Taste of Travel: Honoring Culture Through Flavor & Shared Tables

When I think about food, I don’t just think about flavor—I think about kinship.

Some of my earliest memories of connection were forged around a shared meal—the scent of a simmering Southern pot on a Sunday, lingering for hours; island dishes wrapped in banana leaves, pulled from a Samoan 'umu'; and the faces and voices of loved ones gathered at a community table. Food was how we celebrated, how we mourned, how we gathered, how we remembered.

That nostalgia doesn’t just live in the past. It follows me when I travel.

Today, when I find myself in new lands and foreign landscapes, I seek out meals not just for nourishment—but for communion. I’m looking for a glimpse into the soul of a place. I want to taste the traditions that have endured, the recipes that have resisted time, the hands that still honor old ways.

Yes, I can admire the architecture, browse the boutiques, and collect souvenirs—but there’s something more intimate, more transformative, about tasting a culture.

When I sit down to dine somewhere new, I’m thinking about more than what’s on the plate. I’m thinking about:

• The generations who have carried these recipes like heirlooms.

• The climate and land that nurtured each ingredient.

• The embellishments that adorn the table and the hands that arranged them.

• The rhythm of the local language as it dances around me.

• The way the air smells—smoky, salted, spiced, or sweet.

• Most of all, how it all makes me feel deeply present.

This is what I call epicurean travel—not simply eating well, but traveling with your senses fully engaged. It’s the practice of honoring place through palate. It’s not about five-star meals or status dining. It’s about legacy on a plate. Story in a spice. A lineage that finds its way to your fork.

At Crown Blue Collective™, we infuse this philosophy into every journey. Because I believe that food is not just part of the itinerary—it is the memory. It’s the moment that lingers long after the plane lands home. It’s the flavor that stays with you long after the last taste.

So when I design a Crown Blue Journey, I think about more than where your feet will rest. I think about what will crown your table. What aromas will call you closer. What story will find you in the steam of your first bite.

Because for me, the luxury isn’t just in the view—it’s in the flavor of belonging.