Sugar Tours

This past Friday I was invited to do a sight inspection in Wilkes-Barre, PA which was arranged by Janet Allen Hall of the Luzerne County Convention & Visitors Bureau.  

I had the great fortune to stay at the The Woodlands Inn & Resort who hosted our overnight accommodations.  Donna Keyes, Sales Manager, was so accommodating and supplied our small group with van service for the entire evening. 

The Woodlands Inn & Resort, a three star hotel located in Wilkes-Barre, PA, at the foothills of the Pocono mountains is Northeast Pennsylvania’s premier hotel and resort.  The hotel is situated along the beautiful Laurel Run Stream on 40 wooded Pocono acres. The Woodlands Inn and Resort is a AAA three star hotel with the facilities for exquisite wedding receptions featuring streamside outdoor cocktail locations, upscale accommodations and is located a short distance to the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.  

We were transported to the new Mohegan Sun Casino at Pocono Downs.  Here we were greeted by Mindy Weiss of Mohegan Sun and Lynn Stelling of Penns Peak.  We were given a tour of this wonderful facility.  I was amazed at how nice this property has become in the last year.  It offers many different dining options that include Italian, Ruth Chris’s Steakhouse, Sushi and a food court that includes Johnny Rocket’s and Wolfgang Pucks. 

We had the pleasure to dine at the Rustic Kitchen.  While every restaurant seeks to be unique, the 260 seat Tuscan Villa themed Rustic Kitchen Bistro & Bar actually earns the distinction.  This new Bistro & Bar offers an Italian Mediterranean influenced menu. The authentic interior displays handcrafted relics & artifacts representing a Tuscan Villa and allows guests the option of an intimate dining experience in one of the main dining room’s private booths, or a quick pizza from its wood burning oven in the Bar/Café. Rustic Kitchen has received numerous honors, including recognition as Boston Magazines “Best of Boston” and designation of the “Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator the last 3 years. 

It’s most innovative component is a state of the art, broadcast ready, television studio kitchen with live cooking shows that is the focal point inside of the restaurant. Daily cooking shows called “In the Kitchen” will occur for patrons to dine and learn in a highly entertaining yet intimate atmosphere.  Mountain Top, PA native and cooking show celebrity chef, Kate Gabriele will be the Headline Host.  “In the Kitchen” will also host events that spotlight local restaurants, area chefs, industry suppliers, & farmers.

I started the dinner with Crispy Fried Calamari served with toasted pine nuts, jalepenos peppers and a delicious lemon pepper aioli.  The calamari was perfectly cooked and although it was served with a lemon pepper sauce and jalepenos it was not over spiced.  For my entree I enjoyed the Seafood Fradiavolo which had crab, shrimp, scallops and lobster in a spicy red sauce.  I have had this in many restaurants and find it sometimes over spiced but this one was perfect. 

What a nice start to an evening.  I forgot to mention, I also won $380 playing their slot machines. 

Following dinner we were transported to Penn’s Peak Theater and Dance Hall.   Penn’s Peak is a cozy venue located in Penn Forest Township, Pennsylvania that can comfortably host 1,800 concertgoers with its spacious dance floor, lofty ceilings, twin bars and restaurant. Complete with a broad open-air deck for summertime revelry, Penn’s Peak patrons enjoy a breathtaking overlook of nearby Beltzville Lake, plus a commanding, picturesque 50-mile panoramic view of northeastern Pennsylvania’s Appalachian mountains. 

We were treated to a Super Box by our hostess, Lynn.  We enjoyed an open bar and more food, like we needed that after dinner.  The show was awesome as I picked this one to see. 

Donna Jean & The Tricksters opened the show. Donna Jean Godchaux MacKay was born to sing, and over the course of time she’s done so with people like Elvis Presley, Percy Sledge, Boz Scaggs, and Jerry Garcia. Now she has a new band that she’s quite certain is on a creative par with anything she’s ever done. “This band is a perfect fit for me as a singer/songwriter,” she said recently, “and I hope to be doing this for a long time to come. We’re having so much fun with this music!” The Grateful Dead alumna has joined up with six members of the next musical generation – Mookie Siegel (David Nelson Band; formerly Phil & Friends, RatDog), Wendy Lanter (Hope in Time), and Jeff Mattson, Tom Circosta, Klyph Black and Dave Diamond (Zen Tricksters) to form Donna Jean and the Tricksters. Look out! Things have come full circle and anything’s possible.  What a jam session that included songs from her band and some old favorites of the Dead. 

Next came the New Riders of the Purple Sage.  The band was formed by David Nelson and Jerry Garcia.  The band is back since 2006 with a revived and inspired lineup, bringing the songs of John Dawson back to the ears of adoring crowds nationwide as well as taking those songs to places they’ve never been before musically. Led by David Nelson and Buddy Cage, the current touring lineup includes Michael Falzarano (Hot Tuna) on guitar and vocals, Ronnie Penque on bass and vocals and Johnny Markowski (Stir Fried) on drums and vocals. John Dawson remains retired in Mexico and has given the guys his blessing and sends his best to all his fans out there and thanks you all for continuing to enjoy his songs. 

The show included all of the old favorites as well as a great version of Deep Ellum Blues and a jam session with Donna Jean and The Tricksters. 

Penn’s Peak not only offers great evening headline shows but great luncheon shows for motorcoach groups that include Jimmy Dorsey among many other great senior type entertainment.  Also you do not want to forget the unbeleivable view.

If you are not visiting this area you are missing out. 

I just want to thank Janet, Cindy, Mindy and Donna for opening our eyes to this wonderful area and we hope to be coming back with many groups in the future. 

Noticing the growth in popularity of television cooking shows and culinary travel and the increasing amount of Americans choosing travel destinations based upon the concept of cuisine, Chris Donnelly, owner of the Vermont-based “Sugar Tours”, was inspired to launch and develop a company dedicated to providing food-oriented travel options to those with a taste for the culinary.    

In February 2007, the Travel Industry Association released a first-of-its-kind national survey on the culinary travel niche market.  The survey, conducted by Edge Research, revealed that 27 million travelers had engaged in culinary or wine-related activities within the past three years.  It also suggested that travelers are motivated by unique experiences. These results reinforce Donnelly’s belief in a need for a culinary-minded company that would bring out each destination’s unique environmental and cultural elements.  This idea was the impetus for Sugar Tours’ culinary excursions program. 

Donnelly began exploring new program ideas, and in 2003, “Vermont: A Week of Fine Foods” was born.  In 2005, the company introduced “Lobsters, Wineries, and Fine Foods” – a succulent adventure through New England.  Both programs were created for Elderhostel in Boston and are being offered again for the 2008 season.   Since then, Sugar Tours has set six additional programs in motion which, due to their immense popularity, have been consistently filled.  According to Donnelly, “The idea of a culinary tour is not just a visit to a culinary school for a meal or to a winery for a wine tasting; it’s more about a total experience.  If you visit a Rhode Island winery, you don’t just do a tour and tasting – add a traditional Rhode Island clambake along with the tasting. 

Donnelly has established working relationships with many of the Northeast’s specialty food producers such as a water buffalo dairy, an organic cheese maker, and several boutique wineries; these have all been incorporated into his palatable programs.  Two of Sugar Tours’ popular offers include a six-night culinary adventure of New England and a two night package in Vermont entitled “Country Inn Cooking Weekends”.  You may also want to enjoy a famed “Celebrity Chef Weekend” at the Opryland Hotel, in Nashville, Tennessee, which features such noteworthy chefs as Alton Brown and Bobby Flay. 

 Additional upcoming program locations include Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; Boston, MA, and California.  

Donnelly’s interest in culinary travel stems from many years of experience in the fine-dining industry in select establishments along the East Coast.  Donnelly seasoned his expertise at Cinelli’s Country House in Cherry Hill, New Jersey where he perfected the art of tableside and fine dining.  Donnelly also worked for a number of years at The Hermitage Inn in Wilmington, Vermont alongside former owner and proprietor, James McGovern. The Hermitage has been acclaimed for its stellar wine selection every year since 1984 by the Wine Spectator Magazine Awards; it also won the “Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award”.  During his time with McGovern, Donnelly gained an extensive knowledge of fine wines from around the globe.  He is currently active within several travel organizations and has been featured as a speaker on culinary travel at The Boston Globe Travel Marketplace’s ‘Taste for Travel’ and at the International Culinary Tourism Association Symposium in Sturbridge, MA. 

For more information on Creative Culinary Tours contact Donnelly at (888) 889-8681 or e-mail vttours@sover.net.

Get a Personal Culinary Travel Trainer
Chris Donnelly, founder of Creative Culinary Tours, is back with more tips for the culinary traveler on how to use a guide to open doors, make introductions, and provide unique access to the tastes you love.

Speaker at the Massachusetts Governors Conference on Travel and Tourism

Chris Donnelly is Founder of Creative Culinary Tours and Sugar Tours, Inc. Chris has

been part of the group travel industry for more than 20 years, specializing in sightseeing

tours. His appreciation and love for food and wine have made him a success in the food

tour business. He has led groups throughout New England and California, and he has

worked with many states’ gourmet and fine foods associations. Culinary Tourism,

Think of New England and you most likely envision rocky coastlines, mountains covered in colorful fall foliage, an abundance of snowy skiing, charming white-washed villages and hard-working people.
When Chris Donnelly, owner of Vermont-based Sugar Tours and Creative Culinary Tours, thinks of New England he thinks of food – lush vineyards, coastal clambakes, Maine lobsters, natural cheeses, farm-produced maple syrup, and the region’s plethora of fresh fruits (such as blueberries) and vegetables.
Donnelly’s culinary programs have been in operation in Vermont for over five years, and their popularity has allowed them to expand to showcase areas and experiences from all over New England. Donnelly started Creative Culinary Tours as a division of Sugar Tours just over a year ago, but his experience in the food industry spans almost three decades – from his start in waiting tables at the age of fifteen to his more refined work in food and wine sales at the renowned Hermitage Inn in Wilmington, Vermont. Donnelly’s knowledge of food goes into to every one of his culinary programs. “Not only is it important to know the food,” says Donnelly, “but also where it came from and how it was produced.”
Each culinary tour Donnelly creates requires a year of planning and research in order to find the most exquisite restaurants, the most interesting farms and factories, and the most knowledgeable chefs and food critics on each region’s cuisine. Donnelly searches for and incorporates each area’s hidden treasures which include regional culinary delights, organic farms and dairies, and unique dining experiences.
On Donnelly’s “Culinary Journey of New England”, you will enjoy the scenic beauty of the region while sampling many unique and delicious foods from the area. Highlights of the week-long adventure include a visit to Newport, Rhode Island where you will enjoy Johnnycakes at Kenyon Cornmeal, a tour and wine-tasting at the Newport Vineyard, and a traditional Rhode Island clambake complete with Rhode Island chowder (clear broth), clam cakes, quahogs, and brown bread.
Your visit to Maine features a cruise on a lobstering vessel, a visit to a blueberry farm, a tour of a potato vodka distillery, a visit to a gourmet chocolate company, and a traditional lobster dinner. No visit to Maine would be complete without a stop at LL Bean’s flagship store in Freeport. Other stops include a boutique winery in New Hampshire and the Colony Mill Marketplace in Keene, NH.
Vermont highlights include a visit to a water buffalo farm (which produces fine yogurt and buffalo mozzarella cheese), a sugarhouse for traditional sugar-on-snow, a cider mill, an organic-cheese maker and – to complete your time as a Vermonter – a visit to the famous Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream factory in Waterbury. Another of the program’s highpoints is an evening at the beautiful Brandon Inn in Brandon, Vermont. This historic inn is chef-owned and operated, and it features wonderful cooking demonstration dinners.
Creative Culinary Tours’ “Country Inn Weekend Cooking Series” includes two nights at one of Vermont’s finest inns, four hours of cooking instruction taught by acclaimed professional chefs, a Saturday wine-tasting matched with the weekend’s featured cuisine, and two country breakfasts. Creative Culinary Tours has also partnered with Opryland Hotel in Nashville and offers many different “Celebrity Chef Weekends”.
Future programs are expected to showcase cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Each of these cities has time-honored culinary roots. New York offers some of the best restaurants, delicatessens, and chocolate shops in the world; Philadelphia is famous for cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, and Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine; and Boston is known for its chowders, its intriguing Irish influence, and its North End Italian market.

For more information contact Sugar Tours dba Creative Culinary Tours at 888-889-8681.

www.creativeculinarytours.com

Meet the Members
Chris Donnelly, president of Sugar Tours Inc. has parlayed his travel industry experiences into an innovative tour company. “I started Sugar Tours 10 years ago after being with a resort company for 13 years doing national sales which included tours,” Donnelly said. “Our growth has come through organizing educational programs for Elderhostel and our new culinary programs that we operate.

Although Vermont is its specialty, the company also offers full planning services for New England and Canada’s Maritime Provinces. Donnelly admitted his New England culinary itinerary has become one of his most popular tours. Travelers can enjoy traditional northeastern cuisine such as a Rhode Island clambake and a Maine lobster dinner. “It has been one of our hottest educational programs, and now we have turned it into a successful touring program,” he said.

Sugar Tours’ “Scenic Railroads of New England” also includes a culinary component. “A highlight of this program is a ride aboard the Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train in Lincoln, New Hampshire, where you enjoy spectacular scenery and a gourmet dinner,” Donnelly said.

He noted Sugar Tours is dedicated to providing first-class customer service and creativity. “I pride myself on developing programs that no one else is doing at that time,” he said. “I do a lot of research to make a one-of-a-kind tour.”
www.sugartours.com