Toro Bravo PDX John Gorham Catalan rice cooking

JOHN GORHAM was the heart and soul of Toro Bravo, an iconic restaurant group in Portland. After years of success, together with his wife Renee they decided to move to Central Oregon to start a new life and a and new consulting company, Bull and Bee Hospitality. The spirit of the bullring is alive and kicking.

Summer 2021

CHEF’S TRIP WITH JOHN GORHAM

10 days - 9 nights

JOHN GORHAM was the heart and soul of Toro Bravo, an iconic restaurant group in Portland. After years of success, together with his wife Renee they decided to move to Central Oregon to start a new life and a and new consulting company, Bull and Bee Hospitality. The spirit of the bullring is alive and kicking.

Join chef John Gorham and Aborígens on a 10-day culinary journey around the Mediterranean triangle: Barcelona, Mallorca, and Valencia.

Chef JOHN GORHAM and Aborígens are happy to announce their third food exploration tour around the hidden corners of Catalan, Balearic and Valencian cuisines. After three previous successful trips that brought us to the most amazing food and wine temples of the Basque Country, Andalusia and Galicia, this time we will explore a Mediterranean triangle with the three Catalan-speaking regions of the Peninsula.

A small group of lucky travelers, together with John and his crew, and a local, insider guide from Aborígens, will start this journey in BARCELONA; a lively city with an ancient culinary tradition as well as a vibrant current food scene. After some urban and country exploration, we will fly to MALLORCA, the largest of the Balearic islands, where the beauty of its turquoise waters shouldn’t blind us from the culinary treasures that are awaiting: a rich rural cuisine, amazing seafood, wine and olive oil, cured meats, and other treasures. And on top of that, its people.

“Each one of my trips to Spain open new doors and new friends are made. This is something I have only ever shared with my family and people from with the company. I am excited to now be able to share my explorations with the public.”

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Enjoy great meals prepared by John along the trip, while you learn some recipes and tricks that will help you be a better cook

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We work hard to find the best products for you to taste. No words needed

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Cook the original paella recipe with a starred chef in Valencia

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Outdoor activities ar a big part of our culinary trips. Because understanding where products come from is as important as making a great dish with them

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Expert guidance

John Gorham and Aborígens work together to create a totally different itinerary every year. Ask our repeating guests, who have been enjoying with us the best cuisine of Catalonia and Spain regions.

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People

Farmers, artisans, fishermen, winemakers, cooks, etc. All our hosts are keepers of an ancestral heritage and we will meet them at their places to learn about that legacy.

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Cuisine

From humble taverns and bodegas to Michelin-starred high-end restaurants. From homemade meals to avant garde tasting menus. We will taste Catalonia, Mallorca and Valencia as its best and will leave no food behind.

meetings

Commitment

We go to the basics: landscapes, products, people and history. Gastronomy. Because everything we do promotes local food culture. And we love it.

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Fun

We like travelling in a good mood, taking part in witty conversations, having nice moments and forming shared memories. We just want to have fun.

local food

Local Food Insiders

Aborígens is the way two hungry journalists from Barcelona found to express what they like most: eating good food and drinking good wine. A lot. Since 2011.

Dates

Dates

September 2-11, 2021

Group

Group

Max 12 guests

Highlights

  • Family-style meals with food artisans
  • Fine-dining Michelin starred restaurants
  • Private visits to food and winemakers
  • Sailing trip around Mallorca's turquoise waters
  • Cooking lessons by chef John Gorham

Included

Accommodation in 4* hotels

Boutique fishing cottage

Michelin starred restaurants

Domestic flights

Private transfers

Chef John Gorham

JOHN GORHAM

John Gorham has been Co-Owner and Executive Chef of iconic Portland restaurants Toro Bravo, Tasty n Daughters, Tasty n Alder, Mediterranean Exploration Company, Shalom Y'all, and PLAZA DEL TORO, a gastronomic society / event space. Gorham believes that a chef’s cuisine and style is influenced by a trade route composed of travels, past work, cities lived in, and foods that their family made growing up. A ‘chef of the people’, Gorham celebrates a range of global cuisines at his influential restaurants; each with a unique identity but all embodying the quintessential Portland dining experience of family-style dishes, house-made charcuterie and seasonal sustainably-sourced ingredients.

aborigens

ABORÍGENS

Aborígens – Local Food Insiders is a project curated by two Catalan journalists and also home of all those who are genuinely interested in food culture. We design and operate extreme food tours, bespoke trips, research and consulting services, and all kind of unexpected culinary adventures for food professionals and hardcore foodies visiting Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain. As Local Food Insiders we promote local food culture by designing and leading activities which respect and reflect the territory, bring people into the community and remain faithful to our food traditions.

Red prawns from Barcelona Chef Manuel Alonso

Any questions?

Let's try to answer them

WHAT IS JOHN'S ROLE IN THE TOUR?

Chef John Gorham is willing to make your trip a memorable food experience. That means that they not only share their thoughts on products, recipes and stories behind their daily life in the kitchen, but also tricks and techniques to improve your skills as a home cook. And this time more than ever, our host chef will be cooking for the guests along the way.

WHAT'S THE PROFILE OF YOUR GUESTS

We host from industry professionals to food & wine aficionados, all of them open-minded, well-traveled people willing to have a good time. We are proud to say that our guests are not tour-type people and enjoy our “casual professionalism” (thank you Gary for such a great compliment.

"John Gorham's global palate and offbeat approach to diner classics shine through"
John Becker, food writer
"Great memories of a lifetime trip. Thank you for your casual professionalism"
Gary McIntosh, guest