Not everyone can afford to make it to Paris, but most everyone has an ongoing (and at times unhealthy) relationship with chocolate. Mine started long before I can even remember, and shows no signs of stopping. Unfortunately, my next Paris getaway is taking a backseat at the moment, while my next chocolate trip is constantly …

When you’re visiting Alaska, chocolate doesn’t usually come to mind. Most people visit for the jaw-dropping views and nature-oriented activities, like hiking Root Glacier. The state’s chocolate culture is unsurprisingly underdeveloped. Yet I still managed to find a very large selection of both American & imported craft chocolate bars, a sign that fine chocolate culture …

The Seattle chocolate scene is seriously overlooked by the uninitiated. Those of us obsessed with craft chocolate, however, know it as one of the fine chocolate hubs of the world. Famous more for their hipsters and specialty wines than their award-winning chocolates, the Pacific Northwest has spent the better part of the last decade transforming …

I’ll never forget my first taste of fresh cacao, sour and floral and so much sweeter than I had anticipated. I was so surprised at the bitterness that leaked out when I bit down, that I nearly spit it out. I’d been reviewing bean-to-bar chocolates alone for years, but had never consumed any form of raw …

Do you know the lifespan of your taste buds? They’re the little bumpy bits protruding from the surface of your tongue. You use them every day; it might seem like they grow with you. But they actually only stick around for about 10-14 days before they slough off to forge a new life down the …

*Grandma, Several years ago, you found yourself in quite bad health, and at 90-years-old-minus-a-week you called all your family to your side. You wanted to have a funeral that you could enjoy witnessing before you died, and you desired that each of us write you a letter, something that we would have written about you …

Now that I’ve left Belize and have been in Mexico for a few weeks, it’s time to look back at how I spent me 10 days in Belize. If anyone is looking to pass some time in Belize, this is for you. Keep in mind that this is my vacation budget, as well, so it’s …

The Dominican Republic is a beautiful and culturally-rich place, as most are. But my experience there was made markedly less fun by the other tourists around me. I had the same experience in Mexico, and later on in Cuba. I may have had a better time if I’d taken a Yucatan road trip or headed …

While traveling under my Burch Fellowship, I tried to keep track of the overarching things I was internalizing as I learned across the continent. I never forgot that evening last April when every single fellow echoed the sentiment that you must approach your project with flexibility. I have a few more things to add to that …

When was the last time you ate bone marrow & creme brulee in the same day? For me, it was just last month. At the end of January I went with my Eats 101 class to spend the weekend in Asheville, staying at the Biltmore, touring its estate, mansion and winery, in between fabulously decadent meals. Seriously. I couldn’t …