About the location: The Alentejo Region stretches from the Tagus River at Lisbon, south to the Algarve. Its terracotta earth is covered in wheat fields. Bordered by rows of olive trees marching up and down the rolling hills like Roman centurions. Here and there white washed villages and towns appear, crowned by castles. The ancients left their megaliths, the Romans their aqueducts, the Portuguese a wealth of architecture from Gothic to Baroque. Today some of the old arts and crafts are still practiced in this region; here too cooking and winemaking reflect a rich culinary tradition. In the spring, the Alentejo is carpeted in wildflowers; in the summer, wheat, oats, and sunflowers blanket the fields; in the autumn, grapes and olives ripen. The Refúgio da Vila Rural Hotel and Cooking School, located in Portel, a small town outside Évora. Based in a Vila manor house with pool and patios, guests can relax in elegant rooms between lessons, in a kitchen that opens onto a courtyard, and touring the unspoiled countryside. The program can easily accommodate non-cooking partners.

Portuguese cuisine is simple, characterized by a rich variety of regional dishes. Gathering herbs and produce from the local markets and pairing them to the timeless recipes, cooks of all levels can roll up their sleeves in the Vila kitchen and prepare a variety of succulent Mediterranean dishes influenced by this historic region. Olive oil, garlic, cilantro, parsley, onions, bayleaf, paprika, pepper, rosemary, leek, spinach, lamb, pork, codfish, seabass and dogfish are some of our main ingredients. Most of the vegetables com from our own vegetable garden. Local producers provide us organic food. The wine is also a very important part of this program. Every class starts with the magic of a glass of white wine. Local wineries are also important moments of the tours. The Refúgio da Vila Hotel was a manor house when it was built in 1834. Nowadays, that house was converted into a comfortable and elegant place to receive you. In a general way, we cook in the morning and we tour in the afternoon.

About the cooking lessons: Miguel, our chef, still a relative from the original family of this house, is a local 30 year old young man. He finished culinary school in Portugal, specializing in Mediterranean Food. With Miguel, you will gather herbs and produce from the local markets and pair them to timeless recipes! Cooks of all levels can roll up their sleeves in the kitchen and prepare a variety of succulent Mediterranean dishes influenced by this rich region.