Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food & Wine Road Warrior in Spain: Master Florida Chef Norman Van Aken, Godfather of Fusión Cuisine, Who Wrote: "One of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever known on the gastronomy of Spain, Gerry Dawes."

 

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“No one knows the world of food and drink of Spain like Gerry Dawes!” Having Gerry guide you around Spain as my wife Janet and I have done is one of the greatest ways imaginable to take in what is white-hot or classic regarding all things gastronomia. Treat yourself and those you love to the real insider's tour and read Sunset in a Glass!"--Norman Van Aken, Chef, Restaurateur and author of Norman Van Aken’s Florida Kitchen and No Experience Necessary, the Culinary Odyssey of Chef Norman Van Aken. (From the quotes for Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food & Wine Road Warrior in Spain (Volumes I, II, III & IV; publication of the first two volumes in Fall 2021.)

 

Jose Andrés shows Norman Van Aken how he fries at egg in Juan Suárez's kitchen, after a doay at Madrid Fusión 2006.  Photo by Gerry Dawes©2006.

 

Madrid Jan 12-15-06 Chef Norman Van Aken, Juan Suárez, Janet Van Aken, Chef José Andrés, Chef Mark Miller, culinary historian and scientist, author Harold McGee and Esmeralda Capel at the home of Juan and Esmeralda, when Juan showed all of them how to properly fry an egg Spanish style in Spanish Extra Virgen Olive Oil.  Photo by Gerry Dawes©2006.
 

Chef Norman Van Aken normanvanaken on Instagram "Happy #tbt! Here we were in Madrid for @MadridFusion2006. We had been invited to a small but memorable gathering at a private home. Along with us were Chef Jose Andrés @chefjoseandres, Chef Mark Miller and among others Harold McGee @mcgee.onfood.onsmells. (Juan Suárez and Esmeralda Capel, one of the directors of Madrid Fusion, were our hosts).  Photo by one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever known on the #gastronomy of Spain, Gerry Dawes."

 

In 2006, the Bar at Casa Rafa Marisquería legend began to kick into high gear, when the likes of Charlie Trotter, Norman Van Aken, Tetsuya Wakuda and Don Alfonso Iaccarino were all at Madrid Fusión.  That year, I arranged to meet them all–three of the chefs with their significant others with them, along with star Spanish food journalist, Juanma Bellver–at the Bar at Rafa for some stellar shellfish tapas, a bit of bubbly and some conversation. 

 

  Gerry Dawes, Tetsuya Wakuda, Rochelle Smith, Livia Iaccarino, Janet Van Aken, Charlie Trotter and Norman Van Aken at Rafa.  Photo by Don Alfonso Iaccarino.

 

 

 

 Chefs Charlie Trotter and Norman Van Aken at Casa Rafa Marisquería in Madrid during a evening break from Madrid Fusión 2006.  Note Norman´s reflection in the mirror as he looks at his "brother" Charlie.  Photo by Gerry Dawes©2006.

 

 

Chef Norman Van Aken contemplates a whole rodaballo (turbot) at Kaia restaurant in Getaria, Spain on another outing with me in 2005.   Photo by Gerry Dawes©2005.

 

Chef Elena Arzak, Restaurante Arzak, San Sebastián with Chef Norman Van Aken on another adventure with me in 2005.  Photo by Gerry Dawes©2005.

 

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Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food & Wine Road Warrior in Spain (Volumes I, II, III & IV; publication of the first two volumes in Fall 2021. 

 

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 Constructive comments are welcome and encouraged.

 

 Help Support Gerry Dawes's Spain & Its Content

If you enjoy these blog posts, please consider a contribution to help me continue the work of gathering all this great information and these photographs for Gerry Dawes's Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel. Contributions of $5 and up will be greatly appreciated. Contributions of $100 or more will be acknowledged on the blog. Please click on this secure link to Paypal to make your contribution.

 

Text and photographs copyright by Gerry Dawes©2021.  Using photographs without crediting Gerry Dawes©2021 on Facebook.  Publication without my written permission is not authorized.

 

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  Shall deeds of Caesar or Napoleon ring
More true than Don Quixote's vapouring?
Hath winged Pegasus more nobly trod
Than Rocinante stumbling up to God?

 

Poem by Archer M. Huntington inscribed under the Don Quixote on his horse Rocinante bas-relief sculpture by his wife, Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington,

in the courtyard of the Hispanic Society of America’s incredible museum at 613 W. 155th Street, New York City.

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In 2019, again ranked in the Top 50 Gastronomy Blogs and Websites for Gastronomists & Gastronomes in 2019 by Feedspot. (Last Updated Oct 23, 2019) 

"The Best Gastronomy blogs selected from thousands of Food blogs, Culture blogs and Food Science blogs in our index using search and social metrics. We’ve carefully selected these websites because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information."  

36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel

 
About Gerry Dawes

My good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's culinary life." -- Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019

Gerry Dawes is the Producer and Program Host of Gerry Dawes & Friends, a weekly radio progam on Pawling Public Radio in Pawling, New York (streaming live and archived at www.pawlingpublicradio.org and at www.beatofthevalley.com.)

Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià. 

In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés. 

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 

 

Pilot for a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
 

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain  

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com

About Gerry Dawes Bio, Awards, Quotes from Famous Chefs and Culinarians and Custom Gastronomic and Cultural Tours to Spain

  

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Gerry Dawes, Juanito Bayen (owner of Bar Pinotxo) and the late Juli Soler (the front of the house genius behind elBulli) at Pinotxo Bar, Barcelona, Jan. 14, 2014.  Photo courtesy of Gerry Dawes©2014 / gerrydawes@aol.com / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest.  Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS30 43-86mm f3.3 – f6.4.

 

 

 

 "Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's culinary life.  At a time when most food journalists were writing about France and Italy, Gerry went off in his own direction to become the first to really tell the story of Spain. But, for Gerry, Spain is more than just the Adriàs and (Juan Mari and Elena) Arzaks.  He has connected with all manner of people working at every level and in every corner of Spain.  I’m always amazed at this reach.  You can step into a restaurant in the smallest town in Spain, and it turns out they know Gerry somehow.” - - Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter; Chef-partner of Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards, New York.

 

Click on title to see full post. 

 

 

A Homage to Culinary Adventures with Juan Suárez, One of the Great Non-professional Cooks in Spain: Teaching Famous Culinarians How to Fry an Egg, Cocido Madrileño, Cooking in Napa Valley at Cindy Pawlcyn's, Cooking at Home for the Madrid Fusión Mejicano Contingent and a Magical Adventure at Kaia near San Sebastián

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Gerry Dawes's Persistence of Memory* (Salvador Dalí)  Melting Watch Awards.

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Text & Photographs by Gerry Dawes©2010

gerrydawes@aol.com

Juan Suárez and his grandson, Borja, in a photo in Juan's kitchen in Madrid.

Juan Suárez, husband of Esmeralda Capel, one of the Directors of the  annual Madrid Fusión Gastronomy Summit, is one of the most accomplished non-professional cooks in Spain.  For several years, I have been following the cooking exploits of Suárez, a retired lawyer, avid golfer, one Hell of a culinarian and one of my great friends.  Even calling Suárez “non-professional” chef is stretching the point.  Technically, he does not get paid for cooking, but he is so well thought of by the great Chef Juan Mari Arzak that he has been invited to spend a week cooking in Arzak’s kitchen on several occasions.

Juan Suárez and Juan Mari Arzak at Arzak, where Juan has spent whole weeks cooking.

Read the rest of the article by clicking here 

Experience Gerry Dawes's Spain: Customized, Specialized Food, Wine Cultural & Photographic Tours of Spain & Tour Advice

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Drinking Godello at Estado Puro in Madrid.
Photo by Harold Heckle, Associated Press, Madrid.

In October, 2015, John Sconzo (Docsconz: Musings on Food & Life) and I led a group on an exclusive tour of Northern Spain, visiting Galicia, Asturias, the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja and Madrid. 

 In January 2014, I organized and led the Club Chefs of Connecticut and New York on a culinary educational tour through Barcelona, San Sadurni d'Anoia (Cava country), Valencia, Alicante and Madrid. 

In October 2013, I led 28 people, including baseball great Keith Hernandez, on The  Commonwealth Club of California Taste of Spain Tour with Gerry Dawes 2013 to Madrid, Córdoba, Sevilla, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Ronda, Granada, Almagro, Toledo and Chinchón, highlighting gastronomy, culture and wine.  

Gerry Dawes and baseball great Keith Hernandez at the Alhambra in Granada.

The following week, I organized and led John Sconzo (Docsconz:  Musings on Food and Life http://docsconz.com/2014/02/a-master-cortador-makes-his-mark-in-avila/) and his son L. J. on a week-long trip through Segovia, Ávila, Segovia, Cáceres, Mérida, Jabugo, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the Sierra Morenas north of Córdoba, Chinchón and Toledo.  With more posts to come on his blog, John Sconzo wrote this in one of his first entries about the trip:

"Nights like this are ones that just need to be appreciated for the something special that they are. It is no exaggeration that Gerry Dawes, my friend, traveling companion and guide “knows and appreciates Spain more than all but a few Spaniards” let alone people from other countries. That statement came from our host for the evening, Benjamin Rodriguez Rodriguez, the proprietor of the humble appearing, but fully sensational El Rincon de Jabugo situated in the equally humble, but comfortable Gran Hostal San Segundo located just outside the historic walls of Avila near the  San Vicente gate."

“I have said this before and I’ll say it again, nobody knows Spain like Gerry Dawes. I sincerely doubt that there is another American, and very few, if any, Spaniards can approach, let alone surpass his knowledge of the people, food, wine and culture of Spain. He has been frequenting the depths, breadths and heights of the country as a second home for nearly fifty years, leaving no stone, and especially no wine, unturned during that time.” -- Wining and Dining Around Spain with Gerry Dawes: Part 1 (of a 6-part series) by John Sconzo, Docsconz: Musings on Food & Life, March 10, 2015 (From a second trip Sconzo took with me, this one this year.)

“Gerry Dawes is a true gastronomad, walking the culinary and cultural by-ways of the Spanish soul and then sharing every bit of his passion and knowledge (both considerable) with the reader.  I once overheard someone say that James Michener said Gerry was the only one qualified to write the sequel to Iberia.  I have learned so much from his experiences -- he is the "go-to" guy for anything authentically Spanish and is unparalleled in his experience with Spanish wines.  Gerry has introduced the world to Spanish chefs (including Ferran Adria), Spanish food products, wines, history (I especially love his respect for Spain's Jewish culture -- and he's not Jewish), and travel.”  - - Rozanne Gold, Four-time James Beard Foundation award-winning chef and author.  

Pilot for a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.

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For customized trips, contact Gerry Dawes (based in New York) with desired dates, areas of interest in Spain (gastronomy, wine, art, history, culture, photography, etc.), specific sights you might like to see, number of possible travelers, and an estimated budget for your group. 

gerrydawes@aol.com

Phone: 914-414-6982 
Teléfono movíl (during stays in España): (011 34) 670 67 39 34

More Endorsements and Testimonials From Culinary Stars 

Gerry Dawes & His Amazing Spanish Artisanal Wines, Huffington Post

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by Brad Haskel, Huffington Post

 

 Drinking Godello at Estado Puro in Madrid.
Photo by Harold Heckle, Associated Press, Madrid. 

With his uniquely artistic vision, Gerry Dawes has knitted together a portfolio of family owned Spanish wineries of incredible quality. Recently, he formed a sales and marketing company called The Spanish Artisan Wine & Spirits Group-Gerry Dawes Selections, that has already begun appearing in great restaurants around the country. Gerry's path for leading the company is based on his many years of experience selling the wines selected by other historically notable wine merchants; Gerald Asher, Colonel Frederick Wildman, Robert Haas, and Leonardo LoCascio. His fine wine experience, and an adult lifetime love affair with Spain is the perfect recipe for this company. His strengths are an undying passion for finding wines that represent what is true, either by tradition, or by an uncluttered vision for the cutting edge.  

Ask him about his wines and he will tell you very surely why they are in the selection.

 
"It is easy," he says, "I just hate wines that suck."

Gerry is an acquired taste. His wines are not. I am his business partner, and I have been in the wine trade more than 25 years. I can honestly say this is as fine a portfolio of wines I have ever tasted. Gerry's passion fuels a  ferocious point of view for what great wine should be at all levels of the spectrum. 

He looks for wines with purity, cleanliness, typicity, low alcohol levels, little to no use of oak, with the exceptions of regions where the tradition requires it. Even then, he starts to rant, if the levels of barrel aging are out of balance to the wine itself. His belief is in the vineyards and what they produce, with as little interference from winemaking tricks as possible. Purity and terruño, the Spanish version of terroir, is what makes Gerry smile.

 Read More Here

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About Gerry Dawes

Dawes is Presidente-Jefe & Chairman of the Board, The Spanish Artisan Wine & Spirits Group - Gerry Dawes Selections

Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.  

 In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés. 

". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 

Pilot for a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
 

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain  

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@spanishartisanwine.com.

Endorsements and Testimonials From Culinary Stars and Those Who Have Traveled With Gerry Dawes in Spain

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Endorsements and Testimonials

______________________________________________ 

I have planned and led tours for such culinary stars as Chefs Thomas Keller, Mark Miller (six times), Terrance Brennan (twice), Mark Kiffin, Michael Lomonaco and Michael Chiarello and such personalities as baseball great Keith Hernandez.  And I have led on shorter excursions and/or have given detailed travel advice to many other well-known chefs and personalities such as Drew Nieporent, Danny Meyer, Norman Van Aken, Ruth Reichl, Mauro Maccioni, Jeffrey Steingarten, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, Cindy Pawlcyn and James Campbell Caruso.

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 "My good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's culinary life." -- Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés of José Andrés ThinkFoodGroup, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019

"Trust me everyone, I have traveled with this man, if Gerry Dawes tells you to eat somewhere it's like Bourdain, believe it!!" - - Chef Mark Kiffin, The Compound Restaurant, Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“Spain wouldn’t be as known to Americans without the stories Gerry tells and writes.” - - Superstar Catalan Chef Ferran Adrià, elBulli

"But, for Gerry, Spain is more than just the Adriàs and (Juan Mari and Elena) Arzaks. He has connected with all manner of people working at every level and in every corner of Spain. I’m always amazed at this reach. You can step into a restaurant in the smallest town in Spain, and it turns out they know Gerry somehow. I remember one rainy night in Madrid during the 2003 Madrid Fusión congress. I wanted to go to my favorite place for patatas bravas, the ultimate tapa. But Gerry had another place in mind, and I didn’t know about it. But Gerry is always right. The potatoes at his place were amazing.” - - Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019; Chef-partner of Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards, New York 2019 
 

(Double click on tour advertisement to enlarge.)

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"In his nearly thirty years of wandering the back roads of Spain," Gerry Dawes has built up a much stronger bank of experiences than I had to rely on when I started writing Iberia...His adventures far exceeded mine in both width and depth..." -- James A. Michener, author of Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections

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“The American writer and town crier for all good Spanish things Gerry Dawes . . . the American connoisseur of all things Spanish . . .” Michael Paterniti, The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge and The World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese

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"Gerry Dawes, I can't thank you enough for opening up Spain to me." -- Michael Chiarello on Twitter. 

"Chiarello embarked on a crash course by traveling to Spain for 10 days in 2011 with Food Artscontributing authority Gerry Dawes, a noted expert on Spanish food and wine. Coqueta's (Chiarello's new restaurant at Pier Five, San Francisco) chef de cuisine, Ryan McIlwraith, later joined Dawes for his own two week excursion, as well. Sampling both old and new, they visited wineries and marketplaces, as well as some of Spain's most revered dining establishments, including the Michelin three-star Arzak, Etxebarri, the temple to live fire-grilling; Tickets, the playful Barcelona tapas bar run by Ferran Adrià and his brother, Albert; and ABaC, where Catalan cooking goes avant-garde." - - Carolyn Jung, Food Arts, May 2013.

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 Tapas hopping with a few friends at Rafa in Madrid.  

Gerry Dawes, Tetsuya Wakuda, Rochelle Smith, Livia Iaccarino (Don Alfonso 1890)
Janet Van Aken, Charlie Trotter, Norman Van Aken.  Photo: Don Alfonso Iaccarino.

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EO Agency Pilot Video of Proposed 7 Days, 7 Nights Television Series

with Gerry Dawes (& Guest Chef Terrance Brennan)
 

(Click on arrow to play video.)

"Gerry has an extraordinary knowledge of Spain, not just the cuisine and wine but the geography (little tapas bars on tiny streets in villages up in the mountains), history, culture and people. One of the highlights of the trip for me was not a 3-star Michelin meal, but a lunch at a winery. Gerry, of course, knew the winemaker, and we dined in a large beautiful room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the vineyard. We ate simply: tomato salad, jamón ibérico, great bread and olive oil, baby lamb chops grilled over grape vines cuttings (exquisite), ewes’ milk cheese and, of course, great wine. What was special about this was the people, who invited us into their home with warmth and genuine hospitality, their alegría de vida (joie de vivre). I don’t speak Spanish but didn’t have too, we communicated through food, wine, banter, laughter and facial expressions." - - Terrance Brennan, Chef, cookbook author, creator-owner of New York’s Picholine and Artisanal restaurants. Brennan rates this trip, which predates the film pilot, as one of the top two gastronomic experiences of his life. 

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Gerry Dawes has been traveling in Spain for more than 40 years has done more than 100 extensive food and wine trips to Spain, 60 in the past decade alone. He has been cited for his knowledge of Spain in The New York Times and New York Times Magazine, New York Newsday, The Wine Spectator, The James Beard Foundation Newsletter, Food Arts, Men's Journal, and Spain's El País, El Mundo, Cambio 16, and Restauradores. Dawes has led numerous culinary and wine tours to Spain. 

His clients have included The World Trade Center Club, Club Managers of America Wine Society, Chef Mark Miller and his management team, the mythical 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron and The Commonwealth Club of California (trips in 2006 & 2013), Chef Michael Chiarello, Chef Ryan McIlwraith, the Club Chefs of New York and Connecticut, John Sconzo of Docsconz: Musings on Food & Life.

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Testimonials on Gerry Dawes's Spain Expertise

"I have been reading Gerry Dawes’ work on Spain for years, have been guided by him on visits to Spain, depend on him to answer any questions I might have about Spain, and hear from him when I get something wrong about Spain. No one is a more indefatigable lover and authority about his adopted country, and no one writes better about its food and wines."- - John Mariani, Mariani's Virtual Gourmet Newsletter; columnist for Esquire, Wine Spectator, Bloomberg News and Radio, and Diversion. He is author of The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink (Lebhar-Friedman), The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink (Broadway), and, with his wife Galina, the award-winning Italian-American Cookbook (Harvard Common Press).

"My first introduction to Spanish cuisine was a fabulous two-week trip I took all around Spain with Gerry Dawes in 1990." -- Thomas Keller, Chef-owner, The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery.

"As with most culinary adventures, for Terrance Brennan (Chef-owner of New York City's Picholine and Artisanal restaurants; Founder of Artisanal Premium Cheese Center) it began as an occasional whisper. Then it became a persistent drone. And, finally a repetitive shout: 'Spain! Go to Spain! . . . Spain is the new France!' It was hard to ignore, so when his long-time friend Gerry Dawes suggested a whirlwind gastronomic tour of Spain, Terrance leapt at the idea. Dawes often referred to as 'Mr. Spain' (in culinary and wine circles), is an expert on that country's food, wine, and culture, and was the ideal person with whom to make the pilgrimage. Reigning in Spain: Blazing Through a Culinary Tour, The Artisanal Table, Summer 2008.

"Going to Spain with Gerry Dawes as Janet and I have done is one of the greatest ways imaginable to take in what is white-hot or classic regarding all things gastronomia. Treat yourself and those you love to the real insider's tour and join the Gerry tapeo!"-- Norman Van Aken, "The Father of New World Cuisine, "Chef, Author, Restaurateur

 

"I have taken ten trips to Spain, but the best trip was the one (of the six) Gerry Dawes orchestrated for me. His love and knowledge of the foods and wines of Spain are intoxicating. His ever present enthusiasm made my Spanish experiences with him memorable." - - Mark Miller, Chef/owner, Coyote Cafe (Santa Fe, New Mexico), winner of the James Beard Foundation's Southwestern Chef of the Year Award 1996.

 

"Just wanted to send you a big THANK YOU for the world's greatest two-hour tour of Madrid. From the boquerones to the capes to the good company, we loved every minute! Hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again soon...on any continent. With appreciation." - - Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, James Beard Award-winning co-authors of BECOMING A CHEF, CULINARY ARTISTRY, DINING OUT, CHEF'S NIGHT OUT, THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, THE FLAVOR BIBLE and ON MASTERING WINE (forthcoming from Little, Brown), Web: www.becomingachef.com

Commonwealth Club of California

A Taste of Spain Tour October 2006

(Click on the arrow to activate slideshow, click on the lower left corner box to turn captions on or off; double click on the image box to go to a Picasa webpage where, by clicking on "slideshow," you can see the images enlarged full frame.) 

 Testimonials

"Wow! What a trip!!! It was everything we hoped for and so much more--we very much enjoyed it. This has been one of the best trips we've ever taken and believe me, we've had a blast in the past! We hope to join up with you on a tour Southern Spain. Until then." Jo & Linda Rubino

"Thanks so much for guiding us thru Spain and showing us your unique insider's view-it was a taste of Spain in more many ways than food and wine although that part was fantastic. We could never have had the experience of the country without your efforts and expertise.We believe (as do Tom and Carol) that your knowledge as well as the friendships that you have developed is a unmatched asset." All the best, Celia and Steve Rosen, New York

"Carol and I are still a bit woozy in the head from the time difference but we have been talking nonstop about our great trip and how it exceeded our expectations. Thanks for the adventure and getting us access to the best wineries and restaurants in from Madrid to Barcelona. Again thanks for everything." Thomas H. Burkhart, CEO, The Savant Group, San Francisco, CA 

"Lars and I just got home from Spain. Wanted to tell you again how memorable you made the tour of Spain and how much we enjoyed the great restaurants, wineries and people you were able to gather together for the group." Carol Vistnes, San Francisco

"Thanks for the tour! Mercedes (Lopez de Heredia, La Rioja) and the cooperage will always be remembered as will the "boat" trip (the ferry to Casa Camara in Pasajes de San Juan) and meal in San Sebastian (at three-star Michelin Arzak). Thanks for a wonderful trip. This one is the best ones ever for me. We would like to take another trip with you next year." Jim & Anastasia Brown, San Francisco

Chef Dani García's New Taberna Ibérica, La Huevería del Ganso, (The Hen House of the Gander!) on Calle Echegaray in the Literary Quarter of Madrid.

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  Chef Dani García's new Taberna Ibérica, La Huevería del Ganso, (the goose-hen house of the gander!), which specializes in goose eggs and dishes made with them, C/ Echegaray, 26, Madrid.

All photos by Gerry Dawes©2013 / gerrydawes@aol.com.  
Canon 5D Mark III / Canon 24 105mm f/4L IS USM.

La Huevería del Ganso, Madrid.


Goose eggs at Chef Dani García's new  Taberna Ibérica, La Huevería del Ganso, (The Hen House of the Gander!), which specializes in goose eggs and dishes made with free-range goose and goose eggs (presumably from female geese).


Poster at Chef Dani García's new Taberna Ibérica, La Huevería del Ganso, Madrid.


Menu at Chef Dani García's new Taberna Ibérica, La Huevería del Ganso, Madrid.


 Specialities at Chef Dani García's Taberna Ibérica, La Huevería del Ganso, Madrid.
 

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For custom-designed tours of Spain and planned itineraries, organized and lead by Gerry Dawes, send inquiries to gerrydawes@aol.com.  I have planned and led tours for such culinary stars as Chefs Thomas Keller, Mark Miller, Mark Kiffin, Michael Lomonaco and Michael Chiarello and such personalities as baseball great Keith Hernandez and have given detailed travel advice to many other well-known chefs and personalities.

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“The American writer and town crier for all good Spanish things Gerry Dawes . . .the American connoisseur of all things Spanish . . .” – The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge and The World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese

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"Gerry Dawes, I can't thank you enough for opening up Spain to me." -- Michael Chiarello on Twitter. Chef Chiarello toured northern Spain with me in October 2011 and was just in Barcelona again in January 2013.  He is preparing to open his new Spanish inspired restaurant, Coqueta, at San Francisco's Pier 5 in April.

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"In his nearly thirty years of wandering the back roads of Spain," Gerry Dawes has built up a much stronger bank of experiences than I had to rely on when I started writing Iberia...His adventures far exceeded mine in both width and depth..." -- James A. Michener, author of Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections

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About Gerry Dawes  

Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel  

Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià. 

 In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés. ". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009. 

 

Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series  
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
 

Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain  

Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com.