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.
“Welcome to my home. Good to see you. May the Creator be with you,”
Ginger Songbird Martin, Cultural Concierge at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, explains that the Pima and Maricopa people have no words for “hello” and “goodbye.” Rather the greeting is, “Welcome to my home. Good to see you. May the Creator be with you,” and the salutation, “Hope to see you soon.”
Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa is a luxurious adobe-like structure set amidst a lush desert landscape on the banks of the Gila River. It’s as perfect a classic southwest setting as it gets.
table at Kai, Yukon Gold Potato hor’s doeuvre
Kai is the Resort’s award winning restaurant and an innovator of Native American cuisine. The menu is a fusion of traditional native foods, locally sourced, time honored classic preparations and stunningly imaginative reductions, pairings of grains, vegetables and use of herbs.
Kai Grilled Buffalo Steak and assorted local cheeses, dried fruits, nuts and seeds
View from, and interior of, Tamarind Cafe, Luang Prabang, Laos
Long the ancient royal capital of Laos’ many national permutations, Luang Prabang was a favorite of the French during their century of domination with their architecture, but not their cuisine, influencing and complimenting the Laotians own superb sensibilities. The city is stunning, serene and a foodie mecca.
Ban Phousy Morning Market, Luang Prabang, Laos
Laos and its food is fascinating, relaxed, less spicy and refined.
Ban Phousy Market, Luang Prabang, Laos
In a city known for its cooking classes, Tamarind offers unique full day experiences starting with a shopping expedition to the morning market.
spices, herbs and rice: Luang Prabang, Laos
Read more at Suite101 – my latest Featured Article on the Food & Drink page’s Culinary Tourism section, including the recipe.
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
A beautiful exhibit of Nativity Scenes is on display through the holidays at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort. The creche have been collected from around the world and represent both a heartwarming, and light hearted in a few examples, international devotion to the Christian aspect of the season. The designs are eclectic and include materials as diverse as carved mother-of-pearl, paper and chocolate/marshmallow s’mores. (Please click the link below for a sound slideshow of the creche.)
Visitors may leave a donation for All Hands Volunteers, a non profit organization that provides funding for rebuilding after natural disasters. Peter Kirkwood, nephew of the collector and son of Shawnee’s owners Charles and Virginia Kirkwood, co-founded All Hands Volunteers in 2005 after the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 that devastated large parts of Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations. Living in Thailand at the time, Peter was an eye witness to the disaster. All Hands Volunteers provides both material and volunteer labor. It’s fitting at this time of year that a collection box be a part of an exhibit celebrating an event that knows no borders.
Eating wild Georgia White Shrimp within minutes of being caught, while on the Lady Jane off St. Simons Island, is a culinary experience not to be missed.
The Lady Jane
It’s a brilliant sunny day off the southern Georgia coast as the Lady Jane moves slowly through the channel. The islands of St. Simons and Jekyll rise above a sea of salt grass. Laughing seagulls – their actual name – swoop through the air behind the ship. “That’s a good sign,” comments Cliff Credle, “They know where the food is.”
The shallow waters of the Atlantic around southern Georgia’s islands exclude any possible invasion of the shrimp beds by large factory ships. Shrimping remains a bastion of small boat fishing operated by individual entrepreneurs.
Crew of the Lady Jane: (clockwise) Capt. Larry Credle, mate Cliff Credle, First Mate John Tyre
These waters are home to the endangered Green Sea Turtle.
When you eat plump wild shrimp you’ll smell and taste the briny difference the moment you peel the shell off a freshly steamed or grilled wild Georgia, preferably, White or Red crustacean.
At Antelope Park, Gweru, Zimbabwe, a dozen journalists take two cats for a walk, actually two lions. Laili and Lewa, barely one year old cubs but already weighing nearly 200 pounds each, play like kittens as they roll around on the ground, licking and nipping each other.
The African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT), a non-profit founded at Antelope Park, actively pursues a four-stage method to stem the rapid decline of these roaming majestic cats. In less than 30 years, the population of wild African lions has decreased an estimated 85% from 200,000 to 30,000.
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The mission incurs tremendous costs and funding is dependent on donations, volunteers and the income generated by guests at Antelope Park Lodge.
At daybreak, floating over the Sonoran Desert at 6,000 feet in a basket is an awesome way to start the day.
Contrasted against the outline of cactus and brown desert are over a dozen giant multicolored balloons being inflated. They slowly rise like other worldly mushrooms whose spoors invaded the planet.
Liftoff is, well, like floating in air. Except for the occasional blast from the propane jet and sounds of primal glee from adults one would think have experienced it all, the world silently drifts away.
The Sonoran Desert is lush despite receiving an average annual rainfall of 10 inches. In the distance is shockingly blue Lake Pleasant formed in the 1920s by damming the Aqua Fria River.
The Philadelphia Restaurant Revolution started in the mid-1970’s with Chef Georges Perrier’s Le Bec Fin and the opening of the Restaurant School. The city’s culinary wasteland suddenly bloomed with some of America’s most innovative cuisine. Now, finally, the Revolution has broken through to the suburbs. Click the links to read my reviews as Philadelphia Fine Dining Examiner on Examiner.com
Bacalhau á Lagareiro at Massa Pizza & Grill, Ambler, PA
Why would a fine dining Portuguese restaurant want to call itself a pizza parlor? Situated diagonally across from the Ambler Theater, Massa Pizza and Grill is an excellent addition to Ambler’s growing reputation as a foodie destination.
Leila's Bistro, Jenkintown, PA
Leila’s Bistro is where Edith Piaf would dine if she found herself in Philadelphia’s suburbs.
Valley Green Inn, Chestnut Hill, PA
The 160 year old Valley Green Inn could not be more romantic and will make you comfortable with its decor and fare.
clockwise: Duck Quesadillas, Pecan pie w/ice cream, Cedar Hollow Restaurant, Malvern, PA, Crab Cake
Within the past couple years the interior of Cedar Hollow Inn has been nicely remodeled with the main dining room benefiting from a southwest theme. Cobalt blue glasses contrast with the tan/reddish orange wall colors, crisp white table cloths and artistic prints depicting southwestern themes complement the space. Chef Stephen Guiseppe has added good southwestern inspired dishes.
Naturally, center city Philadelphia still shines as a culinary Mecca. Keeping up with Stephen Staar’s numerous and successful concepts is as difficult as keeping up with the Kardashians. Yet the Continental Diner stands out as a hands down favorite for Philadelphia natives.
Seared Skate w/ Fregola Sarda & lump crabmeat, Tripe w/ Fresh Tomato and Parmigiano Reggiano, Paradiso, Philadelphia, PA
Paradiso Restaurant & Wine Bar at 1627 East Passyunk Avenue, near Tasker Street, is in the heart of South Philly. Yet being at the center of Philadelphia’s Little Italy, home to cheese steaks, pizza and veal parmesan with canned sauce, Paradiso is a haven from the typical Italian-American fare of too many area restaurants.
Check Examiner.com often for my restaurant reviews. You can subscribe either to this blog site or by clicking the link next to my name on one of my reviews.
Gazelle Stew on Sadza, beans in tomato sauce, collard greens & creamed spinach
On any photo safari through Zimbabwe springbok (African gazelle), kudu (large antelope), impala and warthogs are seen by the dozen. Crocodiles make venturing into the rivers for a swim unwise. It does not take that much imagination to realize that these animals, exotic to Western palates, must have been part of the Shona and Ndebele cultural diet.
Marinated Warthog with White Wine BBQ Sauce at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
Gazelle, warthog and crocodile are still available yet, ironically, they are usually found in either luxury restaurants or an average home in the Townships.
In urban areas the working man or women and students in brightly colored, starched uniforms are more likely to be found in one of four fast food establishments – Chicken Inn®, Pizza Inn®, Bakers Inn® and Creamy Inn® – all serving industrialized products recognizable to anyone in Liverpool or Detroit.
Upon entering the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in swank Scottsdale, AZ, you may be greeted by a pirate.
Michael McClanathan
Depending on the time of day you might hear live music being played at the edge of the golf course on bagpipes by a gentleman with long blond hair in a kilt.
Nelson Garcia-Miranda
Before entering Deseo restaurant you will experience the Kierland’s Artist-in-Residence intently painting.
Scotty
In the lobby of the hotel, you may run into Scotty, the Kierland’s top Dog-in-Residence.
Welcome to the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, “an uncommon experience.”
Travel with Pen and Palate 
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