I travel, cook, eat, observe, interact, live and write.
As a culinary and cultural travel writer I seek connections among people, activities, the environment and what they eat that tell the story of a region/culture, whether that be in the remote Andes Mountains or the streets of Philadelphia.
Publications include my travel web site on Argentina (www.travel-with-pen-and-palate-argentina.com) and articles covering a diverse range of countries and cultures at www.travelpenandpalate.com and both the digital and print editions of the Hellenic News of America.
Industry experience includes over 45 years as a chef, chef educator, hotel and restaurant manager, catering as well as teaching history, writing, theater, culinary arts and business.
I'm an active member in the American Culinary Federation.
Fed by three river systems—the Sabine, Calcasieu and Mermentau – 85 percent of Cameron Parish is coastal wetlands, open water or open range.
Over a million alligators populate Louisiana. Cattle graze on grasslands; rice and sugar cane fields still thrive. There are 26 miles of Gulf of Mexico beaches blissfully free of high-rise condos, hotels or even beach houses.
Does continual beauty cause you to yawn? Is dining within sight and sound of warm shockingly blue water directly on a white sand beach passé on your “bucket list?” Unless, that is, having dinner cooked by a volcano is intriguing.
Mt. Athos at dawnmosaic floor at the excavations Monastery of Zygos
The evidence of Greece’s long and turbulent civilization lay scattered throughout the country. It was as easy to stumble across remnants of an ancient site in the middle of a farm field as it was to visit the impressive ruins of the 10th century Monastery of Zygos
Ancient StagiraAlexandros Palace Hotel
Between Mt. Athos and Stagira the 250-room Alexandros Palace Hotel resort complex, a veritable village on a 90-acre hillside just outside Ouranoupolis, is an ideal location to explore this fabled peninsula.
The volcano that blew Santorini into history 3,500 years ago is responsible for a combination of natural forces creating ideal conditions for agricultural products sought after throughout Greece.
Georgia Tsara and Yiorgos Hatziyannakis
Georgia is the foremost expert on the island’s unique agriculture, coordinates and teaches many of the cooking, cheese and wine classes held at Selene and was a major force behind Santorini’s Year of Gastronomy designation in 2013.
Philippi would be a doorway to Asia Minor. It would serve three empires. It would be a major player in creating history.
Lydia of Philippisia became St. Paul’s first convert in 49 A.C.E. receiving baptism in the Zygaktis River – a gesture with international ramifications.
Chef Frank Brigtsen and the New Orleans Cooking ExperienceGumbo
“The way Katrina changed me is that I’m more passionate about my home, more protective of my cuisine.”
“I was taught by Paul Prudhomme; it was one the greatest blessings in my life, and I want to give back and foster the next generation of New Orleanians to at least learn and respect the cuisine.”
Read the rest of my exclusive interview with New Orleans celebrity chef Frank Brigtsen….
Legendary New Orleans: hurricanes can’t destroy it; corrupt politics can’t infect it; potholes can’t deter its beauty.
Sazerac: the “official” drink of New OrleansNapoleon House (circa 1791)
Food and drink sustain it: “We’ll always have hospitality,” says celebrity chef Frank Brigtsen.
Chef Frank Brigtsen at the New Orleans Cooking Experience
“I was taught by Paul Prudhomme; it was one the greatest blessings in my life, and I want to give back and foster the next generation of New Orleanians to at least learn and respect the cuisine.”
Gumbo
“As we diversify the types of food being cooked in the city of New Orleans, it’s even more important to me to make gumbo and keep that going.”
Read my exclusive interview with famed chef Frank Brigtsen.
Liz Williams, director of SoFABLobster, crab & avocado cocktail
“Creole cuisine, the food of New Orleans, it’s a living thing. Nobody’s trying to stop it from changing; nobody said its got to end, so that’s why it’s still alive.”
Is there a beverage that defines the South? Creole and Cajun fusion? (or confusion) In my interview with Liz Williams, director of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB), she answers all and states the mission of this unique institution, “Look at cultural attitudes towards the foods, not just a recipe.”
Stained glass dome of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chambers, Capitol Building
Harrisburg is still one of the major railroad transportation hubs of the Northeast connecting to the west and the south. Old steel mill buildings and warehouses have been repurposed for new specialized industries and institutes of higher education.
Lark Quartet, Harrisburg
Read more about Harrisburg’s new mayor – not a cookie cutter politician!
roast duck at Carley’s glazed with a not overly sweet orange plum sauce and topping wilted spinach and goat cheese infused polenta.
Farmers who created Pennsylvania’s moniker the “American breadbasket” in the late 18th century built Harrisburg.
Buddha Buddha’s cucumber martini
Young professionals flooding center city Harrisburg, PA, have a penchant for gathering with friends – that’s fueling a revitalization of hospitality businesses. Read the rest of the article at…
Theodora Tziamali & Chef George Katseas partners: Katogi Cafe
“We’re romantic,” says Chef George Katseas and that’s evident by both the decor and the manner in which George and partner Theodora Tziamali treat their customers like family.
Elia
“I want to marry the modern with tradition,” says Harris Boukas the young owner of Elia.
Nightlife on the Greek Island of Ios can certainly become lively during the summer season, but dining in the following seven tavernas and cafes put a smile on my face. Read more at…
Windmills tell stories of the drive for labor saving devices even in the pre-industrial age.
Harnessing the near steady breeze of both coast and hills was a technological breakthrough akin to present day electric wind generators.
Building a windmill was no easy task.
Windmill on the island of Alonissos
Mr. Ionnis Trinas has constructed what very well may be the first fully functioning windmill in the Greek islands for over a century. Read the rest at…
Mrs. Annezio Bouritis and her son Mixαlis Famelitis. Annezio Bakery
Mrs. Annezio Bouritis and her son Mixαlis Famelitis operate the traditional Annezio Bakery located in the port town of Merichas. Set in a typical white washed stone building with a view overlooking the harbor, the cars of customers are usually double parked on the narrow street.
cheese tarts
Greeks positively revel in sharing their food, especially with visitors. Mrs. Bouritis and Mixalis were equally enthusiastic to share recipes for cheese tarts and pastel. Read more at…
The volcano that blew Santorini into history 3,500 years ago created a soil that produces the driest white wines and the finest dessert wine this chef has ever had moisten his palate.
Santorini TOMATO SAUCE WITH VINSANTO wine: Santo Winery
Santo Wines – responsible for 17% of the agricultural land on the island – emphasized that its mission is “to preserve the cultivation of land and overcome the challenge of rapid touristic development that leads to the abandonment of land cultivation.”
The kouloura is the unique way of pruning the grape vines to keep the round shape of a basket-like circle.
The volcanic cliffs maintain an ideal temperature for wine production making air conditioning unnecessary.
You must be logged in to post a comment.