Premier Experiences Are Our Passion.

Chef Bob Waggoner definitely has the accolades to be an Expert Host on our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine Travel tours. From a Michelin star, James Beard nominations, and AAA Four-Diamond awards, to “L’Odre du Mérite Agricole” from the Government of France (which knighted him for his contributions to France), his prowess in the kitchen is exceptional. Coupled with his approachable, engaging personality (that also won him an Emmy award), Chef Bob truly makes each tour memorable.  When he is not in his kitchen in Charleston or fishing from his boat in the low country, you often will find him meandering the markets, enjoying wine and olive oil tastings, and creating chef’s dinners with our “sous chefs” on our tours in France, Italy, Spain, and Argentina. As well, he is the author of the Charleston Grill at Charleston Place: French Influenced Lowcountry Cuisine cookbook.

Sarah Jane Evans is the ideal companion as an Expert Host on our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine Travel tours to Spain and South America. First and foremost, she is great company. She’s a Master of Wine, one of fewer than 500 in the world, so she is ready to answer — or try to answer — all your wine questions. Sarah Jane has a great love of food and wine, as befits a one-time president of the Guild of Food Writers, and is happiest exploring food markets, and making discoveries of new wines in wine bars and shops. She is a board member of the Academy of Chocolate, so she is happy talking and tasting all things cacao. Her published books include The Book of Tea and Coffee, Chocolate Unwrapped, Seville, and The Wines of Northern Spain. She’s currently researching The Wines of Central and Southern Spain. You’ll find her published in Decanter magazine, and on Decanter.com. She is an expert taster, and is Co-Chairman of the world’s largest wine competition, the Decanter World Wine Awards. Sarah Jane lives in London with her husband and two cats, and has two grownup daughters.

Chef Adriana Urbina is a Venezuelan award-winning chef, TV host and nutritionist with more than 12 years of experience in the restaurant industry, based in New York. She brings her talents to our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine Travel tours, including her training at top international culinary institutes, including L’ecole de Cuisine Alain Ducasse in France and Sumito Estévez’s Instituto Culinario Caracas in Venezuela. Chef Adriana worked in several Michelin starred restaurants, including 3 Michelin stars Martin Berasategui and Andoni Aduriz in Spain, 1 Michelin star Rouge Tomate and 2 Michelin stars Atera. She has competed in multiple national cooking TV shows and Chef Adriana is a three-time winner of Food Network’s “Chopped” — the only Latin-American female chef to have won the title so many times. Her talent and contagious energy make for a Premier Experience on her tour departures.

Chef Maria Jimenez Latorre has become the face of Spanish gastronomy over the course of her culinary career and is now the native Expert Host on our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine Travel tours to Spain. She has a following throughout Spain for her magnetic personality and culinary style. She is a radio and television personality, an author of cookbooks such as The Best Salads and Magias en la Cocina, and the Madrid delegate for Mujeres en la Gastronomia in Spain. She loves to teach at Alambique Esquela de Cocina in Madrid, to explore local markets (particularly spice markets), and to find new places that surprise her with their cuisine, products, and wine. Her insider’s knowledge of Spain is exceptional and she shares it with the guests on our tours.

Chef Maria Jose San Roman Monastrell is a Michelin-starred Spanish chef and restaurateur, renowned for her celebration of iconic Spanish ingredients, refreshingly authentic culinary style and exceptionally high standards. Her signature approach is founded on the low-key evolution of the natural flavors found in the best ingredients that Spain has to offer. Based in Alicante, she is the proprietor of Grupo Gourmet Alicante, a collection of six restaurants and an artisan bakery workshop that sets a new paradigm in Spanish gastronomy. Her reputation as a high-energy, highly creative visionary makes her an excellent Expert Host on our tours to Spain, and to showcase the world-class cuisine and artisans of her country on our Expertly Done Culinary & Wine Travel tours. She is a frequent speaker and instructor for various international events and forums around the world, such as Madrid Fusión, the Culinary Institute of America in California, Food and Fun in Iceland, and the Congress of Gastronomy and Neuroscience at Valencia.

Jade Gross is Chinese-American winemaker and chef living in Northern Spain. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jade was immersed in multiple cultures since a very young age.She went to New York to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and Italian. During her studies, she interned at various non-profit organizations such as the International Criminal Court. She then furthered her education with a Master’s degree in Human Rights at the London School of Economics. Upon graduating, Jade decided to leave the political world behind to pursue her dream of being a chef. She went to culinary school in Paris before interning at some of the best restaurants in the world, including Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée Hotel in Paris, D.O.M in Sao Paolo, Brasil, and El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain before landing at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain. Whilst at Mugaritz, she rose up the ranks from intern to Head Chef and into the Research and Development department of the restaurant during her seven years there. In 2018, she decided to challenge herself once more and immerse herself in the world of wine. She began a small wine project and continues to make wine alongside being a private chef between La Rioja and San Sebastián.