Registration now open for the 2019 edition of the Barbecue Holiday
Even today when returning home, I see a sunset during my drive through the streets of one of the many countries of the Italian countryside, I relive almost automatically the emotions of the evenings spent at last year‘s Campfire. I see the last rays with which the sun greets the succession of hills and villages that stand uninterruptedly on the horizon from east to west, painting it gold as a last gift before going to bed permanently. Then the darkness. Complete, definitive, of those that in the habit of perennial light pollution of our cities, I didn’t even remember could exist. You can see the stars. All and distinctly and the Silence here is the capital letter, it is not just a way of saying. And yet it is more deafening than any noise while screaming at you all its truth: “do you finally realize where you are?”.
This is how our grandparents felt when they were young, when everything was simpler, punctuated by slower rhythms and people still talked in front of the fireplace. As I am doing now before the fire that accompanies my slow sip of grappa with its reverberation. But has the fire always had these colors at home? Have you always known how to warm me up so much? Have you always known how to donate the same flavors with which you cloaked this evening’s dinner? Probably yes, but I’m different. How different I had never felt before and how I haven’t felt since then.
Without fear of contradiction I can say that the Campfire 2018 was a journey inside oneself for all its participants as well as for me that I was the creator and the maker of it. When I thought of a “barbecue-vacation” I was looking for exactly this: the luxury of the rediscovery of emotions that we no longer have the possibility of reliving, of a concept of simplicity that too often is confused with “ease”, and that intertwines the interpretative purity of the barbecue kitchen with that of a life spent as it used to be, even if only for a few days. The Campfire had to be absolutely replicated but trying to improve it further, to raise the level reached by another step.
What is born of it is this second edition that I am proudly launching today, officially opening its sales. But what exactly does it change compared to the unforgettable experience of last year? Very much in reality. Let’s see it for points:
WHAT AND WHEN
The Campfire Lodge continues to keep faith with its setting: an entire weekend, from Friday to Sunday without touching a stove and entirely dedicated to the discovery of the many facets of the Barbecue kitchen. Each meal will be dedicated to a specific theme while maintaining in each one the distinctive note that characterizes us: the contribution of a creative approach to recipes. There will therefore be a lunch dedicated to the churrasco or the one dedicated to the American Barbecue but always with new recipes. Everything, from breakfast to whim granted after dinner, will be made on the grill, all accompanied by focaccia and bread baked at the moment in our wood-fired oven*.
Furthermore, compared to the last edition, we have tried to make the weekend even more packed with content and richer for all participants. On the one hand we have asked for the collaboration of many partner companies such as Birrificio HIBU, Macellerie Dal Lago, James 1599 and Eco Trade Group to allow us to add some little “cuddle” to your stay. On the other hand we decided to integrate the decidedly “enjoyable” experience of last year with different educational contents, even if in a light and pleasantly carefree way: it is still a holiday! During the weekend, four short seminars of very high interest will be organized on previously unpublished and difficult to attend topics, held by experts in the field. Among the many I would like to point out by intrinsic value and exclusivity, the course on the tasting of dry Age matured meat, held by Federico Dal Lago in which will be presented in tasting a national beef selected for marbling and intensity of taste and a Black Angus, comparing them progressively from a maturation of 90 days, up to 150, to evaluate the different evolution over time.
Another big change compared to the last edition concerns the seasonal period in which the Campfire was organized. While in 2018 we chose the beginning of spring, this year we preferred to opt for the cozy colors and for the atmosphere of autumn. Specifically, the weekend chosen for the 2019 edition is that of 25-27 October.
*Meals include water at the tables and the possibility of buying beer and wine and spirits after the meal, at particularly favorable prices thanks to the contribution of our sponsors
WHERE
We decided reluctantly to abandon the location of Cascina Langa that hosted us in 2018, to move towards a more central region accessible to a greater number of people than to the extreme west of Piedmont and above all to a structure with a disposition that would allow to be able to manage the registrations in pairs, as clearly shown by your preferences last year. A place that had enough receptivity to allow you to take your children with you for free for a real family vacation. A structure that reflects the rustic and authentic style of the barbecue kitchen. A place that as always, had in the immediate vicinity of the points of high landscape, historical and artistic interest, so as to offer extremely interesting alternatives even to possible companions in your company or for a stroll of pleasure as an intermezzo.
The choice fell on Il Grande Prato a charming farmhouse completely renovated and equipped with the best comforts, immersed in the splendid Tuscan countryside in Castelfiorentino, just 40 km from Florence. The property offers several rooms, each of which can be occupied from a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 5 people, numerous common rooms, a gym, a swimming pool, a soccer field and a tennis court and a leisure center with table tennis, billiards, and foosball. We highly recommend a virtual tour of the structure to fully appreciate its beauty. The Grande Prato is easily reachable by car and is well served by the railway network that connects Florence Santa Maria Novella station to Castelfiorentino station every 30 minutes. Guests are offered a free shuttle service to and from the station. Also convenient is access by air flight from the nearby airports of Pisa and Florence, which are in turn optimally connected to the city’s railway stations.
THE SCHEDULE
Friday
h. 15.00 – 18.00 Reception and assignment of the rooms (the guests will be able to access the structure when they want)
h. 18.00 Welcome drink with alcoholic and non-alcoholic smoked cocktails and finger grills prepared on sight
h. 19.30 Creative Barbecue theme dinner
Access to the Author’s Liquor Bouvette follows
Saturday
h. 08.00 – 09.30 Grilled continental breakfast with freshly baked bread
h. 10.00 – 12.00 Seminar with tasting:
Taste and recognize essences in smoked food
Spokesman: Marco Agostini
h. 12.30 Creative Churrasco Theme Lunch
h. 15.00 – 16.30 Seminar with tasting:
Recognize and know how to evaluate the aging in Beef
Spokesman: Federico Dal Lago
h. 17.00 – 17.45 Seminar:
The production of coal and the differences between the essences in purity
Spokesman: Tommaso Francalanci
h. 19.30 High Class Cooking on OFYR theme dinner
Tasting of ‘smore with dark chocolate and rum on a high heat follows
Access to the Author’s Liquor Bouvette follows
Sunday
h. 08.00 – 09.30 Grilled continental breakfast with freshly baked bread
h. 10.00 – 12.00 Seminar with tasting:
The role of spices in a Rub
Spokesman: Marco Savona
h. 12.30 Creative American Barbecue theme lunch
h. 15.00 – 16.00 Check Out and Final Greetings
ACCEPTANCE
Participation includes a package of unique experiences not only in Italy but also in an absolute sense. Although in fact, in Northern Europe there are some formats that reflect the setting blandly, no other event has the level of complexity and technical depth of the experiences proposed in Campfire Lodge. It is therefore an event without terms of confrontation, a complete and articulated immersion in a superior concept of Barbecue, a unique and unmissable opportunity for any enthusiast and any gourmand.
A UNIC EVENT OF ITS KIND
We must not forget the location that will host the event, immersed in the wonderful Tuscan countryside, one of the most famous destinations in Italy abroad, coveted by celebrities and magnates from around the world and chosen for their holidays, for their wedding or even as a permanent residence by figures of the caliber of Ridley Scott, Richard Gere, Sting or more recently the Beckhams or our own Stefania Sandrelli, Roberto Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Oliviero Toscani, Adriano Celentano and Claudia Mori and many others. Of course, we could have chosen places that were certainly cheaper, but we wanted the setting to match the emotions we wanted to live at Campfire in a very attractive season like the autumn with its splendid colors and the still very pleasant temperature, which after a warm day almost automatically recalls the warmth of a fireplace for an evening with friends.
Making an easy comparison with the overnight stay in any of the hotels of our cities, of average value between the first-rate tavern and a high-end hotel even without wanting to go on the extra-luxury categories, quantifiable in at least € 75 a night for a double room, it is easy to understand how the stay in an entire structure rented for the occasion in a place of this caliber, in that place, with this level of services, stands at about double. Without fear of denial, the real value of the stay alone is AT LEAST € 150 per participant.
LOCATION WITH UNFORGETTABLE ATMOSPHERE
To this must be added naturally the gastronomic experience. I reiterate how every meal is a different thematic route, like going out for dinner and lunch each time in a different place. All menus are also reinterpreted according to our concept of Creative Barbecue, based on the experience and menus developed over the last 4 years spent in the professional catering sector. Even not wanting to consider the rates that The Barktenders Catering regularly applies in their events and without the presumption of wanting to compare us with restaurants with high-sounding names, we could serenely quantify a dinner of this kind in any good restaurant in at least € 50 a head , which translates into the 4 meals of the event, in a real value of the gastronomic experience of AT LEAST € 200 per participant.
4 DISTINTIVE AND ORIGINAL GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES
No less important is the high educational value of the 4 seminars included in the participation, held by leading exponents of the sector we hosted at the structure during the event and structured as tasting training courses, or able to offer suitable contents both to the passionate of the realization of the barbecue kitchen, both to those who aspire only to fully appreciate the fruits in the right way, catching all the nuances. In particular, the seminar on the comparison of dry aging meat has an intrinsic value of the raw material as well as of teaching, which is really considerable. Even wanting to neglect this factor, considering as the entry threshold of the most basic barbecue courses on the market, a price of € 39.00 and an average value of € 59.00 we can safely say that the real value of the training experience is AT LEAST € 236 per participant.
4 ABSOLUT VALUE DIDACTIC EXPERIENCES
If we were to try to attribute a concrete economic value to the Campfire Lodge experience, both for the uniqueness of the event, both for the beauty and for the exclusivity of the location that will host it, and for the unpublished gastronomic journey of its 4 themed meals, both for the unobtainable educational content of the 4 seminars, while taking into consideration figures of comparison belonging to services absolutely not at the same level as those proposed in this event, this would amount to
150 € + 200 € + 236 € = 586 € per attendant
Our intent when we decided to organize the Campfire Lodge for the first time and that we fully confirm in this second edition, is to share what we do with all our customers and with those who shared our barbecue vision with us. our growth in these years, in a sort of annual celebratory reunion. For this reason we set ourselves as the sole objective of a sound cost coverage and to live this wonderful experience with you, proposing it to you
AT THE INCREDIBLE PRICE OF
324,00 €
But that’s not enough. Thanks to the collaboration of our sponsors we are able to offer alongside the GOLD TICKET, including all the services described above, the opportunity to purchase the DIAMOND TICKET which gives an additional right to an ALL INCLUSIVE service on alcoholic beverages and in particular:
- Unlimited consumption during all weekend of the two types of HIBU beers on tap during the whole event
- For unlimited consumption in our Author Liqueur Bouvette with Whiskey, Rum and grappa of great lineage
offering it at an additional cost of only € 25.00 compared to the GOLD.
To complete the picture, many apartments have the possibility of accommodating in places additional beds for children that will be completely FREE until the age of 11 (up to 12 years not yet completed at the start date of the event) and DISCOUNTS OF 50 % compared to GOLD if aged between 12 and 16 (up to 17 years not yet completed at the event start date).
Unfortunately the seats will be ONLY 32, not one more and the expressions of interest, first of all among our former clients, our collaborators, our partners and in general anyone to whom we had talked about this stratospheric initiative, were MANY. I advise you therefore not to take too much time to decide why you could seriously find yourself eating your hands for playing a unique opportunity.
Are you ready for a vacation that will upset your concept of barbecue?
YES! LET ME SIGN UP NOW AT CAMPFIRE LODGE 2019
