Recipes from our Travels

Bringing Travel Cuisine and Culture Back Home

“Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.”
ANTHONY BOURDAIN

Food is an intricate part of the travel and cultural experience. People speak through their food, which is a window into their hearts, culture, and traditions. We need to take the time to listen to them and appreciate the story.

The highlight for many is the incredible cuisines they get to partake in when traveling. One of the best parts is trying to replicate some of the dishes we enjoyed during our travels when returning home. It is not only delicious but brings nostalgia along with it. Next thing you know, you will be pulling up pictures on your phone and regaling those around you with stories of your travels.

Our Travel Philosophy

The core of most cultures’ lives is food; it is what family, friends, and communities gather around. As we, the traveler, enter their world, sharing that food means respecting what is important to them. We are guests in their home at that moment, while there choose to be a good one. The value of that should never be diminished or dismissed.

We are firm believers in seeking off-the-beaten-path authentic local cuisine. Whether a hole in the wall with three tables or an upscale restaurant, seek out the region’s cuisine.

Travel is the time to take your palate on an adventure. Why should it only be your eyes that get to experience adventure? The rewards and memories will be incredible. Heck, if you come home with a recipe, even better!

Want to maximize your dining experience when traveling? Check out our post on Dining Abroad

Food and Roots

As some of our readers know, I am a first-generation American. I was born to French immigrant parents, and my first language was French. I spent many summers during my childhood visiting my family in France. Some of those trips as a child dragged on; we had a lot of families to see in a short time frame. Oh, the blindness of youth! I always enjoyed the food and the many recipes I have collected over the years due to all those outstanding family meals in France.

When Passion for Cooking and Travel Meet

A little side note: The cover photo is one of Joelle’s mom recipes that so many cherished including several neighborhood children. One of those precious neighbors kids, now a lovely adult, surprised Joelle with her mom’s recipe laser engraved onto a wood cutting board. It was a gift that was extraordinary, deeply meaningful and will always be cherished.

Growing up with a mom who prepared gourmet French food, I have always had a passion for cooking. As a result, I jumped at the chance when invited to join a local gourmet cooking club named Saute. It stuck as I have been part of Saute for almost 25 years. We are 16 women who gather eight times yearly to prepare delicious and elegant meals. Each meal has a theme, and most of our themes are around a specific international cuisine. The caring community of the group has been the highlight of this experience, but the second bonus is all the fantastic recipes we collect after each meal. Over the years, I have had many binders full of our menus and recipes from each evening.

As we approached the 20th anniversary of Saute, we decided to take the celebration to Italy. A week’s visit to Tuscany included cooking classes, amazing vibrant markets, wonderful local restaurants, and of course, visiting breathtaking Italy. On our 25th anniversary, we headed to captivating Provence, France, with its mind-blowing markets and exceptional cuisine. Our highlight was an extraordinary cooking class by a Michelin Star chef in his own Michelin Star kitchen. Combining a cooking passion with travel makes for a trip that will always hold a special place in your heart.

When growing up in a French household, the importance of carrying on traditions was deeply ingrained in me by my parents. Recipes are the glue that makes that possible. After those loved ones pass, those recipes help us feel closer to their memory. For me, many of those recipes were a result of my travels. As an adult, I try to recreate the many wonderful dishes I enjoyed overseas. It brings those memories to life and motivates more travel to broaden my palate.

The goal of this page’s launch is to share recipes that were inspired by our travels. Some will be my creations inspired by the food we experienced and loved while on the road. It might be French family recipes enjoyed at the table in France at family gatherings or from my cooking club-themed dinners. If the recipe is not my own, I will, of course, give appropriate credit.

Recipes are about sharing and passing on something special to others. Recognize what you enjoy that is uniquely your own. What works for some may not work for others. There is no wrong recipe if, in the end, you enjoy it.

Any input or suggestions on the recipes posted are welcome. You can do so in the comments or email us at travel@wandererscompass.com.

If you have a recipe you adore from your travels, please send it via email, and we may try it out. You never know; we may have been looking for that recipe ourselves.

Happy creating and Bon Appetit!