BUYER INTERVIEW
Daniela Hispagnol, Owner, Gouté Gourmet Travel Experience
Q: WHAT DOES GASTRONOMIC TRAVEL MEAN TO YOU? Gastronomic travel to me means a deep experience into the culture and history of the people of a region.
Q: WHAT KIND OF GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES CAN YOU OFFER YOUR CLIENTS? Gouté à la carte – these experiences are tailored and executed exclusively according to customer requirements blended with our expertise. They are organised depending on the profile and expectation of each client.
Gouté Confiance - This concept provides experiences that are accompanied by a personality in the gastronomic field. The celebrity chef or wine expert will take a small group to his/her favourite spots - restaurants, homes, vineyards, etc. I work with the expert to create the trip, blending their knowledge and passion with our experiences of what works for the gourmet/gastronomic traveler.
Q: YOU WERE A PARTNER OF THE RESTAURANT TORO AND WORKED FOR LEADING HOTELS OF THE WORLD (LHW), HOW HAVE THESE EXPERIENCES INFLUENCED YOU?
After studying hotel management and gastronomy and working in California, Italy and Switzerland, I started to work at Leading Hotels. It was my first real job and a fantastic education for me. Working at LHW has given me valuable experience to help me set up my own company.
Q: WHICH DESTINATIONS ARE HOT AMONG BRAZILIAN TRAVELLERS IN THE WORLD OF GASTRONOMIC TRAVEL AND WHY? Provence, Tuscany, Paris, New York: those are classical destinations for Brazilian ‘foodies’ and indeed all kinds of Brazilian travellers. Spain for the more travelled Brazilian. Thailand and close-by Peru are exotic destinations with an interesting gastronomic culture as are Japan and China. Sâo Paulo boasts the largest concentration of Japanese outside of Japan and has an incredible array of Japanese restaurants of amazing quality and variety,
so it is natural for Brazilians who are so familiar with Japanese food to want to go to Japan. Brazilians are also familiar with the high number of Michelin star restaurants in Japan. China offers vast culinary delicacies and is known as a new and sought after destination for Brazilians. Finally Brazil itself! Brazil has huge potential for gastronomy. I am continuously travelling throughout my country to meet with artisanal producers, local chefs, and to discover local cuisines based on Brazil’s tremendously varied assortment of fruits, fish, vegetables, spices and even wines.
Q: DO YOUR CLIENTS CHOOSE DESTINATIONS BASED SOLELY ON THE REPUTATION FOR GASTRONOMY OR BY WHAT THE DESTINATION OFFERS? It varies. Both impulses feed on each other! But food is the underlying theme, always. However to be sure when in Rome my guests want to see the coliseum! Often a client comes to me with an article they read in one of Brazil’s food and culture magazines. A recipe can be the inspiration for trip. It is for me.
Q: WHO IS A GOUTÉ CLIENT AND WHAT PART DOES GASTRONOMY PLAY IN THE LIVES OF YOUR CLIENTS? I would say someone that searches for experiences. They not only want to taste truffles but to hunt for them. Brazilians are great eaters and entertainers and food plays a large part of the life of my clients. They want to know that their trip will both satisfy this basic interest as well as inspire them to bring home new experiences which they will then adapt to their home life.
OCTOBER2011 23
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