It’s that time of the year again. That awesome time of the year when some of our staff travel to Barcelona, Spain with their fearless leaders: Gretchen Thomas, Wine & Spirits Director and Adam Halberg, Culinary Director. A few years ago, they started taking a group of employees to Spain to explore the wineries, markets, cafes, bars and restaurants. This small group (usually 10 or less people) consists of chefs, managers and occasionally a member of our service staff who scored the highest on his/her proficiency exam.
Next week, the latest group of 10 people travel to Barcelona to soak up the culture and history of the countryside and the cities and return inspired to make our menu and customer service more authentic. They can experience firsthand the mood of the restaurants, the seasonality of the food, and the way restaurants in Spain are integrated into daily life rather than being seen as special occasion places. Gretchen & Adam focus on certain regions, almost always including the wine regions, also known as DOs (“designations of origin”). Our business contacts in Spain help us plan these trips so they are as exciting as possible.
If you’re interested in learning more about our previous Spain trips, our travelers blogged about their experiences so feel free to check it out. For those of you who are interested in traveling to Spain, we’ve got a travel guide on our website listing all of our personal recommendations from hotels and restaurants to markets and entertainment.
Our team will be traveling from January 13 – 20 and it is always an experience to remember. Stay tuned in a few weeks as we post their Spain experience here.
Adios!
