I would like to introduce you to A Taste of Spain, a small boutique agency specializing in the design and organization of culinary tours and activities throughout Spain. They serve both small private groups of food enthusiasts as well as food professionals. It might be just the thing for you. I first learned about it from my friend Miguel Ullibarri whom I met when we were involved in our quest for Jamón Ibérico. He had been the General Manager for the Real Ibérico Consortium, coordinating the international promotion of the legendary Jamón Ibérico.
A Taste of Spain tour visits the cerdo iberico pigs grazing on the Dehesa.
The idea of A Taste of Spain was born in the late 1990’s in Madrid. Marta Angulo and Fátima Silóniz had been working together for almost 10 years coordinating the international promotion of the Foods from Spain through ICEX, a governmental agency. They decided to go out on their own, applying their knowledge and contacts to organize unique culinary experiences for food lovers interested in knowing and enjoying the foods and cuisines of Spain.
Marta is a food consultant, born in Burgos, who lived in the United Kingdom before moving to Madrid in the late 1980’s. Four years ago she had enough of big city life and moved with her family to live in the countryside close to Vejer (Cádiz). This delighted Fátima, her partner in this venture, who is a native of Cádiz. Fátima studied economics in Madrid and then worked in Sydney and New York City before returning to her beloved Spain, where she met Marta while working in Madrid at ICEX. In 2007, after almost 15 years in Madrid, Fátima moved to the ancient city of Cádiz with my friend Miguel Ullibarri.
The Team at A Taste of Spain
Miguel was born in Bilbao, studied economics there in the Basque Country, then worked for two years for the Spanish Commercial Office in Sydney where he met Fátima. Together they moved to New York where Miguel studied at NYU and worked for an advertising agency. Finally he returned to Spain, working in Madrid in the Marketing Departments of Mars and Kellogg before joining the Real Ibérico Consortium. (He had the thankless job at Kellogg of having Spaniards eat Corn Flakes for breakfast!).
During this formative period for A Taste of Spain, Anne Marie Aznarez joined the company as its third partner. She was a close friend of Marta and Fátima, whom she met while she was working for the planner of the Alimentaria Food Show in Barcelona — the gigantic Food Fair which traces its roots to medieval times. Born in France, Anne Marie has lived in Barcelona for 30 years bringing to the project her deep knowledge of the Catalan food and cuisine, together with close contacts in the food sector of this region.
So you can see that this is a partnership of food “heavyweights” to coin a phrase. I cannot think of a comparable concentration of talent. They have in common a deep appreciation of the foods and regional cuisines of their country. They know the landscapes, the farmers and producers, the chefs, and the way people live and enjoy their food in Spain. And, above all, they enjoy working together to share their love of Spain with others.
This certainly resonates with our philosophy at La Tienda. They want to keep developing slowly as a small specialized company offering the best possible service in their field and are happy to provide unique culinary experiences in Spain to our clients and friends. They believe in partnering with some of the finest and most responsible, building a close relationship with Institutions such as Slow Food or the CIA as well as food journalists, chefs, and importers.
So there you have it. If you think you would like a tailor-made food experience guided by some warm and knowledgeable people, this might be something to consider. Drawing from their experience they can put together a satisfying itinerary for you, whether you go on your own, or with guides provided.
At www.atasteofspain.com you can check some set tours, based on what their previous clients preferred, and other culinary proposals throughout Spain, including private cooking classes (traditional and avant-garde), guided tapas tours or food & wine tastings.
