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EVERY QUEST HAS A BEGINNING
Leaders Club and Murray's Cheese Alpine Farmhouse Tour
 

A Unique Master Class in Cheese Education and Tasting in Switzerland

Join the renowned experts of New York's famed Murray's Cheese and The Leading Hotels of the World for an early summer gastronomical adventure to the rolling Alpine hills of central Switzerland. For the first time ever, Murray's is taking its class on the road, and inviting an exclusive group to discover the small, farmhouse cheesemakers of the Bad Ragaz region of Switzerland. Led by Murray's Director of Education, Taylor Cocalis, this five-night epicurean exploration will offer stunning scenery, bountiful food and drink, and, of course, plenty of cheese.

In addition to daily cheesemaking, cheese aging and cheese tasting excursions, guests will experience the extraordinary Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, a magical hotel where peace, space, time and wellness are the primary focus.

The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
Located at the foot of the Alps, not far from Saint Moritz and Italy's northern border, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is a historic destination with a modern sensibility. Having recently undergone extensive renovations, guests will be among the first to stay in the resort's luxurious, new 60 m2 Spa Loft Suites, each with private sauna and running thermal water. With adjustable sleep systems, en-suite whirlpools, steam showers, Swarovski lighting and Nespresso machines, the rooms reinforce the resort's propensity for immaculate design and lavish hospitality.

At the resort's gourmet restaurant Äbtestube, guests will sample an incomparable array of traditional, regional and foreign specialties prepared by Head Chef, Mr. Roland Schmid (17 GaultMillau points). A true expert at his craft, Chef Schmid is known for spoiling discerning palates with unadulterated ingredients and market-fresh cuisine.

During downtime, guests will be able to enjoy the resort's many other features including, an 18-hole championship golf course, casino, Tamina Therme (the resort's entirely refurbished spa and sauna, which pipes acrothermal spring water from the Tamina Gorge 4.5 km away) and the signature "to B. Wellbeing & Spa".
 
 


Switzerland Itinerary

June 8 to June 13, 2009


 
 
DAY 1

Arrival to the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz by private sedan car service from Zurich.

Afternoon free to relax and explore the great riches of the Bad Ragaz area.

MURRAY'S CHEESE TASTING 5:30PM to 8:00PM

At Murray's, we firmly believe that the best way to learn about cheese is to taste it. Therefore, we're beginning our tour of Switzerland with a guided cheese tasting. Taste the major families or styles of cheese from around the world, and learn how to properly evaluate a cheese. This process will prime you for the coming days and educate you on the interplay of cheesemaking, affinage, and the history of cheesemaking regions.

DINNER 8:00PM

The comprehensive cheese tasting will be followed by a light three-course gourmet dinner including local wines from the famous vineyards of the region.

 
 
 
DAY 2

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT LEISURE
SENNEREI SPLÜGEN

Tuesday morning dawns with an hour long drive through the scenic mountain roads to visit Sennerei Spüglen, nearly on the northern Italian border. "Sennerei", derived from "senne", means alpine pasture, and the name refers to a dairy located in the towering Alps. Sennerei Spüglen, true to the derivation of its name, crafts fresh and aged mountain cheeses in the Spüglen pass, just a stone's throw over northern Italian border. At Sennerei Spüglen we'll explore the art and science of cheesemaking, watching the transformation of fresh Alpine milk into a variety of cheeses. Learn (and see) how liquid milk becomes solid cheese curd. Adhering to Swiss organic standards, Sennerei Spüglen offers an introduction to the philosophies behind careful milk production, fueled by the lush mountain pastures just outside. Here, we will begin to touch and taste the connection between the land, animals, and exceptional dairy.

LUNCH AT HOTEL
BODENHAUS 12:00PM to 2:00PM
SENNEREI ANDEER 2:30PM to 4:30PM

After lunch, it's off to visit husband and wife team Maria Mayer (Cheesemaker) and Martin Bienhart (Affineur). This couple crafts cheese according to their philosophy that milk is life. They cultivate their milk on rich Alpine pastures where they care for a small herd of cows, each of which has a name. At Sennerei Andeer we'll explore the art of cheese aging by touring their 400-year-old aging cellars, with stone walls and moist, temperate climate. Watching (and tasting) the slow transformation of cheese over time powerfully illustrates the importance of proper aging, and the impact it has on final flavor. Methodical brining, washing, and flipping of the cheese helps to cultivate the necessary ripening microbes and create the ideal texture for these mountain cheeses.

DINNER 8:00PM

This evening enjoy a fabulous gourmet dinner in the resort’s new Asian Restaurant Namun.

 
   
 
 
 
 
DAY 3

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT LEISURE
PLANTAHOF 10:00AM to 1:00PM

With a firm foundation in the world of cheesemaking and aging, we now set off to the Plantahof Agricultural Education Center. Here we'll take a deeper look at the agriculture of the region, understanding how the climate and terrain of the region shape not only the cheese production, but the entire food culture of Switzerland. How does the weather affect the land? Why does the Swiss landscape support cows so well? What varieties of grapes grow best in the region? We'll follow the one hour guided tour with a traditional lunch from the region.

DINNER 7:00PM

This evening we will enjoy a fun Swiss fondue evening in the resort’s Swiss Restaurant Zollstube to include Grison's specialty dish with cheese from the Alps, Cheese fondues and local wines to complement your meal.


 
 
 
DAY 4

SPEND AT YOUR LEISURE

Spend the day exploring the region on your own or simply relax on the beautiful grounds of the hotel. The resort has its own 18-hole PGA Championship Course and 9-hole Executive Course (green fee reduction and reserved tee-off times for hotel guests). Driving range and clubhouse, weekly fitness programme and cycle hire, 5 clay tennis courts. Various other activities are possible such as hiking, Nordic walking, biking, and skiing in the local region.











 
   
 
 
 
 
DAY 5

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT LEISURE
KASEREI STOFEL 9:00AM to 1:00PM

Nestled in the Kanton St. Gallen, at Kaserei Stofel, Thomas Stagelmann and family lead us through the cheesemaking process. Throughout the year they make a few dozen different cheeses and fresh dairy products from the milk of local cow, sheep, and goat herders. The animals graze in the Obertoggerburger Alps between 900 and 1,200 meters above sea level, contributing a unique flavor to some of their most famed cheeses like Selun, Sheep Chäsli and Bergkäse.

KASEREI KRUMENSCHWILL 3:30PM to 5:00PM

We'll finish our Swiss tour with the Kaseri Krumenschwill, also in Toggenburg, where we'll see the production of Forsterkäse, a Murray's Cheese favorite. This complex washed rind cheese benefits from being wrapped in spruce bark, a typical method employed by the cheesemakers of the region to help their soft runny cheeses keep shape. Watch as cheesemaker Ernst Dirriwachter crafts the individual wheels that each of you will receive once they have fully matured about two months later. It's an exceptional way to share the experience with friends and family, and relive this unique excursion.

DINNER 8:00PM

On our final night together your palate will experience all the wonderful tastes for your journey in Switzerland and in Bad Ragaz. The Head Chef, Mr. Roland Schmid will prepare a four-course menu of local culinary delights complemented by wines of the region.


 
 
 
DAY 6

Today we will say good-bye to this incredible resort and region, keeping memories of a lifetime to share.

Departure from the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz by private sedan car service to the airport.

























 
   
 
 
 
 
Program Costs For Five Nights:


Rates start at USD $5,380 for Single Occupancy and USD $ 8,260 for Double Occupancy.


For reservations, please call 1-866-688-2471 or 1-212-515-5620. To contact us via e-mail, please send an e-mail to theleadersclub@lhw.com. This offer is subject to availability.




 
INCLUSIONS:

* Private airports transportation by deluxe sedan car service
* 5 Nights hotel accommodations at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in the new Deluxe Spa Lofts based upon double occupancy
* Use of Spa area and Health Club
* Breakfast daily
* 3 Lunches
* Cheese Tastings
* 4 Gourmet dinners with local wines
* Murrays Cheese Private Guided Tours
* Guided Private Farms Swiss Farm Tours
* Guided Cheese Cellar Tours
* Transportation to all Tour locations
* Welcome home Murrays Cheese and The Leading Hotels of the World Experience gift


TAYLOR COCALIS
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MURRAY'S CHEESE

Taylor Cocalis brings exceptional enthusiasm and a passion for education to Murray's 2009 Trip to the Cheesemakers of Switzerland's Bad Ragaz. Taylor joined the Murray's Cheese management team in February 2007, but her steady path to food enlightenment started long before that. As an undergraduate at Cornell University, Taylor studied Hospitality Management at the School of Hotel Administration. Upon graduation she completed a Masters in Food Culture at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Parma, Italy. The program afforded Taylor opportunities to visit various cheesemakers and affineurs (cheese agers) throughout Italy and Europe, where she developed an appreciation for the art and science of cheesemaking. Taylor currently manages The Cheese Course, Murray's education department. Here, she develops a curriculum that includes classes on cheeses of the world, beverage pairing, food history and hands-on activities such as artisan pizza-making. Taylor particularly loves the world of Swiss cheesemaking, with its deep roots in Alpine culture.


MURRAY'S CHEESE

Founded in 1940 by Murray Greenberg, Murray's Cheese is the oldest cheese shop in New York City, and the leading purveyor of specialty cheese in America. In addition to two cheese retail shops, the Murray's family includes a charcuterie-focused shop called Murray's Real Salami; a wholesale to fine dining business, with clients such as Thomas Keller's French Laundry and Per Se; a mail order business known as Murray's by Mail; a prepared foods and catering division, Made by Murray's; four temperature and humidity controlled cheese-aging caves beneath the streets of Greenwich Village; and an import arm for sourcing the finest small production cheeses from Europe.