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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="http://www.buyplaya.com/utility/FeedStylesheets/rss.xsl" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"><channel><title>Search results matching tags 'Cooking' and 'Holidays'</title><link>http://www.buyplaya.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?o=DateDescending&amp;tag=Cooking,Holidays&amp;orTags=0</link><description>Search results matching tags 'Cooking' and 'Holidays'</description><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><generator>CommunityServer 2.1 SP1 (Debug Build: 61019.2)</generator><item><title>Notes on Napkins - NEW! John Gray&amp;#39;s in the House!</title><link>http://www.buyplaya.com/blogs/rob_kinnon/archive/2012/12/12/notes-on-napkins-new-john-gray-in-the-house.aspx</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">14a763be-f740-46b4-a9dd-f83ef9d28be2:1667522</guid><dc:creator>435836</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img align="right" alt="John Gray in the House Catering" height="263" src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/MicheleinPlaya/JohnGraysintheHouse.jpg" title="John Gray in the House Catering" width="165" /&gt;For years, residents and visitors to the Riviera Maya have been enjoying the fabulous cuisine and hospitality of Chef John Gray. His restaurants have achieved local and international recognition and earned the prolific Chef numerous awards and accolades. Now, you can enjoy the same great food and service in the privacy of your own home or vacation rental!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Chef&amp;#39;s newest venture &amp;quot;John Gray in the House&amp;quot; offers special menus and catering packages for the holidays designed especially to be served in you own condominium or villa. menus are designed to be a guideline, and can be varied or customized to suit your personal taste or the dietary needs of your family and guests. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;John Gray in the House&amp;quot; is completely equipped for full service catering and staffed with a team of professionals recognized for the highest quality food and service.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For menu options and more detailed information about Private Chef and catering services contact John Gray 998 214 8494, via email jgraymx@hotmail.com and visit the new &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/JohnGrayInTheHouse" title="John Gray Facebook" target="_blank"&gt;John Gray in the House Facebook page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt="Chef John Gray in the House" height="637" src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/MicheleinPlaya/JohnGrayCatering.jpg" title="Chef John Gray in the House" width="475" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>OH! Food Workshop - Sustainability you can eat! </title><link>http://www.buyplaya.com/blogs/rob_kinnon/archive/2012/09/24/oh-food-sustainability-workshop-casa-de-las-olas-tulum.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:34:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">14a763be-f740-46b4-a9dd-f83ef9d28be2:1434339</guid><dc:creator>435836</dc:creator><description>
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img align="right" alt="OH! Food Workshop Tulum" height="182" src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/MicheleinPlaya/Oh-FWS-on-the-beach2_zps98846f92.jpg" title="OH! Food Workshop Tulum" width="275" /&gt;Sustainability. Carbon Footprint. Environmental Impact. In 2012, these terms are now a part of our everyday vernacular. Regardless of your stance on global warming, I think we all can agree that each one of us needs to do our best to minimize the negative impact increased travel might bring to the more delicate corners of the globe we explore. In keeping with this sentiment, over the past decade, &amp;quot;Eco-tourism&amp;quot; has exploded into what is now the fastest growing segment in the travel industry with no signs of abating. One can now easily plan a whole vacation geared toward conservation and preservation! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The idea for the &lt;strong&gt;OH! Food Workshop&lt;/strong&gt; came about as a result of a late dinner on the shores of the Caribbean where a chef and a developer shared their ideas about sustainable tourism and decided to develop a workshop that would share their knowledge and passion about alternative lifestyles. &lt;a href="http://www.hartwoodtulum.com/" title="Hartwood Restaurant Tulum" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hartwood Restaurant&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Chef/Owner Eric Werner and &lt;a href="http://www.casadelasolas.com" title="Casa de las Olas Tulum" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Casa de las Olas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Co-Owner Jimmy Greenfield have built businesses in Tulum that resonate with their core beliefs on sustainability. Both businesses support the environment, the local people, their economy and their culture. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="Casa de las Olas Tulum" height="154" src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/MicheleinPlaya/casadelasolas_zpsdbac841a.jpg" title="Casa de las Olas Tulum" width="274" /&gt;Casa de las Olas provides simply elegant eco-friendly accommodations on the beach in Tulum, Mexico, a growing Mayan community located a short distance from the Cancun 
International Airport where the jungle and Caribbean Ocean meet. The property is 100% solar powered and makes use of geo-thermal cooling and rainwater catch systems. Grey water is re-purposed to maintain the indigenous plants that make up the landscaping and a composting station is in constant use processing organic waste materials into nutrient rich soil.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img align="right" alt="Fruit Market in Tulum" height="184" src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/MicheleinPlaya/Pitaya_zps4e734526.jpg" title="Fruit Market in Tulum" width="275" /&gt;The founders of Hartwood Restaurant bring their core beliefs about sustainability straight to the table.
 Hartwood is a &amp;quot;Farm to Chef&amp;quot; restaurant that is 100% solar powered. 
Chef Werner sources the finest local ingredients in his culinary 
creations and chooses to prepare all meals by hand, without the use of 
any electrical appliances. &amp;quot;Farm to Chef &amp;quot;cooking is back to basics and 
showcases the rich complex flavors drawn out by slow roasting and open 
fire cooking. OH! Food  Workshop will show participants how to successfully combine sustainable cooking methods with eco-friendly development and building practices in this unique tropical retreat. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This, the first OH! Food Workshop, will be held from November 30 - December 5, 2012. The event will be hosted by Werner and 
Greenfield and Ricardo
 Garcia Gaxiola, accomplished sommelier and owner of Off the Vine in 
Playa del Carmen, three men that will keep you learning and keep you 
laughing for 5 straight days! This will be an intimate travel experience that 
includes Tulum beachfront 
accommodations, cooking classes,  a welcome evening, and a dinner party 
to celebrate the week on the shores of the Caribbean. To top it off, the
 final evening will feature event sommelier, Ricardo Garcia, hosting a 
special dinner where guests will learn more about the culture of Mexico 
through its world renowned wines and tequilas.&amp;nbsp;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Come to the shores of the Mexican Caribbean November 30th - December 5th and learn how you can develop a healthy sustainable lifestyle with out compromising taste, 
luxury, decadence or beliefs. You can have it all and feel good about 
it! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Space is limited so email info@casadelasolas.com to reserve your spot and to inquire about room availability and pricing. &lt;/p&gt;


&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="Michele Kinnon" height="125" src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/MicheleinPlaya/Michele120x120.jpg" title="Michele Kinnon" width="120" /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
I moved to Mexico with my family in 2004 with the hope of offering our children a more global education and world view. Since then, we have traveled through Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, gathering friends and life experiences and learning a lot about ourselves along the way. When we are not out and about exploring, Rob and I own and operate BuyPlaya, a &lt;a href="http://www.buyplaya.com" title="Playa del Carmen real estate listings" target="_blank"&gt;Playa del Carmen real estate&lt;/a&gt; company and &lt;a href="http://www.furnituremex.com" target="_blank"&gt;FurnitureMex&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;&amp;quot;Life&amp;#39;s a Beach&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt; is a catch-all blog where you may find anything from restaurant reviews, to recipes, gardening tips, commentary about expat daily life, local events, information about &lt;a href="http://www.playadelcarmen-real-estate.com" target="_blank"&gt;moving to Mexico&lt;/a&gt; and educating children in Playa del Carmen. You can also find me on &lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/michelekinnon" title="Michele Kinnon on Facebook" target="_blank"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/BuyPlaya" title="Michele Kinnon tweets as @BuyPlaya" target="_blank"&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://plus.google.com/101189421927861540437/about" rel="author" title="Michele Kinnon on Google+" target="_blank"&gt;Google+&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Fairmont Mayakoba Introduces &amp;quot;Appetite for Luxury&amp;quot; Package</title><link>http://www.buyplaya.com/blogs/rob_kinnon/archive/2011/09/16/fairmont-mayakoba-introduces-appetite-for-luxury-package.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 17 Sep 2011 02:30:00 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">14a763be-f740-46b4-a9dd-f83ef9d28be2:1122676</guid><dc:creator>435836</dc:creator><description>&lt;p&gt;At &lt;strong&gt;The Fairmont Mayakoba&lt;/strong&gt;, Riviera Maya hotel, the first course is value. This fall, the AAA Five Diamond resort is introducing &lt;strong&gt;&amp;quot;Appetite for Luxury&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt;, a savory all-inclusive Playa del Carmen vacation package highlighting the resort&amp;#39;s award-winning cuisine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With an abundance of unique dining options and the ease of having an entire meal plan prearranged, this exciting Riviera Maya package allows guests to savor each of Fairmont Mayakoba&amp;#39;s delicious culinary options without missing a beat. From snacks by the pool to seaside ceviche and prime cuts at dinner, all food and beverage services are included. Guests can even choose to dine at the area&amp;#39;s only oceanfront AAA Four Diamond Playa del Carmen restaurant, Las Brisas -- adding an unforgettable experience to the culinary aspect of their journey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img align="middle" alt="Las Brisas Restaurant Fairmont Mayakoba" height="205" src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/MicheleinPlaya/LasBrisasRestaurantMayakoba.jpg" title="Las Brisas Restaurant Fairmont Mayakoba" width="440" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When reserving this Riviera Maya vacation package, families can be certain that both fun and food are taken care of. Children up to five years old enjoy complimentary food and beverage service from the kids menu, as well as daily supervised Kids Club activities. For children five years and older, a meal supplement will apply.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Starting at $499 per night, &lt;strong&gt;&amp;quot;Appetite for Luxury&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt; is available through December 21, 2011. Inclusive features consist of: deluxe Riviera Maya hotel accommodations, bird-watching boat tours, use of BMW bikes, and meal and beverage service complete with gourmet buffet and a la carte menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two adults at La Laguna, Las Brisas, the Lobby Lounge and beach and pool bars. Gratuities and tax are included in the price of this Riviera Maya package.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For reservations or further information, visit the Riviera Maya luxury hotel online or call 1(800) 540-6088.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>