Roadtrips Inc. Cooks Up Michelin-Themed Culinary Tours

New gastronomic travel endeavor offers foodies and bon vivants luxury tours of the world's top tables

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Jul 21, 2010, 08:56 ET

GREENVILLE, S.C., July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Culinary enthusiasts now have the unique opportunity to take one-of-a-kind, Michelin-themed trips around the world.

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Michelin logo. (PRNewsFoto/MICHELIN) (PRNewsFoto/Michelin)

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Michelin, creator of the world's most trusted hotel and restaurant guides, is now working with niche tour operator Roadtrips Inc. to create Michelin Food & Travel experiences. Answering a need for expert led, luxury culinary travel, Michelin Food & Travel tours feature unique experiences with chefs and establishments that have received the coveted Michelin star-rating.

Michelin Food & Travel experiences offer globe-trotting gastronomes behind-the-scenes access to Michelin-starred restaurants and their world-renowned chefs. Travelers will have the chance to participate in private kitchen experiences and demonstrations, sample the wares of local food artisans, and engage in wine tastings, truffle hunts, and dozens of other carefully selected experiences designed to bring out the full flavor of the world's culinary hotspots. Each custom-made itinerary will be crafted to cater to individual travelers' tastes in food, regions and seasons and will provide intimate contact with local traditions and personalities offered only to those in the know.

"Michelin has long been dedicated to enhancing the joy of mobility and improving the travel experience with our unrivaled collection of maps and guides – created more than 100 years ago –online travel resources and automotive accessories," said Parmeet Grover, chief operating officer of the company's travel and lifestyle division in North America. "The Michelin Food & Travel concept enables us to take the next step into experiential travel, offering access and encounters only Michelin can provide and with the quality and consistency consumers expect from one of the world's most trusted brands."

Michelin Food & Travel experiences address the need for culinary-focused travel, an emerging niche market. The initial program launches with culinary experiences in France, with further plans to soon expand the trip roster to include Italy, England, and other destinations across Europe and Asia. Roadtrips Inc. will be operating Michelin Food & Travel experiences from their offices in Winnipeg, Canada, and the Principality of Monaco.

"Roadtrips has always endeavored to provide our travelers and guests with satisfying travel experiences that are second to none," says Dave Guenther, President of Roadtrips Inc. "Michelin Food & Travel experiences allow us to utilize our expertise and contacts and present completely interesting, authentic trip offerings that we know that our guests are going to find both fascinating and delicious."

Michelin has produced its signature restaurant guide since 1900 and introduced the now-famous Michelin-star rating system in 1926. Since then, a Michelin three-star rating has become the accepted symbol of culinary excellence worldwide. Though most widely known for its star-rating system, Michelin is also the creator of the Bib Gourmand rating. These Michelin inspector favorites honor restaurants that offer superior food at reasonable prices. In addition to its native France, Michelin currently produces versions of its revered Red Guide for locations as diverse as Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Tokyo, Hong Kong, San Francisco and New York.

The creators of the Michelin Food & Travel concept seek to tell their travelers the story of a culture's history, heritage through its food and drink. These trips explore both time-treasured techniques passed down through generations as well as how these traditions and techniques inspire chefs today. These wholly customizable itineraries introduce guests to some of the worlds most celebrated gourmands; bringing them up close and personal, to see where the lines cross between generations of culinary traditions and innovation.

Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelin-us.com) employs 20,900 and operates 18 major manufacturing plants in 16 locations.

For more information, visit www.michelinfoodandtravel.com.

SOURCE Michelin North America