This is my very first post on my very first blog. I hope to be interesting and informative, and sometimes even funny!

About me:

In 1978 I was lucky enough to travel to France at a fairly young age on a school trip. From that point on, I have loved travel. I often say there is really no place I’d refuse to visit. I love to learn about different cultures, histories and food when I travel, and I love to incorporate what I’ve learned into culinary experiences at home. I truly love finding the restaurants that the locals enjoy, rather than one found in a tour book that is full of visitors. Translating a menu and trusting the waitstaff can truly be an adventure in itself! I also love to “virtually” travel to a place, plan a trip, research flights, hotels, cultures, restaurants, just to prepare a meal from a country that I haven’t visited yet. Since 1978 I have been fortunate enough to return to France a few times, and visit other countries in Europe, Asia and South America. Currently, I am living in Dallas, Texas, although I am originally from Connecticut. Not long ago, I spent six years living in the wonderful city of Toronto, during which time I truly began my culinary journey.

Why am I passionate about cooking? I come from a rather long line of truly bad cooks. My parents and both maternal and paternal grandparents had no interest in cooking, and subsequently we were raised on “TV dinners” and lots of processed foods. I’m fairly certain I didn’t eat a fresh vegetable at home other than a baked potato in my entire childhood. Vegetables were either frozen or canned. It was important for me to change that for myself and my family going forward. I read cookbooks like they are novels, and I have a respectable collection of them as a result. Cooking has become my daily therapy. Food brings us all together and unites us.

Join me as we cook our way around the world!