Who doesn’t dream of cooking dinner in a vineyard a Sicilian castle? I’m sure most people would rather be the ones seated at the dinner in a Sicilian vineyard. But when I was asked by my friends at Castello Inici to cook dinner for 25 of their friends, I hopped on a plane and flew to Sicily!

The first time I visited Mexico City, my friend and trusted guide, Paco insisted I accompany him and his wife, Lulu to the famous barbacoa in nearby town, Texcoco, Estado de México. Paco is an expert in Mexican food and culture and is a guide for Culinary Backstreets of Mexico. Barbacoa is an ancient method of slowly cooking meat outdoors, often underground.

I’ve always been fascinated with the cultures and cuisine of the Andes, the world’s longest range of mountains. After traveling to Peru, Argentina, and Chile it was time to explore another country of the South American Andes. Colombia was an easy choice, and with the help of dynamic guides I ate and cooked my way through Bogota, Chia, and Medellín like a champ, albeit a few well-earned pounds on the scales when I returned home.

Since childhood, once a year my family loaded up our car in Oklahoma and drove 8 hours to the southern New Mexican town of Hobbs where my grandparents lived. My mother grew up in Hobbs, which I recall being flat desert land with lots of oil rigs, and an abundance of cactus. My grandparents had moved their family to Hobbs in the 1950s when my mother and her 3 siblings were children so my grandfather, Pappaw, could work in the oil business.

Many consider the Basques to be the last survivors of the aboriginal tribes once populating Europe. And the people hold on to their traditions, not as Spanish, but simply as Basque.

Southeast Asia has long been a fascination for me. Exploring food markets, bustling cities, rural farms, and cooking with chefs who have been making traditional dishes their entire lives. The perfect place to start was Vietnam. I traveled with my friend and photographer, Valerie, who was eager to capture the beauty of our trip in her photos.

I just returned from a fantastic tour of Marrakech, Morocco. Marrakech – sometimes spelled “Marrakesh” – is a historic city center in the heart of the north African country. This was my first time to Marrakech, but this journey marked my fourth gourmet tour with Diane Seed, my longtime friend who loves food and travel as much as I do.

It began with a visit to a Cuban restaurant in Miami years ago when I experienced authentic Cuban cuisine and the warm, welcoming hospitality of the Cuban culture. Such was the impact of that visit, I knew that I must go learn more about the food and people of Cuba. So, I grabbed my go-with-the-flow fellow traveler (and good personal friend), Cindy, to experience our own Cuban adventure.

Santorini is a small island off the coast of Greece which experienced a devastating volcanic eruption 3,600 years ago. As a result, the soil is rich in lava minerals combined with the island's natural iron, sulphur, and pumice. Asyrtico grapes, as well as tomatoes grow perfectly in the soil, with the addition of heat and morning humidity from the Aegean Sea. The pumice in the soil soaks up the moisture and provides ample water for the plants. Santorini is immune to phylloxera, because of the volcanic soil, which results in the island having some of the oldest vines in the world.

When I was very young my parents went to Mexico City on vacation. They brought back a marble chess set that I was required to dust nearly every week until I went to college. I remember my mother saying she would never go back to Mexico because when they were on the subway in Mexico City a man pinched her on the bottom. Well, many years later I decided to visit Mexico City for myself, with the determination to see the beautiful architecture and eat the food for which they are so famous.

I find it fascinating how people come into my life under the most interesting circumstances. Last November I was in Mexico visiting some friends who own a home on the beach. One day I got a massage, and I asked the massage therapist if he knew anyone who could teach me to cook the local food from that area. He said he would think about it and let me know. A few days later, he texted me and told me of a chef named Alondra Maldonado, who had written a cookbook about the food in the state of Nayarit, Mexico.

Have you ever been asked, “Which do you prefer, the beach or the mountains?” My answer is, “Neither. I love the desert.” I don’t know what it is about sand, cactus, tumbleweeds, intense heat, and hills of brown and red rocks. I absolutely love the desert. Some of my favorite escapes in the United States are Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southern Utah. The chilly nights and blazing hot days just warm my soul, and I can’t get enough.

I’m often asked what my favorite country is to visit. I usually fumble my words trying to think of the most exotic places I’ve been so I don’t give the stereotypical answer, Italy. I mean, everyone loves Italy. I’ve been there nearly twenty times, and yes, it’s my favorite country. Rome is my favorite city in the world. But, it wasn’t always my favorite.

I had looked forward to visiting Argentina for a very long time. It would be my 46th country, and I had done my research for the perfect place to stay in the Mendoza wine region, followed by a visit to the capital city of Buenos Aires.