Shari Alexander’s life reads like a cookbook, with the main ingredients: risk and adventure. After a successful career in the fashion business, Shari stopped dieting and graduated from the New York Restaurant School with a certificate in the culinary arts & restaurant management. She was one of the first women chefs in the fashionable Hamptons resort area of Long Island. Her intimate bistro in the seaside town of Sag Harbor, called “The Ship’s Galley,” was an instant hit and earned 3 stars from The New York Times, and a worldwide reputation due to her international clientele. Shari traveled and cooked extensively for 10 years, closing her restaurant every winter to learn about the regional cuisine and wines of Spain, Madeira, Portugal, Italy, and many other exotic ports of call.

Shari sold her restaurant and followed the sun to Florida, where she became catering director for Orange Blossom Catering in Sarasota and created The Banyan Cafe, a 200-seat destination restaurant on the grounds of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. She also began another career as a food and wine writer with her “Uncorked” and “DISH” columns for the Sarasota Herald Tribune’s Style Magazine, and was contributing editor for the Taste section of the Bradenton Herald and food and wine editor for West Coast Woman. She was listed in the Blue Book of Who’s Who in Florida.

Returning to New York after her Florida adventure, Shari became a partner in a 500-seat restaurant on Sag Harbor’s beautiful yacht marina. It was at this time that Shari met her future husband, John Bills, an opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera. In 2000, Shari and John joined their creativity and shared love of food and wine to create the Long Island Wine Gazette, a quarterly magazine featuring the wine industry of Long Island, now recognized as one of the important viticultural areas of the world. For five seasons the couple chronicled their food and wine adventures in this informative, entertaining, and highly successful journal.

In 2002 Shari and John were married and bought a 225-year-old mansion in New England and created The Red Maple Inn (www.theredmapleinn.com), quickly earning kudos from the Boston Globe and BOSTON Magazine, and named an Editors' Choice destination by the prestigious YANKEE Magazine.

Chef Shari Alexander felt the call of the exciting culinary world again in 2008. After three years of wintering in San Miguel de Allende, México, she and her partner Alberto Pacheco, another lover of gastronomy, created “Flavors & Magic,” A Culinary Adventure, an extraordinary week of fine dining in gorgeous chef-owned and world-class restaurants, evenings with sommeliers, cocktail parties in private mansions, haciendas, and the best historic San Miguel has to offer! Truly an “insider’s tour” of a lifetime!

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Alberto Pacheco, a native of México City, México, emigrated to the United States in the late 1970s to pursue a career in graphic arts. Educated in the fine arts, Alberto parlayed his love of design into a successful 30-year career as an award-winning Art Director for several high-profile associations.

During his time in the U.S., Alberto became fluent in the English language and in the traditions and culture of his new country. He also met and married his wife, Wendy Pacheco, a medical journal editor and freelance writer. Through numerous trips to Mexico, and with Alberto as her expert guide, Wendy became enchanted with México as Alberto became reacquainted with his homeland. The result was a move to San Miguel de Allende in 2007, where Alberto met his Flavors & Magic partner, Chef Shari Alexander.

Together, Shari and Alberto have dedicated many hours exploring the culinary and artistic beauty of San Miguel de Allende. Their efforts have resulted in this exclusive tour, which will showcase the best San Miguel has to offer, including access to beautiful haciendas, private villas, and the kitchens of the top chefs in town.

In addition to a having a passion for food, art, and music, Alberto is an avid racquetball player and Harley rider. He also enjoys playing guitar and keyboard.

Alberto looks forward to hosting you and introducing you to his country of birth. Being fluent in both Spanish and English, as well as the customs and manners of México and the U.S., Alberto is uniquely qualified to ensure your journey is magical and unforgettable.

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