Belize Culinary Tours

The amazing setting for our Culinary Vacation 2013

                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                           

  The season at Beaches and Dreams Seafront Inn, of course home of the famous Barracuda Bar and Grill, started early and is going strong here in beautiful Hopkins, Belize. 

So much so that we will, for the first time since moving here 8 years ago, be keeping the restaurant open until September, when we will close the restaurant for 6-8 weeks for a little sabbatical. The last couple of seasons, I have been out and about checking out different things that are attractions to me, but not necessarily on the  average tourist check list of things to do in Belize. But our little spot seems to be evolving into a sort of Foodies Place and that being the case, we are now offering a list of Culinary Tours that can be taken from a few hours to a full day to a complete culinary vacation. Here is a little list of some, but not all the things that we are offering our Foodie guests:                                                                             

Miss Emma’s Farm Tour– Take the half hour ride to Miss Emma’s farm to se one of the largest varieties of fruit trees in one location in

Belize. She will personally take you on a tour of her gardens and

orchards. You can even have her make a gourmet lunch for you, she has been chef for US Ambassadors and other dignitaries of Belize.

Marie Sharps Factory Tour– Marie Sharp is famous all over the world for her hot sauce made from the local habanera peppers grown in Belize. Tour her small factory and purchase factory direct gifts to bring home.

Spice Farm Tour– Tour a working Spice Farm . The Mathews spice farm and botanical gardens features a mobile tour of the farm. The founders of the Golden Stream Plantation are originally from India and noticed a similar climate here on a vacation and decided to import plants from India with the blessing of the Belize Government. You will see a plethora of flowering plants, Mahogany and Teak Trees as well as

cardamom, vanilla, Black Pepper, nutmeg, Cocoa, and exotics like

Rambuttan and Bismarchia Nobilis. We include a stop at some Mayan Ruins on the way back as well.

Cyrilia’s Chocolate Factory Tour– An organic cocoa farm producing chocolate in the Ancient Mayan way melded with modern methods this all day tour shows chocolate from the beans to finished product and is also an olfactory delight.

Chef’s Tasting Dinner– Let Chef Tony prepare a Tapas Tasting dinner to include from 6-10 courses designed especially for your tastes. Perfect for you final dinner at the Barracuda Bar and Grill.

                                                                                        These individual tours can be taken while staying at our place, and now , for the first time, and in conjunction with our  first of September restaurant closing, we are offering a complete culinary vacation, including gourmet meals, tours guided by Angela and I, cooking demonstrations and some really great accommodations at our 5 star neighboring property, Villa Verano. 

www.villaveranobelize.com

We chose Villa Verano for our stay mainly because of the open kitchen , plus a roof top kitchen for cooking demonstrations, but also because the owners and close personal friends and fellow Foodies offered me the place for an affordable price that didn't price me out of the Culinary Tour Market. 

The accommodations are perfect for a gathering of Foodies. This will be 7 nights, 8 days of all things gastronimical. we've filled the days and nights with a plethora of Foodie based trips and have the luxurious accomodations to go with. Check out the itinerary below or check out our new Facebook page,

 http://www.facebook.com/BelizeCulinaryTours 

               

Introducing Tony and Angela Marsico, lifelong foodies who have lived their lives in the fine dining industry for more than 35 years.

The Marsico’s have taken their passion for food and culture all the way from Alaska where they owned and operated one of

Alaska’s premier Fine Dining restaurants for over 30 years to

Belize, where they now own a 5 room beachfront guesthouse which is home to one of Belize’s finest restaurants, The Barracuda Bar and Grill. Tony remains one of the most highly acclaimed Chef’s in Belize and Angela, one of the most talented pastry chefs.

Join them for a weeklong Culinary adventure  personally guided by them and let them show you the diverse cultures that meld together to help form a constantly evolving culinary frontier.

Enjoy evenings of gourmet meals prepared by Tony and Angela and their wonderful staff in the open kitchen where you can observe and if you like or sit back and enjoy the Caribbean views from your home for 7 nights, the 5 star Villa Verano.

Days are filled with all things gastronomical as we will tour this small Central American Country exploring Ancient Mayan Cacao farms and chocolate factories to modern day Hot Pepper sauce producers. Food and culture intermingle with 3 distinct ethnic cultures of Mayan, Garifuna and Creole and the cuisine that has melded together this little gem of the Caribbean.

This tour is limited to 5 couples in order to allow an intimate

experience in touring, cooking and eating.

2013 tour dates September 1-7th.

The Rooms

Tony and Angela have partnered with a neighboring property with 5 star accommodations with an open kitchen and roof top outdoor kitchen in order to provide the ultimate in comfort and facilitate evening cooking demonstrations and meals in the outstanding kitchen. We will spend 7 luxurious nights in the spacious Sea grape Suites at Villa Verano.

Www.villaveranobelize.com

With 5 separate suites all with private baths, a main dining room overlooking the sea and generous open kitchen, this is the perfect spot for a gathering of Foodies. We’ll enjoy roof top BBQ’s on the 3rd story as we take In stunning sunsets over the Mayan Mountains and early breakfasts watching the sunrise over the Caribbean Sea. There is a pool as well as a roof top hot tub for guests to enjoy and the beach in Hopkins is the best in Belize for swimming and sunning.

       

The Tours

DAY 1-  We will fly you from the International Airport at Belize       City to Dangriga where we will pick you up for the short ride to Villa Verano. We’ll have a reception with complimentary rum and beer and appetizers, then let everyone get settled in to their suites to meet in the dining and kitchen area for a tour briefing and multi course dinner.

 Day 2– After a breakfast of local fry jacks, fresh fruit, local granola, yogurt and smoothies, we will head out to the Habanera Pepper Sauce factory of the World renown Marie Sharps' Pepper Sauce to tour the factory, sample her wares and be able to purchase some of her great products and learn how she came to be one of the world’s highly acclaimed pepper sauce producers.

Next we will head south Ms. Emma’s farm and Botanical gardens. Ms. Emma will personally guide us through one of Belize’s most varying tropical plantations home to a plethora of fruit bearing trees all in one location. We’ll sample fruits, see beautiful and exotic flowers and gardens and then settle in for a gourmet lunch prepared by Emma and her talented staff. Back to Villa Verano for some afternoon beach and pool time before we convene on the roof top for Mojitos, beer and BBQ feast featuring Jerk delicacies from the land and sea. Bring your suit and you can relax in the roof top hot tub afterwards.

Day 3– After a breakfast of Seafood Omelet's, we will again head south to an Organic Cacao farm and working Chocolate Factory, Cyrilia’s Chocolates. We will see first hand the care that goes into this ancient Mayan Art form and witness the melding of Ancient practices and modern technology. We il enjoy a traditional Mayan style lunch before heading back to our home on the beach. Convening in the dining room for fresh fish sampling.

Day 4– Early breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt Tuscan Style eggs, then out to sea aboard the 44 foot Catamaran Utopia. We’ll sail to the Islands where we can snorkel the northern hemisphere’s largest and most living barrier reef while enjoying tapas tasters the entire way and imbibing on local drinks, sangria and beer. We will return around 4 pm and head back to the villa and

reconvene for an evening dinner featuring wild game and wine sampling.

Day 5– Early breakfast of build your own breakfast burritos then off to tour an exotic spice farm in the heart of Belize's agricultural hot bed.  We will tour the farm with the owners who came from India to farm in this very similar climate. Spice sampling and demonstration and lunch will be followed by a one hour stop at the mystic Mayan ruins of Lim Ni Punit before we head back to the beach.  We’ll be dining on lobster with 3 different preparations in the evening as well as a chardonnay sampling.

Day 6– After local style late breakfast, we’ll head into the Jungle at Mayflower Bocawina National Park where you can choose to do

Belize’s longest Zip Line or just go on a guided hike to waterfalls and tour the beautiful grounds, complete with unexcavated Mayan ruins. We’ll have a lunch of Shrimp Tacos then head back to the Villa where you will be free until dinner for another roof tip BBQ featuring the local poultry and grilled vegetables.

Day 7– The final day we’ll have a leisurely American style breakfast before we go head down to Placencia for a day of shopping and exploring. Lunch will be on your own here and we’ll head back to the Villa around 2pm for total decompression time and a final feast of a 10 course Tapas and dessert sampling.

Day 8– Transport back to Belize City for your flight home. 

contact me at vacation_belize@yahoo.com  for more information on the Culinary Tour Belize 2013, Sept . 1st- 8th.

  

 What else is new?  How about this great Osso Bucco of Wild Boar.......

I've found a great supply of game products from one of the local Yeagermeisters. These guys live on the Hummingbird highway and are licensed to hunt commercially. They can offer a regular supply of venison, Wild Boar and  gibnut. these guys aren't the kill all animals variety for profit, rather they watch over their scertain peice, know the animal populations and mange it as micro eco system for sustainable harvest.

 

Osso Bucco of Wild Boar

Until next time....You'd better Belize it!

Lobster deliciouso

The Belize barrier reef, the world's second largest barrier reef next to Australia's, is apparent in it's fisheries regulations, which state that no lobster can be taken during the closed season from February 15 through June 15th. It is also unlawful to possess or sell, even frozen lobsters, during this closed season.



We fill in our menu with lots of shrimp and fish dishes, but hey, lobster is lobster so we're glad to be including these denizens of the deep back into our reperatoir of foodie fare.




This is the first summer season that we have kept the Barracuda Bar and Grill open, largely because it is such a chef driven restaurant, I won't let anyone else come and cook there or attempt to keep the restaurant open in my usual summer absence. This summer we stayed on to complete our 5 year renovation plans, fianally getting our own home above the restaurant in order. I must say that even summer now is bringing the tourist trade and alot of people coming to look at real estate in thier desire to retire in paradise, so the Bartracuda Bar and Grill has been open and though not hopping, it has been a pleasurable pace to cook at , and of course leaves a little time for culinary experimentation and personalized serrvice of our guests like 6 course tasting dinners filled with fresh veggies, seafood and the Italian-Caribbean blend of fusion cooking that we call Mediteribbean.


Avacados are in abundance right now and one of our little Tapas items for the tasting dinners has been a simple lobster and avacado salad, laced with fresh tomatoes, garlic, firm but ripe avacados, fresh basil and tiny slivers of crispy roasted garlic on top to give a crunchy, slightly bitter aspect to the freshness of the dish.
The lobster fisherman are bringing the fresh lobsters right to our dock on an everyother day basis, so keeping fresh lobsters on hand for Lobster Bisque, Lobster Thermidor, Lobster Coconut curry, Lobster Scampi, and even just plain lobster baked with garlic butter and lots of fresh limes for squeezing. Another great dish we prpare using all of our fresh available seafood is a uniquely Mediteribbean dish we call Mediteribbean Seafood Stew. It's somewhere halfway between Boulabaisse and Ciopino, incorperating seafood stock, marinara almost equally, add lots of our fresh chopped herb mix of Thyme, Marjoram, Basil and Oregeno, grown right here on the second story herb garden, lots of garlic and a splash of white wine. We simmer the seafood just until done, adding the larger peices first and the smaller, faster cooking things like shrimp last so that none of the seafood becomes overcooked, a personal complaint of mine. There is nothing worse than someone overcooking seafood, especially of the shellfish variety. So I always pay special attention to cooking times in mixed shellfish ingredient dishes.
If you make it down to Hopkins this summer, be sure to stop into the Barracuda Bar and Grill at Beaches and Dreams.

Setting Back the Clock....and Moving Forward

For anyone who may not be aware, I am from Italian American decent. Both my parents arrived ont "The Boat" with thier parents as young children, making my siblings and I, 1st generation Italian -Americans. I was the youngest of six and my sister Annette recently sent me the following discertation which I relate to perfectly:

> The Italian Clan ~ > > I am sure for most second generation Italian American children who > grew up in the 40's, 50's & 60's there was a definite distinction > between us and them. We were Italians, everybody else, the Irish, the > Germans, the Polish, they were Americans. > > I was well into adulthood before I realized I was an > American. I had been born American and lived here all > my life, but Americans were people who ate peanut butter and jelly > sandwiches on mushy white bread. I had no animosity towards them, it's > just I thought ours was the better way with our bread man, egg man, > vegetable man, the chicken > man, to name a few of the peddlers who came to our > neighborhoods. We knew them, they knew us. > > Americans went to the A&P. It amazed me that some > friends and classmates on Thanksgiving and Christmas ate > only turkey with stuffing, potatoes, and cranberry sauce. We had > turkey, but only after antipasti, soup, lasagna, meatballs and salad! > > In case someone came in who didn't like turkey, we also > had a roast of beef. Soon after we were eating fruits, nuts, pastries > and homemade cookies sprinkled with little colored things. This is > where you learned to eat a seven course meal between noon and four > PM, how to handle hot chest nuts and put peaches in wine. Italians > live a romance with food. Sundays we would wake up to the smell of > garlic and onions frying in olive oil. We always had macaroni and > sauce (gravy). > > Sunday would not be Sunday without going to Church. We knew when we got home we'd find meatballs frying, and > nothing tasted better than newly cooked meatballs with crisp bread > dipped into a pot of hot gravy (not sauce). > > > > Another difference between > them and us was we had gardens. Not just with flowers, but tomatoes, > peppers, basil, lettuce and 'cucuzza'. Everybody had a grapevine and > fig tree. In the fall we drank homemade wine arguing over who made the > best. Those gardens thrived because we had something our American > friends didn't seem to have. We had Grandparents. > > It's not that they didn't have grandparents. > It's just they didn't live in the same house > or street. We ate with our grandparents, and God forbid we didn't > visit them 3 times a week. I can still remember my grandfather telling > us how he came to America when he was young, on the 'boat.' > > I'll never forget the holidays when the relatives would gather at my > grandparents' house, the women in the kitchen, the men in the living > room, the kids everywhere. I must have fifty cousins. My grandfather > sat in the middle of it all drinking his wine he was so > proud of his family and how well they had done. > > When my grandparents died, things began to change. Family gatherings > were fewer and something seemed to be missing. Although we did get > together usually at my mother's house, I always had the feeling > grandma and grandpa were there. > > Its understandable things change. We all have families of > our own and grandchildren of our own. Today we visit once in a while > or meet at wakes or weddings. Other things have also changed. The old > house my grandparents bought is now covered with aluminum siding. A > green lawn covers the soil that grew the tomatoes. There was no one to > cover the fig tree, so it died. > > The holidays have changed. We still make family > 'rounds' but somehow things have become more formal. > The great quantities of food we consumed, without any ill effects, are > not good for us anymore. Too much starch, too much cholesterol, too > many calories in the pastries. The difference between 'us' and 'them' > isn't so easily defined anymore, and I guess that's good. > > My grandparents were Italian-Italians; my parents were > Italian-Americans. I'm an American and proud of it, just as my > grandparents would want me to be. We are all Americans now...the > Irish, Germans, Polish, all U.S. citizens. > > But somehow I still feel a little bit Italian. Call it culture...call > it roots...I'm not sure what it is. All I do know is that my children, > grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, have been cheated out of a > wonderful piece of our heritage. >

Now, here I am in Belize, and the clock has been set back. Abundant tomatoes grow in my own garden. A second story balcony in a more protected area grows my herbs such as basil, dill oregeno and mint.
Two times a week the pineapple and lime guy comes. He's the grower. Another truck arrives with Francesco, another vegetable salesman. He's not the grower, but he travels around and buys from local farmers and brings a variety of fresh produce. I talk with the farmers and let them know what I'll buy. Now there are a few more lettuce growers and instead of going for the giant zuchini for weight, I can get smaller more delicate ones. The very fisherman I buy my fish from now know how I like my filets and actually what type of filets I like and we are on a first name basis. The Country Foods truck brings local eggs, of which all are fresh brown eggs (white eggs are illegal to sell here) and dried beans and flour produced in Spanish Lookout by the Mennonites.

The Dairy truck comes once a week as well, with cream, milk and yogurt. To me it is as close to the food as a chef can be without being the farmer himself, (which wouldn't give one enough time to be a chef). A local farm not 5 miles away now has a meat processing plant and I can go to the butcher himself and again give him my specifications on various cuts of Beef and Pork.

Another farm on the Hopkins road is now raising quality ducks, quail, lamb and Guinea Fowl and one only has to pick up the phone and order for a next day pick-up.

When a few of the fisherman go out to Glovers Reef, they know to bring me my Tuna and Wahoo whole, as I like to cut the filets myself and the palagics keep better that way after proper bleeding, perfect for a rare seared Albacore Tuna over spicy Bok Choi with ginger lime reduction sauce.

All in all, maybe its not the days of yesteryear for most people in the States, but here , the clock has been set back to a more direct interaction between chef and suppliers, and as a first generation Italian American- Belizean, I can only sit back in the evenings when the cool tradewinds blow and reflect on anther Culinary day of buying and cooking and sharing and enjoying and think that this is the way it should always be....close to the things that sustain us.........Belize it or not, its a step back in time, and in my opinion, a step in the right direction!

Basil, Papaya and Mr. Ventura

It has been a whirlwind first 6 weeks in Belize. Aside from the usual paint and nails and re-establishing my contacts for fresh fish filet's, lobster and imported culinary niceties like arborio rice and cous cous, I was re-establishing my sensitive herb garden. The salt air on the coast is hard on the non-native varieties of Italian Basil, dill, sage, marjoram and thyme, so I seek out small micro-climates out of the wind, on the back sides of buildings, offering protection and some partial shade. One such area I had established last season was, happily, right outside the kitchen door. One big basil plant remained upon my return this year and I was able to make a very big batch of pesto before my well meaning do-all maintenance yard man, Machine, fried it with some non-organic fertilizer. I have hauled in some fertile dirt from the Sittee River and changed out the soil and have now re-planted basil, dill and sage there. I'll keep you posted with pictures as they begin to sprout.
High point of my little garden forays is the maturity of 3 papaya trees which I started in March. When they were 3 feet tall by the time I left in late April, I planted them near the driveway and in front of the entry steps. When I came back in late September, they were 15 feet tall and laden with fruit. Guests now enjoy fresh from the tree papaya with yogurt and any other fresh fruit from the local stand in Hopkins village. I was saddened to hear of the death of Mr. Ventura over the summer. He was an elderly, slightly overweight Garifuna man that became my friend by way of me practicing the Garinagu language on him. The Garifuna, of which Hopkins is probably 80%, are descendants of Africans who were on slave ships which crashed into the reef in the 1700's. the surviving Africans mingled and married with the local Carib Indians and settled in groups in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. The language that evolved to these culturally vibrant people is a mix of African and Arawac Indian. Since the staff in my busy little kitchen and restaurant are all young Garifuna who speak the language to each other, I try to learn as much as I can, usually things to do with food and drink, but also saying of life etc. By learning a new sentence each day, I soon began to steer conversations towards words I knew in Garifuna and such was the case with Mr. Ventura and I.
"Abba lebu green peppers, bieme lebu jicama," I said the first time I met him.(1 pound green peppers, 2 pounds jicama).
The startled gentleman asked where I learned to speak Arawac, and I told him I was just learning and my staff taught me.
My other great encounters with Mr. Ventura showcased a skill I developed from my many years buying produce and meats, and that is I am very good at estimating the weight of anything from 1/2 pound to 25 poundsw. I can fill a bag with any vegetable or fruit, weigh it in my hands and come to with-in one ounce every time.
I would walk to the hanging scale in the old vegetable stand and hold up bag after bag of vegetables, proclaiming its weight in Garinagu before placing it on the scale and watch as time after time I got it right. This always prompts me to bet a banana or bag of fresh roasted peanuts(Banana= 10 cents, peanuts 50 cents for a bag) to any new young recruit at the vegetable stand and Mr. Ventura would chuckle each time as he watched as I would eat my banana and tell the new guy that it is the absolute best banana I have ever eaten because I won it from him.
On another occasion, the ve getable stand was very busy, with a lot of locals buying one or 2 -50 cent items. I have learned patience in Belize, and indeed find it entertaining to see the people in big hurries for nothing so I patiently waited my turn when a Belizean working from one of the larger restaurant/resorts on the beach came in wanting a large amount of potatoes right now! An exchange of words in Garifuna took place and Mr. Ventura proceeded to ignore the man completely, even serving others that came in after him first. The last straw was when the old man looked at me, asked me how much of this and that I had, never putting it on the scale and allowing me to just pay for it with-out ever weighing it. That sent the "hurried up" man out the door with steam shooting from his ears. That was my chance to spring a new Garifuna saying I had been practicing.
"Fuda Bah, Chulu Beya Haruga
Beyba-ba-dan, chulu beya Oogaen," I said to Mr. Ventura after the episode.
(Hurry up- and get there tomorrow, take your time and get there today.)
"You got that exactly right my brother, " he said.
And we both had a great laugh.