Each location provides a unique perspective on Nassau's historically rich and colorful tapestry that informs the Bahamian community. It's the families, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs that make Downtown Nassau's story so vibrant and we are incredibly passionate about sharing their stories with both curious visitors and locals alike," said Rodgers.
The company's cooking classes and food tours are available year round and can be purchased online at: www.TruBahamianFoodTours.com. Gift certificates, private group experiences and customized events are also available. For more information about the these delicious culinary adventures, visit the company's website, connect via Facebook, Twitter @TruBahamianFood or Instagram @TruBahamianFoodTours or call: (242) 601-1725 (local), or 1-844-850-2318 (US/CAN). Hungry for more? Follow the company's Discover Nassau Foodie Blog: www.TruBahamianFoodTours.com/Blog for Bahamian recipes, insider travel tips and more.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
