Produced by Roxanne Torelli and Linda Sample

New England is an area rich in history, culture and of course, cuisine. This is truly the area where America began, so our journey began by visiting with the native Americans who inhabited this land long before the European settlers arrived. We continued on to visit the rich industrialists who made Newport, RI their playground and feasted on oysters and caviar; then to the Portuguese whalers who brought the cuisine of the Azores to Massachusetts; to the lobster fishermen of Maine, New England’s history created its own Culinary Learning Journey.

We started out by dining with authentic Mashantucket Pequots, the local native Americans and dined on their cuisine. Hurricane Sandy arrived in New England, just as our fellow travelers arrived… so some of our activities were quickly moved around to accommodate the high winds – and flooding! Our heroines, Linda and Roxanne did an incredible job with last minute changes.

At Maple Lane Farms we sampled their black currants and hydroponic young lettuces.  A Thyme to Cook provided an incredible “Lettuce Wall” of hydroponic lettuces that our group harvested into their salad plates. At Mystic Seaport we learned what the Portuguese whalers brought from their homeland to the cuisine of New England.  Mystic, CT and New Bedford, MA were the whaling capitals in the 1800’s. Portuguese communities still exist all along the waterfront of New England, so we stopped along the way for an authentic Portuguese luncheon.  We got to visit Sid Wainer’s where we got a tour, cooking demo and a tasting. A tour of Johnson & Wales Culinary Museum in Providence was also included.  Next stop, a cranberry bog and a tasting of Ipswich clams.  Can you think of a better place to spend Halloween than Salem, MA? So naturally a Halloween-themed costume party was that evening’s event. Roxanne from Gourmet Delights catered an incredible, authentic clambake for us before we headed further north.

Passing through Vermont we sampled and watched the production of maple syrup. Finally arriving in Maine, Lobster Rolls were the featured treat served to us by the local lobstermen.

Of course, Boston was on our MUST SEE list so we walked around bean town including the beautiful North Shore area – and even took a ride in Swan boats on the Charles River.

History, culture and cuisine – all in one incredible CLJ.