George & Linda Meyers

With a love of food and travel, George and Linda Meyers found their calling in Tuscany. They founded “Cook in Tuscany”, an immersive cooking school that hosts week-long culinary vacations from their 19-room boutique hotel, La Chiusa, located in the hills of Montefollonico on the Italian countryside. It’s a place where you arrive as guests, but leave as family.

George, a pilot, and Linda, a school teacher, spent their summers traveling the world in search of local customs. “I never wanted to be a tourist–I wanted to be a local,” says Linda of her years of travel. “I found myself bringing home souvenirs from local grocery stores.” During his journeys around the world, George has cooked and eaten in both obscure and off-the-beaten-path kitchens around the world, as well as restaurants run by famous Michelin-starred chefs. During his “travels” to Italy George could often be found in the kitchen making pizza with the women of the local villages! “I want to share my experiences and passion with our guests,” says George.

George and Linda frequently traveled throughout Italy, and on one of those trips to Tuscany many years ago, George and Linda fell so in love with the village and people of Montefollonico, they decided to stay! These two high-school sweethearts, both from New Orleans, combined their love of food and travel with Cook In Tuscany. Today they share their love of Tuscany with a dose of Southern Hospitality. “We want our guests to see and feel like they live here in the village, so we give them a true authentic visit.” George, Linda and their micro dachshund, Talula, live in the village, so you can often find guests sitting with George on his back porch, overlooking the valley and the hilltop city of Montpulciano, drinking wine (sweet tea) and telling stories. So, roll up your sleeves and come roll pasta in Montefollonico!

I’m so excited for you to connect with George and Linda, check out their work with Cook in Tuscany, and follow along as they continue to inspire others to take on their own adventures, follow their love and passion, and encourage others to indulge themselves in the Tuscan lifestyle and discover the region’s passion for food and fun.

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

George and Linda Meyers, we are owner/operators of Cook in Tuscany and Cook in France—2 cooking schools in Italy and France. We also own a hotel and restaurant in Tuscany called La Chiusa. We are continually working on making our guests fulfill their dream of living as a local in another country--even if for just one week.

How did you get started?

Our life had become routine and although we were very happy and successful we wanted to spend more time doing what we loved, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

What inspired the work that you're doing?

We are both from New Orleans and that simply means we love people and food. We think of food as something that “connects” people. We have always believed food is the true connection of cultures and people. We simply put these things in action and created Cook in Tuscany by introducing our guests to local friends, spending time in the kitchen with local woman learning and connecting with their traditional food, introducing them to local sites that are historically rich, yet off the tourist path, all while encouraging our guests to step outside their box and find what makes them happy.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

Our passion has evolved with time. We started out with a passion for travel and ended up with a passion to travel, eat delicious food and to help people to find their passion.

What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?

Joy is definitely a personal thing, but I think we are at the most joyful watching our family enjoy the time we spend together. We play games, travel together, eat together and do all things we never seemed to have time for before we changed our life. We love that we all get to experience new places and things together. But I have to say, "Watching a guest see the view from La chiusa for the first time is pretty magical" Its like experiencing Christmas morning every time someone sees LaChiusa for the first time!

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

For me, I try to always put myself in the other people’s shoes. Why are they reacting that way, how would I feel if someone had treated me like that or I try to think of their circumstances. My family always laughs at me for not speaking quickly, but its because I don't say anything until I have had time to consider all the facts. You have to wake up with the mindset of having a fantastic day!

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

That's easy...What took you so long to get the confidence to be the real you?

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?

What are you doing about it? Too many people spend their life thinking and daydreaming of what they want but never doing anything to get it.

What is your biggest dream?

My biggest dream is create a place where people can come to reset their thinking about life. La Chiusa is in a beautiful place, Tuscany. It is in a place like this you can forget about daily stress, relax and realize living with passion is the key to a happy life.

To learn more about George and Linda visit their website(s) www.cookintuscany.com, www.lachiusatuscany.com and on Instagram @cookintuscany1 @cookeatplaytravel Facebook @cookintuscany1 @cookeatplaytravel Twitter @cookintuscany Pinterest @cookintuscany

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George & Linda Meyers - Founders, Cook in Tuscany