When city-building Spaniards came to the New World, they required skilled craftsmen willing to make a drastic life change and relocate to the other side of the globe. Ceramic tile was a popular staple for builders in Spain, so talented artisans who took the risk were ceramics workers from the internationally renowned city of Talavera … Continue reading
You should’ve heard the conversation. We were strolling through the fantastic open-air City Market in lovely Ljubljana, admiring the rows of fresh produce, local honey, and the straight-from-the greenhouse mums. Continue reading
“Caviar? Caviar? Gude deescount price. Luke! Luke!” This is the sound you’ll hear if you ping the tourist radar just inside the door of the Besarabsky Market in central Kyiv. Continue reading
My first encounter with Ukrainian cuisine was at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Chicago – of all places! I was a junior in high school, my family had just moved to the “Windy City,” and I’d started my after-school job as a waitress at HoJo’s. Continue reading
One of Spain’s culinary gifts to the world is tapas, and no trip would be complete without a night out wandering from bar to bar sampling these tasty tidbits. Continue reading
The old adage says that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I guess that’s true. But what if it’s also an extraordinary work of ceramic art and a valuable source of information on fashion, diet, and the lifestyles of wealthy families of Spain in the late-1700s. Continue reading
Many of you know that we fell in love with ajvar on our trip to the Balkans. We ate it almost daily, and it’s become a regular menu item at home. We became so enamored with the delicious spread that we vowed to make our own when we got home. Continue reading
