What Makes The Gastronomad Experience So Special?

I'm writing this while sitting in the living room of our friends' home in Sydney, Australia. Mike and I feel so blessed for getting to meet so many incredibly genuine, intelligent, kind and beautiful human beings during each and every Gastronomad Experience. In fact, that's where we met our friends hosting us here in Australia.

Those of you who have joined us on a Gastronomad Experience know exactly what I'm talking about. You encounter wonderful people and forge deep and genuine friendships that will last a lifetime. Our family of friends keeps growing. And we're overwhelmed with gratitude for this remarkable and exceptional Gastronomad community.

The good fortune to meet so many kindred spirits who share the same passion for delicious food, exquisite wine, real culture and unique culinary travel adventures is the best kind of serendipity. That is the common thread of our connection during every Gastronomad Experience.

The gift of these friendships is not our doing, but yours. You're the gift to us — and to each other. The Gastronomad Experiences' guests are self-selected, and always turn out to be kindred spirits.

To sign up for a culinary travel experience, where the details are kept secret and every activity is a surprise, on the other side of the world takes a rare combination of courage, trust and a driving obsession with good food and wine.

Your trust in us and in our secret itineraries speaks volumes about your open mind, trusting soul and true sense of adventure. And your passion for gastronomic discovery is what inspires us to create the most beautiful, delicious, dreamy and enchanting culinary travel experiences in the world. It's a true honor for us to welcome you as friends in our most favorite corners of the world where we feel proud to introduce you to our local visionary artisan friends who also become your friends.

And as I return to finish writing this journal, we're now in Tasmania where we're glowing from all the natural beauty, textures, scents and tastes we've enjoyed thanks to the hospitality of our wonderful friends.

Having seen a bit of Australia and some of Tasmania, I can unequivocally say that I find myself enamored of the warmth of the people we've met and the natural beauty of these landscapes.

Traveling to new and unique places fill us with awe and wonder. It drives us to create ever more magical experiences that foster human connection, inspire joy and nourish the soul.

When we gather around a table in a beautiful place to celebrate the joy of living, enjoying delicious food and exquisite wine with kindred spirits — that's when we understand and discover how good and sweet life can be. It’s you and your trusting nature that makes The Gastronomad Experience extraordinary!

Whether you’re one of our Gastronomad friends, or a future Gastronomad, please let me know if you'd like to join us for one of our Gastronomad Experiences in 2024. We have a handful of spots available this year. You’re always welcome at our table!

Joy and adventure,

Amira

We just added a new Oaxaca Mezcal Experience for this year!

Greetings from Oaxaca!

I’ve got some great news! By popular demand, we've added a new Oaxaca Mezcal Experience this year! It happens December 3-9.

We’ve been in Oaxaca enjoying our own personal “Gastronomad Experience” with our local friends. This place is magnificent and truly inspiring! I can’t wait to share this new Oaxaca Mezcal Experience with you!

There’s something truly magical about Oaxaca — its deep blue skies, puffy white clouds, colorful buildings, cobblestone streets, friendly people, delicious food and ever-present history. It fills your heart with joy and happiness.

And the food!! This isn’t the Mexican food that you already know and love. Oaxaca is its own gastronomic universe, with some of the world’s most delicious flavors and ingredients.

The Wall Street Journal called Oaxaca the “Mexican city every food-loving traveler should visit now.” And Travel + Leisure magazine named Oaxaca the Best City in the World to travel to for the last two years in a row!

And these publications are talking about mere tourism!

Imagine the unimaginable — skip right past the tourism and go directly into the heart of the real, authentic Oaxaca. We lovingly craft a bespoke itinerary full of fun and delicious surprises. Get to know our brilliant friends, some of whom are the city’s top chefs and food makers. Experience magical gatherings in breathtaking settings with the most exquisite foods and drinks this region has to offer.

This isn’t just travel. It’s time travel. It’s travel beyond the world that you know and into a world you never imagined.

And while we do enjoy some of Mexico’s greatest wines, we also deeply explore the Oaxacan tradition of mezcal. (Because of US import restrictions, most of Oaxaca’s best mezcal cannot legally be sold in the United States. You can find it only in Oaxaca.)

The Oaxacan Mezcal Experience is more than an experience. It’s a magic spell. And you’ll be enchanted completely.

But space is limited. Secure your spot today and prepare for a transformative culinary experience! Get pricing and book now!

You can taste Mexico City, Oaxaca and Baja in every great Mexican dinner

“Get dressed! We’re going to an oyster tasting,” Amira told me.

It was late afternoon in November of 2020. I was in our apartment in the city center of Oaxaca, Mexico, and had just settled down to work.

But this is Oaxaca. Resistance is futile. Great food events happen almost constantly, it seems. (The night before, Amira had been invited to a chef’s roundtable dinner with several of the city’s prominent chefs and food producers, plus a special guest chef from Japan. The night after, we would enjoy the anniversary of a restaurant called Oaxacalifornia.)

But tonight, an “oyster tasting” at Casa Oaxaca Hotel.

What all these events had in common was Chef Alejandro Ruiz, the Godfather of Oaxacan cuisine. He organized all three events, has run Casa Oaxaca Hotel and co-owns Oaxacalifornia (as well as several other fantastic restaurants in Oaxaca). In addition to organizing dozens of incredible food events in the city, Chef Alex also trains on, consults over and represents Oaxacan food to Mexico and the world. Over the years, he’s also become a close friend of ours (and a major ingredient in our Oaxaca Mezcal Experience).

We arrived at the “tasting” to discover that we were among only around eight or so people — a few local chefs, plus Amira and me. Leading the event was a guest: Mexico’s leading supplier of seafood to the country’s best restaurants, including Mexico City’s Pujol. His name is Ezequiel Hugo Hernandez Zúñiga. He brought oysters and PowerPoint.

Chef Alex’s staff served our tiny gathering wave after wave of oysters on the half-shell, each a different type and accompanied by all kinds of spicy and flavorful sauces, all the while Mr. Zúñiga delivered a master class on the world of oysters. After the half-shell oysters, we were treated to incredible oyster soups and tacos.

All the while, we drank paired wines, beers and cocktails, plus mezcal, of course.

The lecture lasted three hours. The dining around six hours. But the conversation continued late into the night — all about oysters, food, restaurants and cooking.

At some point, probably around 1am, the kitchen staff (which had been standing by the whole time) figured we must be getting hungry again, and started bringing out tlayudas (a kind of giant Oaxacan tostada folded in half and eaten like a sandwich) and other Oaxacan comfort foods.

I told Chef Alex that I really enjoyed the mezcal we had been drinking. “You want to try some really great mezcal?” I said “of course!” and he rang up (OK, woke up) a man named Chucho Espina — another serial food entrepreneur, restaurant owner and mezcal maker and mezcal expert.

And so around 2am, we followed Chucho to an art gallery to taste mezcal. So we sat in one of the gallery rooms surrounded by photography, with its gravel dirt floor, around a hastily assembled table, and tasted some of the most incredible mezcales I had ever tried until the sun came up. (Chucho has since also become a friend, and he always seems to show up at every Oaxacan gathering, and at his own bars and restaurants, offering surprising, amazing and unique mezcales.)

The evening (and night, and morning) was unforgettable, totally unique and quintessentially Oaxacan.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that almost every incredible high-end dinner in Mexico involves three locations: Mexico City, Oaxaca and Baja California. In fact, we had been exploring the Mexico City food scene for years before visiting Oaxaca for the first time, and noticed how enamored Mexico City chefs were about Oaxacan flavors, herbs and other ingredients. Oaxaca is considered the epicenter of Mexican mole, for example. And 80% of the world’s mezcal is produced in the state of Oaxaca.

Great Mexican fine dining almost always involves Mexico City chefs or culinary culture, Oaxacan flavors and ingredients and Baja seafood and wine (The main wine country of Mexico is Valle de Guadalupe near Ensenada).

Mexico City is one of the world’s greatest places for food, which is why we love our Mexico City Cocktail Experience. Mexico is the only country in the world with two restaurants currently in the Top Ten of the World's 50 Best Restaurants list — Pujol and Quintonil, both in Mexico City. And both these restaurants specialize in Oaxacan flavors, dishes and ingredients and Baja seafoods (supplied by Mr. Zúñiga) and wines.

Our “oyster tasting” was no different, bringing together Mexico City, Oaxaca and Baja for the ultimate Mexican food experience.

Of course, Mexico has 31 states and thousands of distinct food cities and areas, and it’s all delicious. But the secret sauce of high-end Mexican cuisine almost always bring together Mexico City, Oaxaca and Baja. -Mike

Seasons feelings: What is the meaning of our lives?

‘Tis the season for reflecting on the year we leave behind, when we aspire to do better and live a more deliberate life in the new year to come.

We ask ourselves: What is the meaning of our lives?

The answer is different for each of us, if we can find an answer. A better question might be: How do we find more meaning in life? Or, better still: What do we live for?

The beauty of a new year is that it represents a new beginning. It gives us hope. It might be a delusion. But it also might be true that our normal expectation that life will grind on as usual is the delusion.

I’m profoundly grateful for the happiness in my life. On the internet, it may seem that I have a perfect life full of joy and adventure, roaming the world and exploring different cultures.

While I feel fortunate to live the life I enjoy — it's true that my life is often filled with joy and adventure — it's far from perfect. My heart aches every single day for people I love deeply and who suffer beyond hope. And I know that most of us carry heavy burdens and sadness in our hearts and souls.

As human beings, we have to endure all sorts of pain, suffering and broken hearts. This is one reason why Gastronomad Experiences exist. They were created to provide a place for joy and wonder beyond what most people can even imagine. During experiences, quotidian existence vanishes, replaced by constant beauty, unmitigated fun and abundant delicious food and drink, magnificent landscapes and endless laughter, joy and wonder. Time stops. And history is all around us.

Traveling is wonderful and, I believe, essential for our overall wellbeing. Travel done right takes not only to a different place, but a different time, which we can experience as a different self. This is why we crave stories — to live another life, if only for a moment.

The Gastronomad Experiences are designed to make you feel truly alive, the way nothing else can.

Each Gastronomad Experience is unique. Even those in the same location are never the same, which is why we’ve been having guests signing up to repeat the same locations.

The Gastronomad Experience was created to celebrate food, life, human connection and sustainability through joyful gatherings with locals. It is a slow travel culinary experience in the most beautiful spots on Earth with some of the most wonderful artisans in the world. But it's really about looking at life from a beautiful new perspective that changes your view about the whole world.

Mike and I strive to explore and learn from other cultures and the different ways others live around the world. With The Gastronomad Experiences, we do this through hosting immersive and meaningful culinary travel explorations that celebrate life, honor our common humanity and help us cherish the threads that connect us all.

We find that the more we enjoy fun and celebration with other like minded people around the world, the more productive and creative we become, which in essence is part of the art of cultivating joy and living life fully.

Our mission is for our guests to rediscover the beauty, joy and love within each of us — and the incredible depth of traditional human cultures.

Gastronomad Experiences are the food that sustains us in all aspects of our lives so that we can enjoy the experience of living. In other words, it's what we live for.

Wishing you all a joyful season with magical gatherings and the happiest of new years! May you find more meaning and joy near and far.

From the bottom of my heart, much love to you all.

Big hugs and kisses,

Amira

A Gastronomad Experience: The Ultimate Gift this Holiday Season!

Make 2023 the greatest year of your life — and the life of your loved one — by gifting a life-changing Gastronomad Experience in France, Italy, Spain, Morocco or Mexico! Or, make a New Year’s resolution to experience life as a temporary local in one of the world’s greatest wine countries or gastronomic hotspots, where you’ll be greeted like family and experience local culture from the inside, not as a tourist.

What are you waiting for? 2023 is the year! This holiday season is the time! Got any questions? Drop us a note — we’d love to hear from you!

The Ultimate Valentine

Tens of millions of tourists see Venice each year. But hardly anyone knows about the heaven-on-Earth Prosecco Road less than one hour North.

And yet this may be the most beautiful wine country in the world, with a fantastic and wildly underappreciated culture.

While everyone is familiar with the City of Venice, the islands and lagoon, the culture of medieval Venice responsible for that city was part of the larger "Serenìsima Repùblega Vèneta," which means "Most Serene Republic of Venice" in the Venetian language. The "country" of Venice extended all the way up to the Prosecco Road to the mountains beyond.

During our incredible Prosecco Experience, we explore the wonders of Venetian culture — the incredible food, wine, architecture and history — which lasted for a thousand years.

The Prosecco Road itself connects the beautiful towns of Conegliano and Valdobbidene and all the charming villages between, winding over brilliant green vineyards and forests. The landscape is breathtaking and picture-perfect.

The castles, abbeys, historic towns and incredible beauty of the Prosecco Hills should be well known to every Europe-loving traveler. But the tourist masses haven't found this idyllic spot yet, and so the Prosecco Road is one of the last undiscovered wine countries.

Which is just how we like it. We don't do tourism. The Prosecco Experience is not a tour. It's an immersive exploration of an incredible place and wonderful culture with our brilliant and visionary local food and wine friends. (We can’t give you the details; every exclusive gathering, meal, activity and location is a secret.)

But if you guess we’ll be drinking some incredible wine — well, that’s a very good guess. The Prosecco Hills is a wine country without equal — you're always surrounded by vineyards on rolling hills. We'll wake up and go to bed surrounded by vineyards.

And while everyone is familiar with the kind of prosecco this region exports abroad, the best prosecco can be tasted only in the Prosecco Hills. This Experience will transform your relationship with prosecco. We'll also enjoy a wide range of other incredible, astonishing red and white wines made only in the region. We’ll enjoy this wine with the winemakers themselves.

And the food — the food!! — so amazing. We can’t wait to show you this magical, undiscovered gastronomic paradise.

We have just one room available for our next Prosecco Experience, which happens May 23 through 28, 2022. Book now and make it yours. You deserve this!

Planning for Serendipity

It’s January — roughly halfway through Winter. And we’re working on all kinds of exciting things for the coming year, including new surprises for The Gastronomad Experiences. 

Now that some of our Gastronomad friends who have enjoyed most of our Experiences locations are starting to repeat locations, we finally get to see friends surprised by how different each Experience is, even in the same general location. 

Another trend we’re noticing: Gastronomad Experiences are increasingly selling out further in advance than before. Word of mouth is snowballing. So thank you to all who are singing our praises. 

If you’ve done a Gastronomad Experience, you know that serendipity— the delightful phenomenon of accidental discovery — is all part of the plan. 

You know. Like the movie “Serendipity” starring Kate Beckinsale in which one of the characters says that “life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences, but rather, it's a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan.” 

I don’t know if that’s true about life, but it’s certainly true of our Gastronomad Experiences. : )

We plan events so that specific amazing things definitely happen, but also in a way that lets unplanned things happen. 

Either way, it’s all a surprise. Most of what we do is a secret that you won’t find out about until you’re doing it! (We do advise each day on what to wear and what to bring.)

It’s been a rough couple of years and a long winter. You deserve serendipity — and the joy of magnificent and awe-inspiring magical gatherings and the thrill of our exclusive and authentic culinary travel adventures with kindred spirits, visionary chefs, world-class wine-makers and skilled artisans.

Plan for happy accidents. And do it soon! — Amira

The cure for the funk you’re in

Everyone these days is feeling grumpy. Or down. Or some level of frustration. Or a vague combination of all three. It was noticeable enough before. But now even the holiday season isn’t working its usual magic.

The New York Times said: “Millions of Americans Can’t Shake a Gloomy Outlook.”

It’s this damned pandemic. The illness, death and loss has created a sustained sorrow — a second pandemic of poor mental health. The on again, off again mask mandates and lock-downs make everyone feel trapped and uncertain about the future. The new variants. The political acrimony. It’s all just too much to sustain for what will soon be two entire years.

It seems like there’s no escape, no break, from bad news.

And so it’s hard to get inspired, or feel joy.

Or is it?

Amira and I just got back from a week in Oaxaca. (And three days in Mexico City.)

Traveling to Mexico is not unusual for us, even during the pandemic. We’ve been to Oaxaca six times this year. The difference is that we’re normally very busy. But this time we didn’t really do anything except meet with lots of friends, eat a lot and have a ton of fun.

We did some hiking, including some quality time hiking up to the Monte Albán site (ruins of the capital city of the Zapotec empire), and then just hung around among and upon ancient pyramids all day.

We ate some delicious food (including a special chef’s dinner complete with on-premises mezcal distillation and live music).

What we discovered is: This is the cure!

Here’s the specific formula for curing a pandemic funk:

1. Go to a beautiful place that has great food

2. Let go of all structure — no bedtime, no calls, no work

3. Immerse yourself in the place and forget about home for a time

4. Hang out with people who are positive and supportive

5. Get some exercise and sunshine and spend time in nature

6. Don’t check the news or social media — do a digital detox

7. Avoid tourist services, hotels and conventional activities

8. Listen to music, dance, eat and forget about the world and all your troubles!

The reason this works is that you’re removing yourself from your everyday life, letting go of all the problems and sadness in the world and re-acquainting yourself with care-free fun and the joy of food, drink and friends.

Yes, this is the Gastronomad way to travel, and it’s something that happens during our Gastronomad Experiences. Even more so, because during an Experience our guests make no decisions at all, which is yet another way to take a break for people who make too many decisions every day.

But whether you join a Gastronomad Experience or not, it’s time to use our 8-point formula to break that pandemic funk you’re in.

Joy to the world! -Mike

A glorious and surreal return to Italy

We just spent a few weeks in Italy after two years away. It was glorious. And surreal.

We spent time in Venice and the Veneto region visiting old friends and meeting new ones, exchanging stories of loss, pain, devastation, survival and the silver linings we all found in the clouds.

Wandering aimlessly through the labyrinthine alleys and canals of Venice without the normal throngs of foreign tourists was like going back in time. The canals still looked pretty clean and the nights were quiet — a rare, probably once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But it didn’t last. By the time we left weeks later, Venice got crowded again with visitors from all over the world. The spike was driven both by easing or clarified travel restrictions, plus the one-two punch of a Dolce Gabbana fashion show and Venice Cinema Week.

Venice was extra festive and interesting with all the fashion and film goings-on, which attracted all kinds of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. It felt like Venice was on the cusp of returning to its normal hustle and bustle of pre-pandemic times.

Venice was so crowded, we wore masks even outdoors in the narrow streets.

After hosting The Prosecco Experience, which just ended a week ago Saturday, we’re feeling restored, inspired and filled with hope.

More than ever, we are proud to say that The Gastronomad Experience is not only the most joyful way to travel, but also far safer than traveling on your own — with or without a pandemic.

Covid tested our resilience and turned what would have been our best year into our worst. We have mourned the loss of people and have shared the sadness of friends whose marriages ended during the stress of a horribly painful pandemic. Restaurants, bakeries and cafes we used to love have permanently gone out of business. Prices for everything have gone up, making travel more expensive than ever before.

Still, though we’re all still facing a world fractured by a devastating pandemic, it’s important to celebrate every small victory, and life itself. And there’s nothing that brings more lasting joy and happiness than sojourning in faraway lands, exploring other landscapes and eating and drinking local foods and wine.

Joy and gratitude are the best antidotes for pain and suffering and something we can all cultivate. Exploring the world, learning from other cultures, tasting local cuisines and wine at their place of origin with locals while enjoying breathtaking views in the world’s most beautiful places is good medicine for the soul. It’s what nourishes our curious minds and our wandering souls.

Above all, it’s the people who sign up for Gastronomad Experiences that renew our spirits. These are formidable people with open minds and open hearts. They trust us despite, the limited information we share about the Experience to come. (Our activities remain secret so we can surprise you every day.)

Our trip to Italy was poignant and surreal, but on balance filled with joy, hope and the happiness that always comes from great food, amazing wine, stunning landscapes and, above all, love and friendship around a table.

Wow! The scenery in the Prosecco Hills!

The Prosecco Experience isn’t just about incredible Venetian food and some of Italy’s best wine. These culinary delights take place against a backdrop of pristine rolling hills covered by cascading vineyards, hilltop villages, ancient farmhouses and heavenly skies. Only two spots left for The Prosecco Experience in May, 2022. You deserve this.

Taking chips and salsa to the next level

Everybody loves chips and salsa. On our Gastronomad Mexico City Experience, we turn it up to 11, enjoying heirloom corn tortilla chips and salsas made with the rarest varieties of chili peppers. (These are grown only in Oaxaca and are used by only two or three exclusive restaurants in the city.)

A Gastronomad truism: Food always tastes best in the land where it originates. It’s about tasting the terroir of food, and also learning from the people that grow and make food with so much passion that your taste palate is forever transformed with every bite.

Join us in Mexico in 2021 for the Mexico City Experience or the Oaxaca Experience! Get ready to have your mind blown and palate thrilled by these delicious culinary adventures of a lifetime!

A personal note from Mike & Amira

Dear Gastronomad friends and fans,

We hope you and your family and friends are healthy and happy during these suddenly challenging times. 
 
We’re in Mexico City where The Mexico City Experience just ended. If you've joined us on any Gastronomad Experience, you know that during Experiences time stops and all the troubles in the world are forgotten. 
 
The coronavirus hasn't really arrived in Mexico to speak of yet, but this country is about a month behind the United States in a nationwide ban on gatherings, voluntary social distancing and runs on the stores. 
 
So while the United States went from normalcy to extreme changes, we enjoyed a profoundly joyful and delicious week filled with parties and epic meals, cultural immersion and exploration with local Mexican food-visionary friends. On the last night (or, rather, yesterday morning) we danced until 2:30am to happy tunes of salsa, cumbia and bachata! 
 
But it's Monday, and the party is definitely over for awhile. We'll be flying to California tomorrow for self-imposed social distancing and isolation until it's safe to emerge again. 
 
As COVID-19 continues to be a major concern for each of us (and our friends and families), we are committed to making sure that all future Gastronomad Experience attendees will remain safe from not only the coronavirus, but all illnesses, infections and injury. 

 
The Morocco Experience Update
 
Morocco has suspended all international passenger flights to and from its airports as protective measures against the coronavirus and, as such, the sold-out Morocco Experience previously scheduled for April 10 through April 23 is postponed. The Morocco Experience will be rescheduled, but we don't have new dates yet. 
 
 
The Provence Experience Update
 
The sold-out Provence Experience June 22 through June 27 is still happening and won't be postponed unless there are travel restrictions in place close to the time of the Experience. 
 
Thankfully, the Provence Experience is 3 months and 2 weeks away so we remain hopeful that by then, the coronavirus madness will have subsided and travel will be more or less normal.
 
We'll be in touch with the latest developments as the weeks go by. Best case scenario is that the coronavirus crisis passes long before the remaining Gastronomad Experiences this year and all can go ahead as planned.
 
Some are concerned that even after the viral crisis has abated, the airlines may still not fly. But this is extremely unlikely. The airlines need to get back to normalcy as soon as possible in order to survive as businesses, and nations need global travel to survive economically. 
 
We apologize for the inconveniences and are deeply sorry that we're all being negatively impacted by the frenzied response to the coronavirus pandemic worldwide.
 
The coronavirus is quite possibly the most life-changing event of our generation. And as common sense tells us to follow the voluntary movement of social distancing, it’s important to remain committed to living life with intention and joy, whether we're traveling the world or staying at home. 
 
Life has presented us all with a great challenge, and all we can do is rise to it. Let's do all we can to help the people most affected by this outbreak, and re-commit ourselves to health, love and compassion for those less fortunate. 
 
We’re thinking of you and send all our love.
 
Amira and Mike

Still happily glowing from The Mexico City Experience

We just concluded our Mexico City Experience Sunday. OMG, what a wonderful and mind-blowing week it was!

Every Experience is different, and this one was unlike any past Mexico City Experience and also unlike any future one.

We began during Día de Muertos and celebrated along with the rest of Mexico City with traditional face painting, ofrenda, Mexican delicacies made on a comal over a wood fire, Mexican chocolate from cacao bean to cup. We enjoyed authentic Mexican fun at our friend’s beautiful house in the San Angel neighborhood of Mexico City. So much fun!

Mexico City astonishes at every turn. The exquisite food, exotic drinks (tomato pulque was just one of many rare beverages that delighted our palates) and incredible tastings of wine from all the wine-making regions of Mexico. Of course, we dove deep during exquisite mezcal and tequila tastings. We got to enjoy some very special bottles not available to the public, which another friend generously made possible.

The funnest part is that we surprise our Gastronomads at every turn. They never know what we're going to do until we're doing it.

It was an extraordinary week filled with profound joy and continuous laughter that nourish my soul and fills my heart with enormous gratitude.

Our local Mexican friends and visionary food artisans are remarkable and inspiring people whom Mike and I love. We are grateful for their passion and friendship. We’re very lucky to have them in our lives.

My favorite quotes of the week from our new friends: “It was beyond expectation,” “life-changing,” and “I will be looking into next year when I get home so you shall hear from me soon.” Music to my ears!

We'll be staying in Mexico City, with a brief trip to Guadalajara, and we'll head back to California for awhile to visit family. Then it's back to Mexico City for the unique December Mexico City Experience. (We still have one room left and, if I'm honest, you'd be nuts to miss it!) -Amira

How to eat truffles

My favorite way is: mild French cheese, freshly shaved truffle, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, plop it in your mouth, repeat.

During our Provence Experience, we try fresh truffles every which way: truffle pizza, truffle on soup, truffle and farmer's cheese on toast, truffle on pastries -- we even put truffle oil on our truffles.

A gathering of farmers and nomads in Morocco

Visiting our wonderful and dear friends Omar and Kenza, the dynamic duo behind Marrakesh Organics, we enjoyed a magical stay on their organic permaculture farm. Returning to their home, which is a Moroccan oasis just outside the hustle and bustle of Marrakech, was even more wonderful than we had imagined.

Omar and Kenza are extraordinary people with fascinating upbringings and life stories. They’re true humanitarians and stewards of the land in Morocco. They’re devoting their lives to educating others on how to grow their own food and develop sustainable farming practices as well as preserve the art of ancient building skills. And they’re true kindred spirits — they love and care about much of what we love and care about. In the end, no matter what country we’re from, we all want the same things in life and we’re more alike than different.

During our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting two of Omar’s and Kenza’s friends with whom we got to share a couple of meals. One was a permaculture expert who spends a lot of time in India heading an organization devoted to helping farmers develop sustainable farming practices, especially women farmers. The other friend is working on his PhD and doing interesting research on ancient cultivation practices around sustainable farming. The six of us talked for hours as we shared a delicious dinner prepared by Kenza. We had fascinating discussions about many topics revolving around travel, food, nutrition and farming. It was our nirvana.

During our last meal at the farm with Omar and Kenza, the four of us got into a profound conversation about living meaningful lives with a sense of purpose, fulfillment and belonging. We even talked about what we all might do someday when we "retire." They said they might travel like us; we said we might farm like them.

We actually like the idea of establishing a permanent home, growing food, building a nest with a kitchen full of wonderful cooking stuff and a pantry full of grains, beans, nuts and seeds as we listen to our sauerkraut gurgling next to our sourdough starter. We've encountered a hundred places that would be ideal for permanent living.

There's just one problem: To embrace any one place is to give up every other place. And that we don't want to do. Our love for travel is stronger and far more powerful than anything else.

Of course, it would be nice have it all. Yes, we lived "residentially" in Sonoma country for two years -- one year surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and the other at an organic farm. We still crave gardening and homesteading.

But we also feel deeply compelled to keep moving, exploring and discovering.

Life is about living today. Yes, plan for tomorrow but live your best life today. The past is a memory; the future mere anticipation. The present moment is all we have and all we’ll ever have. Life is too short to not live each day to the fullest. And for us, living to the fullest means to keep doing what we’re doing, which means to travel and explore other cultures and keep meeting awesome people like Omar and Kenza.

For now, our motto continues to be: The world is too big to stay in one place. It’s a conviction driven by our desire to belong everywhere and settle nowhere.

Perhaps it’s because nothing makes us happier or brings us more joy than freely exploring this beautiful planet. Or maybe it’s because our lifestyle during these past 13 years has not only been a dream come true but also because it’s been deeply fulfilling and rewarding giving us a sense belonging everywhere we happen to be.

We're in Morocco now. We feel at home here, too. This country is mesmerizing. We're constantly encountering artisans whose skills come down to them from many generations -- maybe a thousand years back. They handcraft their goods with the same tools and in the same way their ancestors did. To witness these crafts in Morocco's ancient medinas is like traveling through time.

We're also enthralled by the love and knowledge that people like Omar and Kenza bring to everything they do. Paradoxically, to restore heritage and revive ancient skills and wisdom -- to embrace tradition -- takes boundless creativity and a spirit of innovation as well as resilience and passion. (For example, when building their guest houses and walls, they make their own bricks from scratch -- not easy!)

What a joy to take farm-grown, home-made, traditional meals with such wonderful people we're so lucky to call friends.

Our palates rejoice in the intricate flavors and deliciousness of beautiful traditional lamb and barley couscous Kenza prepared -- part of their Friday tradition. We enjoyed this meal out of a communal bowl on their beautiful terrace overlooking their hundreds of olive trees while enjoying the sounds of birds singing all around us.

Saying goodbye is always hard. And talking about it made Kenza and me shed a few tears. And for me, those tears and that tender moment together is the greatest gift of love and friendship and something I cherish with all my heart, even when we’re thousands of miles apart and oceans away.

Experiencing traditional culture lovingly and skillfully prepared on a farm bursting with life in the embrace of such beautiful people nourishes our souls and fills us with profound gratitude and boundless joy.

These are the moments that make the fabric from which the our Gastronomad Experiences are made. We want you and others to have, see, feel, touch, savor and cherish the world that Mike and I have had the privilege of experiencing in our 13 years of Gastronomad exploration. And I’m beyond grateful to Kenza and Omar for also opening their farm doors to, and sharing their farm table with, our Gastronomads during The Morocco Experience. - Amira

Oh What Fun It Is to Do The Mexico City Experience!

What a rewarding year 2018 was! And it was so fun to end the year with a wonderful New Year’s Eve celebration with awesome friends and a rooftop party overlooking Mexico City’s Zocalo Square during The Mexico City Experience.

It was a privilege ringing in the new year with such beautiful human beings.

Bringing together our Gastronomad friends with our dear friends around the world is something that fills me with deep joy every time.

The Mexico City Experience was more than we ever dreamed of. We learned some Mexican culinary skills, we cooked and tasted the most traditional and delicious Mexican dishes, we gathered joyfully around magical dinner tables with our wonderful Mexican friends, and we drank delightful wine and drinks.

We meandered through the most idyllic cobblestone streets, we visited the most enchanting places, we picnicked in the most dreamy of places in Mexico City. We shared meaningful and joyous moments, we laughed, we sang, we danced, we embraced and became fast friends.

I loved seeing the magic of friendships blossoming as we gathered to learn about Mexican food and traditional drinks, Mexican traditions as well as Mexican gastronomy, history and heritage.

Immersed in authentic Mexican culture, the heartfelt joy we all shared and the friendships we formed will forever live in my heart.

I’m deeply grateful to see our gastronomad family of friends grow with every Experience in all these beautiful places around the world.

Our time together can best be described as joyful and magical. We learned, we explored and ate so much — surely the most delicious Mexican food in all of Mexico! The magic that happened this week is simply unforgettable.

We’re blessed to have a wonderful community of amazing people we’re so lucky to call friends.

Join us for more Mexican Magic when the scent of spring flowers infuse the air during The Mexico City Experience this spring!

Space is limited, so grab your spot today and immerse yourself in the magic of a gastronomad experience. - Amira