culinary travel

I get asked this a lot. “Where’s your favorite place?” “What’s the best place you’ve been?” I thought I’d tell you about the places I’ve been that left a lasting impression. That’s actually a bit misleading. I LOVE everywhere I go. Because I love to travel and I find something interesting or memorable in every destination. Even the bad experiences, of which there are few (although a “hike” through an unexpected rather buggy, really muddy, …

I FINALLY made it to Capri! I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy but never made it to the Amalfi Coast or Capri (shameful, I know). So after our recent Windstar Cruise from Barcelona to Rome, we decided to tack on a few days and visit Capri. We had one experience on Capri that was truly the highlight of our 2-week European trip. You’ll have to read on to learn what it is – …

Last fall, I convinced my husband that he really needed to experience all of the beauty that Umbria, the lush, scenic region that borders Tuscany,  had to offer — including the picturesque rolling vineyards and incredible wine tasting experiences. I had traveled throughout the region when we lived in Italy, but he had never seen the true Italian countryside. So we set off to tour a few wineries in the region and received the VIP …

What would you expect to find in a town with 400 Asian restaurants and just 210,000 people, 65% of Asian descent? You’d find some of the best Chinese food this side of, well, China. Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver, is home to a large population of Asians who settled here in the late 1970s (they translated Richmond to “Rich Man”) and opened restaurants because they missed their food from home. So how does a small …

My husband likes to golf; I like to drink wine. But the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. I originally wrote about some of the best golf and wine resorts for Orbitz, but I’m on the hunt to discover more. I’m happy to head off to the tasting room while he’s on the first tee, sprinkle in a few spa treatments, and then meet back up at the tasting room at the end of …

I’m an adventure traveler. Or I should say a foodie adventure traveler. I love exploring new places through the food. So when I was invited to spend a week at a cooking school in France, I jumped at the opportunity. I’d be learning classic French cooking techniques, including all those classic French mother sauces, along with exploring the local foods and wines of the region. And in true empty nest style, my husband, a non-cook, …