Maui has so much amazing food, it is hard to narrow down my favorite bites! We spent 10 days on this tropical island paradise and we ate & drank our way around Wailea, Kaanapali, Napili, Paia, Lahaina and Hana. Here I am sharing my favorite restaurants, snacks, dishes, cocktails–from breakfast to lunch to dinner.
The 8th Annual Taste Awards was held this past month and I was thrilled to win the Best International Program Award! My Eat Like a Local show was the grand prize winner in this category of nominees from producers all over the world– I am honored to be among such an impressive lineup of travel producers.
If you haven’t heard of them, The Taste Awards are very prestigious awards for the food & travel industry. Their website most accurately describes them: “The Annual TASTE AWARDS are the original awards for the Lifestyle Entertainment Industry, and the highest awards for creators, producers, hosts, and directors of Lifestyle Programs, Series, Shows & Cinema. Also known as the Tasty Awards, they are the premier broadcast awards show celebrating the year’s best achievements in Food, Fashion, Home and Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, in Online Video, and in Apps, Radio, Podcasts and Photography.”
They cover quite a lot of programming, and this year Jamie Oliver, Carla Hall, Vice, Tastemade, Outside, MasterChef and many more big names received awards. The red carpet ceremony was held here in Los Angeles on the rooftop of the 60 Hotel. Unfortunately, I was out of the country on a travel shoot (comes with the territory) so I wasn’t able to attend. However I did receive this (heavy) gold medal award and of course, I wear it constantly. 😉
My Eat Like a Local series has been close to my heart (more like my stomach…) because I strongly believe that food is an authentic tool into a culture. My series has 74 videos, ranging from outdoor feasts on the Montana prairies, to night markets in Taiwan to the finest Michelin restaurants in Europe. The preparation is the most important part, so I’ve filmed episodes on cooking classes in Tuscany, going to markets with locals in Papua New Guinea and learning how to make dumpling by hand in China. To me, food is the great equalizer and through this series, I was able to meet passionate chefs, generous home cooks and excited locals that wanted to share their favorite foods, and ultimately their country with the world.
One experience that epitomizes how food can open doors, occurred in Colombia. I was filming a series in Cartagena, with one episode on food. A local family of 3 girls, a doting dad and perma-smiling mom, invited myself and my cameraman, Justin, to their home for dinner. Their modest house was outfitted in blinding but festive, blinking Christmas lights, and the music was on & doors wide open when we arrived.
Justin and I couldn’t speak any Spanish and this lovely family didn’t speak English, but that didn’t stop us from sharing a lot of laughs, miming out stories and feeling the love & hospitality of Colombia. The young girls toured me through their rooms, the oldest so proud of having her own room. One giggly teen showed me photos of boys on her phone, and cracking up as we both swiped through photos of actors.
I fried plantains with the matriarch, learning the process of smashing them first and sampling them to make sure they were crispy. Their mild mannered dad arrived a little later to a chorus of excited daughters, which showered him with kisses as he walked through the door from work. I was able to be a part of this true slice of life–learn about a local life, about Colombian traditions and about family, all under the roof of what started out as strangers. And all this happened because we were sharing a dinner together. The food was loving prepared but I learned so much more beyond the recipes. Food was just the beginning of the conversation, and I still am in touch with the daughters even today.
If you are curious, you can see highlights of this dinner in my Food of Cartagena video below.
Maui has no shortage of hotels, resorts, and B&Bs, but if you want a truly unique, natural, boutique resort that has as much history as it does coastline, Napili Kai might be the right fit.
I stayed here in February for 3 nights and I couldn’t get over the location! The Polynesian resort occupies a beautiful oceanside cliff and sandy bay–with postcard-worthy palm-tree studded beach. Plenty to do, there’s an 18 hole putting course, massage, a number of pools, and the delicious indoor/outdoor Sea House Grill, which serves up local catch & creative takes on Hawaiian dishes.
I really loved our oceanfront studio room, which had its own kitchen and a balcony that gave us front row seats to the sunset each night.
The resort is intimate enough that you can make it your own and walk through lush grounds felt like a step in the jungle. I’d definitely recommend this resort to couples, families, and groups of friends. When there, I noticed that many guests return year after year, and I can understand why.
This beach resort is an oasis. It is truly Hawaiian, yet has amazing pools, fabulous rooms, a pristine sandy beach, a spa and incredible restaurants. Beautiful to walk through yet delicious, luxurious, attentive and intimate–Four Seasons Maui knows how to make you feel like you are the only people in this tropical paradise.
Don’t miss Ferraro’s for exquisite outdoor dining, the Spa for their outdoor Hale treatments and a cabana at the Serenity pool. If you are adventurous, I LOVED the Outrigger Canoe experience in the early morning.
Art. Culture. History. Food. Luxury. The Rhine River. Basel has a lot going on and I had limited time to see it so I took in the highlights as fast as I could. My homebase was the Hotel Nomad, a trendy boutique with easy access to top sites like the Altstadt, or old city, the Marktplatz which has a farmer’s market, Johann Wanner Christmas shop, the Kunstmuseum Basel, Fondation Beyeler and the Rhine River. We took river ferries to cross to Klein Basel, a funky neighborhood with a lot of great shops, cafes and of course, the notable Ueli Brewery.
Check out this travel guide for how to see some of Basel’s hotspots, in just 24 hours!
It seems that life in Basel is in general luxurious, with the city’s access to some of the best museums, cultural events, a thriving food culture, cafes & nightlife, fashion and historical neighborhoods as well as easy access to France & Germany. The day to day is very culturally rich and just being in Basel felt like a privilege. I profile some of the finest hotels, top local restaurants, best neighborhoods and premier activities and museums in this Luxury Guide.
Featured: Hotel Trois Rois, Fondation Beyeler, Berower Park, River Ferry, Hotel Nomad
Fondue, pretzels, flammkuchen, leckerli, beer… there is no shortage of deliciousness in Basel! Along with Swiss specialties like fondue, there’s also great international food in this diverse culinary hotspot. Of course, you’ll taste influences from nearby Germany and France, but the result is a unique type of quality Swiss food that you can only find in Basel.
I ate my way around this city, from breakfast, to lunch to dinner, to many sweets, pretzels, cocktails and beer in between. Trust me–bring your appetite and check out this video for suggestions of Basel’s best, before you go.
Featured: Confiserie Bachmann, Berower Park, Kunsthalle Basel, Walliser Kanne, Ueli Brewery
The Valais region in the South East of Switzerland is known for its sunshine! All this sun makes for a great growing season—fruits, vegetables, grains, grapes all grow very well here, making the food of the Valais so fresh and delicious. I tasted rosti, a fried potato hash, with pork sausage, at 3000 meters on top of Gornergrat and freshly made chicken with spaetzle on the Matterhorn. I sipped wines with a local vintner, ate handmade chocolates with a chocolatier and dined al fresco at family home on a hillside with a Michelin chef. Food is a way of life in the Valais, and it is savored. Don’t miss the apres ski bars in Zermatt to enjoy some of the local beers and wines too!
Featured: Chef Franck Reynaud, David Chocolates, Hotel Etrier, Hotel Pollux, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Gornergrat, Adrenatur Nature Park
Glaciers, ziplines, mountain peaks and stunning views–Valais is one of Switzerland’s most gorgeous regions. I explore the best things to do in one full day from the Matterhorn to Gornergrat, fat biking in Crans Montana to dining on the best food ever. Oh and don’t forget apres ski. You will love your 24 hours in Valais.
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