Tasting your way around
Cookbook authors take us on a trip to their top places.
Part of the joy of travelling is the myriad flavours we get to savour along the way. We asked the authors of five new cookbooks to tell us about the culinary destinations they recommend, and their memorable meals there. Take note for your future foodie trips.
Renee Erickson
James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, based in Seattle The cookbook: “Getaway: Food & Drink to Transport You” is a delicious jaunt to Erickson’s favourite culinary destinations — London, Rome, Paris, Normandy, Baja California and her hometown, Seattle — with recipes inspired by each place, along with cocktails to match.
Where to go: Over the past 15 years, Erickson has fallen in love with the dynamic food scene she’s found all over London. “From traditional Sunday roasts at the Marksman to gorgeous Italian food at the River Cafe, I never run out of places I want to visit.”
Where to eat: A few years ago, Erickson discovered Spring, an elegant restaurant inside a restored 19th-century drawing room at Somerset House, the neoclassical landmark-turned arts centre on the banks of the River Thames. “The food is perfect — simple with beautifully, locally sourced ingredients.” She gravitates toward the menu’s fresh pasta and seafood dishes.
Laurel Evans
Texas-born food writer, TV host and recipe developer, based in Milan
The cookbook: “Liguria: The Cookbook: Recipes from the Italian Riviera” is a love letter to a lesser-known part of Italy, highlighting regional dishes like corzetti, a medallionshaped stamped pasta.
Where to go: Genoa and the surrounding countryside in Liguria are at the top of Evans’ list. “Everyone knows pesto and focaccia, but there are so many more delicious recipes where those came from!” says Evans. Liguria was once a maritime empire, which “infused the region not only with economic power, but also with exotic flavours from the world over. You can feel and taste that rich history everywhere in this city.”
Where to eat: La Brinca, a family-run hillside restaurant in the tiny village of Ne, is famous among locals and gourmand travellers alike. Evans recommends the tasting menu so you can sample a bit of everything, but the chestnut gnocchi with homemade pesto is guaranteed to delight. “This is one of the very few local restaurants that makes their pesto by hand, with a mortar and pestle as tradition dictates; the taste and aroma are unparalleled.”
Yasmin Newman
Food and travel writer, photographer and TV presenter, based in the Central Coast, Australia
The cookbook: “Under Coconut Skies: Stories and Feasts from the Philippines” (in stores Oct. 5) captures the multitude of Filipino flavours on the archipelago, which has around 7,640 islands.
Where to go: Newman lived in Siargao Island in the Philippines for three months while working on her book. “It’s not a culinary destination in the true sense with its own celebrated cuisine, but it’s where I enjoy the island side of Filipino cooking, where everything is light, fresh and born of the land.”
Where to eat: Bayatakan Farm in the island’s north offers an incredible, non-traditional food experience. The initiative helps support the local farming community, while also offering a farm-to-table day tour where guests can learn about the land, cook and eat. “It’s in the foothills not far from where we lived and it’s magical,” she says.
Vina Patel
Cookbook author, based in Saratoga, Calif.
The cookbook: “From Gujarat With Love: 100 Authentic Indian Vegetarian Recipes” (in stores Oct. 19) is a gateway to the vegetarian and vegan cuisine of India’s westernmost state, known for its bold flavours, from dabeli (pav bun stuffed with potato filling) to kadhi (a yogurt-based curry).
Where to go: Patel’s yearly family visits to Gujarat — where she also lived for two decades — reinforce her love of the local cuisine. “Every time I see all the food stalls, restaurants and food prepared by my sisters, sistersin-law and mom, it reminds me how undiscovered this cuisine is,” she says, pointing to the many sub-regions within Gujarat, each with its distinctive flavours and recipes.
Where to eat: Patel loves Agashiye, a restaurant with an expansive terrace, set in a restored, colonial-era mansionturned boutique hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. “It’s pure, authentic Gujarati food with distinctive sweet, sour and unique spices, just like my mom would have made for a celebratory occasion.” Her go-to order is undhiyu, a classic, seasonal vegetable dish from the Surat region. “It requires quite a few varieties of greens, such as pigeon peas, broad beans, raw bananas and fresh fenugreek leaves.”
Chloe and Olivia Tsakiris
Cookbook co-authors and sisters, based in Mani, Greece
The cookbook: “Sea Salt and Honey” is an ode to the rustic, provincial food in Kardamili — a coastal village with a population of about 450 — written by the Greek-American Tsakiris family: sisters Chloe and Olivia and their father, Nicholas.
Where to go: As you’d expect from the book’s focus, the Tsakiris sisters love the food in Kardamili, located on the Mani peninsula, on the southern tip of mainland Greece. “All the food you’ll eat is curated with only local ingredients, leading to the freshest, most flavourful dishes,” says Chloe.
“Kardamili restaurants have one show-stopping setting after another, often with gorgeous sea views.”
Where to eat: At Elies Hotel Restaurant, you can dine on traditional Greek food underneath the olive trees. “It’s where we go for pastitsio, which is a pasta dish with ground meat and bechamel sauce, like a Greek version of lasagna,” says Olivia. Other must-haves on the menu include the horiatiki salad (made with tomato, cucumber, green pepper and onion), fava (a yellow split pea dip) and fried calamari.