Real Food Traveler REAL Podcast

What do dance, food, and travel have in common? So much! I found that out when I had the pleasure of talking to the host of PBS’s Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi. We discussed what it’s like to be a travel professional who currently can’t travel, why dance is so universal, and why she’s not afraid to make mistakes when she’s dancing on her TV show. Enjoy my conversation with Mickela Mallozzi on th...

Many people love sausage. And many have preconceived notions about what it is and what goes into it. You’ll come away from this Real Food Traveler podcast understanding more and wanting Mulay’s Sausage in a big way. Listen and find out how they’ve always managed to be ahead of their time and food/health trends and what it’s like to be a woman running a sausage-making company.   Meet Loree Mulay We...

After a year like no other, this turning to a new year is like no other. Still carrying the fears of 2020, we head into 2021 with trepidation but also a lot of optimism. With all of that in mind, please click the link above to hear a special podcast message from Real Food Traveler’s Publisher and Managing Editor, Courtney Drake-McDonough.  Click here to listen to the podcast about Mulay’s Sausage....

It may seem too good to be true, but it’s just good and just true! A family-owned and operated Colorado company, Decadent Saint, has created a line of mixers that make it easy to play mixologist at home with some basic ingredients. They can be used to make anything from sangria to a hot toddy to an elegant sauce for cooking.    Listen to this podcast conversation with Michael Hasler and his wife,...

Thanks to improved fishing practices, the old rule of only eating shellfish in months ending in “r” no longer applies. Now, you can enjoy high-quality, delicious oysters in Virginia Beach, Virginia any time of year. But in November, the famous Lynnhaven Oyster gets its own month of celebration.     Enjoy this podcast conversation between Real Food Traveler publisher and managing editor, Courtney D...

Find out what it’s like to dine at Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill, which got its start as a Houston neighborhood butcher shop. Food and travel writer, Ron Stern, talks to Managing Editor, Courtney Drake-McDonough about the vibe, the appetizer you must order, and that famous Perry’s Pork Chop that’s 7 fingers high! Read more and see pictures of the dining experience on this article. The famous Perry’...

When I asked Jessica McCready to tell me about Camano Island and what life is like as a local, she painted a wonderful and enticing picture. As Executive Director of the Camano Island Chamber of Commerce, playing up what’s wonderful about the island in the Pacific Northwest comes naturally. But so does telling us about some of her personal favorite places to go, things to see, and local foods to e...

When I heard about Chef Pacheco’s lineage in Arizona, I knew I had to meet him. I mean, nine generations all in the same area, working in the food production and preparation industry? That’s a deep-rooted knowledge of and passion for what truly is local food. As Executive Chef of LON’s, the restaurant at The Hermosa Inn, Jeremy Pacheco brings that history and connection to the people responsible f...

On a recent trip to Park City, Utah, an historic mountain town just outside of Salt Lake City, we discovered an unlikely combination. Pie and distilled spirits. No, not served in the same vessel but definitely served side by side. Located down a set of stairs on Park City’s Main Street, behind a curtain, you enter another world. Part speakeasy, part mini-gin distillery, part pie shop and all sumpt...

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” “As American as Apple Pie.” “Comparing apples to apples.” The delightful fruit is part of so many sayings, our culture, and our food options. There’s a huge variety of apples out there in the world but the Gravenstein Apple is rather unique to California. After a trip […]

No, we’re not proposing you drink your way across Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not really, anyway. But we do suggest you take advantage of the Margarita Trail program that enables you to try unique, hand-crafted Margaritas (in a very responsible way), at different restaurants and bars. Each Margarita has been conceived of to show off the personality, tastes, and vibe of the place serving it. So in that w...

Old Salem, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina is this wonderful, unique slice of life (and history) that combines living history with regular, every day life! We wrote about our visit to Winston-Salem which included some time we spent in Old Salem. Learn more about the Moravian culture and the rich history in Old Salem in addition to what awaits you when you go, and when the best times of the year a...

It started with some sips of whiskey around the family table. For Bev Heising, her husband, and adult kids, a simple “what if” became a thriving distillery business on an island off of the state of Washington. Listen to my conversation with Bev about the process of starting Whidbey Island Distillery, what life is like there, and what you’re in for when you visit.     Hungry for more? Listen to our...

You know the old saying: “Birds of a feather flock together”? It certainly applies to the great Crane Migration is one of the major animal migrations in the world. How lucky for those of us who live in the U.S. that it comes straight up through the middle of the country, giving so many of us the opportunity to experience this natural wonder. We spoke with Nebraska’s Director of Conservation Resear...

Chef Shahin Afsharian, currently living, working and discovering the food scene in Savannah, Georgia. Whenever we visit a new place or move to a new city, part of the thrill is getting to know the restaurant scene. Imagine, then, what it’s like to be a chef who has lived all over the world, getting to know the food scene – with an insider’s perspective! We spoke to Chef Shahin Afsharian who recent...

Dr. Jennifer Short of Camano Island Honey. You’ve heard of beekeepers, but have you ever met a Chief Bee Wrangler? That’s what Dr. Jennifer Short, DVM, MBA is. Camano Island Honey at Sanctuary Farms Apiary on Camano Island in the Pacific Northwest is ensuring the health, success, and purpose of bees. And she’s helping other people do it to. There has been a lot of “buzz” about the importance of be...

How do we get our food? Farmers are an enormous part of that answer. Important as the industry is, the number of farmers is dwindling. That’s where the Organic Farm School comes in. Meet Judy Feldman, Executive Director of the program. Let’s talk farming and the future. Learn more about the Organic Farm School on their website, here.

Wisconsin is cheese country. But it isn’t about mass quantities for the masses. It’s also about the art of making it. When we visited, we met a man who has made cheese his life, building a business (and the building that houses it), while pursuing the art of cheesemaking in Door County, Wisconsin. Meet the owner of Door Artisan Cheese Company,  Mike Brennenstuhl, who we talked to about pursuing dr...

We’ve heard the name, of course, and even had it several times in restaurants. But we really didn’t know what it meant in terms of what the cow is like, what it means in terms of raising them and feeding them. And, since it is something of a delicacy, and more expensive than regular beef, we wanted to know how to prepare it well at home and how to order it well at a restaurant. So, what’s Wagyu Be...

Hot Springs is not just a name for the destination in Arkansas. It’s a vast history – geological, social, economic, and more. Recently, we got a glimpse into what a perfect day would be in Hot Springs from writer Jamie Siebrase. And we found out about the unique ingredient to be found in the beer. We found it so interesting, we called up Tom Hill, Museum Curator for Hot Springs National Park and a...

It’s so easy to love Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hofsas House Hotel. Photo by Courtney Drake-McDonough. In our expanded post about Carmel-by-the-Sea, we said that visiting Carmel is like coming home, even if you’ve never been there before. It’s such a charming, small-scale, safe, friendly place. Part of that feeling of “home” comes from where you call your home base during your stay. For us, that was th...

Paola Legarre, owner of Sage Creations Organic Farm in her beautiful lavender fields in Palisade, Colorado. Lavender plants have a long and storied past. They have been used for centuries for food, health and beauty purposes. And beautiful it is, in varying shades of blue, growing in mounds in vast fields. Colorado will host its annual Lavender Festival June 29-July 1, 2018 in Grand Junction, on t...

Devil’s Thumb Ranch is only about an hour outside of Denver, yet the Colorado ranch feels a world away. It’s the perfect place to get in touch with your inner cowboy or cowgirl (that you might not have known was lurking). You can read more about it, here. We had the opportunity to sit down with former Executive Chef Josh Bettis who, relatively new to the Ranch and to Colorado, is responsible for a...

Typically, when one wants to have a camping experience, they need to hit the road, head to the hills or otherwise be pretty isolated from the rest of civilization. But there’s a new type of camping area, just minutes from the heart of Savannah, Georgia that allows people to get in some wilderness time (with leanings toward glamping), yet take in some shopping, strolling and dining in the city, nea...

When Lia Huber came to town on her book tour, I was so ready to meet her! I’d gotten a good start on her book, “NOURISHED: A Memoir of Food, Faith & Enduring Love (with Recipes),” and loved it. She did such a wonderful job of describing her travels, her issues and the food she experienced that I felt like I was right along with her. We met at a coffee house downtown, with construction trucks a...