realfoodtraveler.com

Who Writes for Realfoodtraveler?

People like you. Our contributors include professional travel and food writers and photographers who travel the world to bring you stories about unique places and fabulous food. We also welcome people who don’t consider themselves professional writers/photographers, but who have a passion for travel and for regional foods.

If you’re interested in joining our growing community of RFT Contributors, check out our Writer’s Guidelines and send us an email.

Jason Womack

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA, one of the newest contributors to realfoodtraveler, is a road warrior, business consultant, and author. He provides practical methods to maximize tools, systems, and processes to achieve quality work/life balance. He has worked with leaders and executives for over 16 years in the business and education sectors. His focus is on creating ideas that matter and implementing solutions that are valuable to organizations and the individuals in those organizations. He’s also the author of Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More.

Lindsay Milich

While earning a degree in Tourism Administration from Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, California, Lindsay Milich developed a strong interest in topics such as culinary tourism,  poverty reduction through tourism, and the cultural implications of tourism. She’s lived in Heidelberg, Germany and has traveled to Eastern Europe, Greece, and Spain. When not traveling or scheming about future journeys, Lindsay is studying and savoring the flavors of world cultures through her food and travel blog Coffee Cup Travels. She’s worked for The International Ecotourism Society and the Center for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives in Montenegro. She currently works and resides in Podgorica, Montenegro.

Brian Yeager

Brian Yaeger, RFT’s resident beer expert, is the author of ”Red, White, and Brew: An American Beer Odyssey,” about the people and places that constitute the brewing industry. He lives in Portland, OR a.k.a. Beervana where he and his wife, Half Pint, just welcomed their first son. Yaeger even opens their spare apartment to beercationers at Inn Beervana.

 

Mary Schiavo

Mary Schiavo is an attorney with Motley Rice in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She has been in the aviation industry for more than 30 years, first as a licensed pilot, then as the former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation, a professor of aviation, and now as an aviation attorney. www.motleyrice.com/attorneys/view/mary-f-schiavo

 

 

Noella Schink

Noella Schink is a travel writer and beauty blogger who lives in Portland, Maine. Born and raised in the jungle of Maui, Hawaii, she has traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Canada, the UK, Mexico and Caribbean. Ranging from short cruises to semesters living abroad, the trips always inspire and enchant her. Noella lives for that singular, emotional swelling in her chest when she’s faced with a new spectacular vista or vibrant cityscape. She delights in recounting her adventures, especially the delicious eats along the way (with special emphasis on cheeseburgers, paella and meat pies). When she isn’t writing/eating/hatching new travel plans, you’ll find her on the beach roughing up her husband and two dogs or in the mirror playing with make up.

Roy Stevenson

Roy Stevenson is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in Seattle, Washington. He’s had more than 600 articles published in 160 regional, national, and international magazines, newspapers, in-flights and online travel magazines in the U.S.A., Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He writes on travel and culture, history, art, military history, military vehicles, writing, communications, health, fitness, running, triathlons, sports and film festival reviews. He writes the monthly destination travel column for 48 Degrees North yachting magazine. To view more of Roy Stevenson’s travel articles go to www.Roy-Stevenson.com

 

Brenda Christensen and Tom Barry

Brenda Christensen and Tom Barry are worldwide travelers extraordinaire. They spend much of their time searching the far reaches of the planet for interesting people, terrific food, and authentic travel experiences. When they aren’t in some exotic locale, they make their home in the San Francisco Bay area and British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast where Brenda delights guests with gourmet meals and Tom is a master woodworker.

 

Ewen Bell

Ewen Bell, an award-winning photographer based in Australia  www.ewenbell.com shoots stunning photos for the Australian travel media. He was named Photographer of the Year (2007) by American Society of Travel Writers (ASTW). He’s won ASTW’s award for Best Australian Image (2008) and twice has earned the M.I.L.K. prize for photography. Ewen also leads workshops around the world for people who want to improve their travel photos. He recently launched a website to help travelers improve their travel photography that’s loaded with terrific information and tips www.photographyfortravelers.com

Rebecca Johnson

Rebecca Johnson‘s love of travel, languages, and foreign culture led to her current life in Barcelona, Spain, where she has lived for more than six years. A result of her travels, life abroad, and her work for a large-scale food events organizer based in Barcelona, is a passion for food. In her free time, she organizes a food club where people can get together and learn about the local food traditions in Spain.

Yvette Cardozo and Bill Hirsch

Yvette Cardozo and Bill Hirsch from the Seattle, Washington area, like to visit interesting places and learn about interesting cultures and, if a tasty local dish is involved, so much the better. They’ve eaten everything from gourmet food at the world’s finest restaurants to native food in Asia, the arctic, and all kinds of places in between.

Yvette recalls being in Antarctica and going out on the land with Inuit elders in arctic Canada , then bagging a caribou. They dragged it back to camp and ate it on the spot raw. She quips, “Hey, if you like steak tartare….”

Sergio Salvator

Sergio Salvator is a photographer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, www.salvatorphoto.com. He’s been serious about imaging, particularly food photography, since starting the local culinary publication La Cocinita in 1995. Food is a favorite subject of Sergio’s, as are children, families, and weddings. He also works corporate and political events and offers on-location head shots and company team photos. In his spare time, he relishes landscape and abstract photography. Sergio’s editorial/documentary clients include Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, CBS.com, NBC.com, ABC.com, Vegetarian Times, the National Culinary Review, the Weekly Alibi, realfoodtraveler.com, and many others.

 

Viv Chapleo and Jill Hoetling

Viv Chapleo and Jill Hoetling, co-founders of the online adventure travel magazine for women, WAVEJourney.com — Women’s Adventures, Vacations & Experiences ~ Your Journey Starts Here! WAVEJourney is an online resource for women’s travel and WAVEJourney travel divas, Viv and Jill, scour the world in search of women-friendly businesses, services and products.

Julie Pegg

Julie Pegg has been writing about food and wine for 15 years. She was a product consultant for 14 of her 24 years working for the British Columbia Liquor Board in Vancouver. She still keeps her hand in (and elbow firmly bent) at Dundarave Wine Cellars in West Vancouver, British Columbia. Julie is also a keen amateur cook who loves culinary travel. Farmers’ markets and wine shops are always her first stop.

Natalie Maclean

Natalie MacLean is an independent journalist and author of the bestseller Red, White and Drunk All Over. More than 115,000 wine and food lovers subscribe to her free monthly e-newsletter. For Google searches on popular terms like “food and wine matching” and “wine newsletter,” Natalie’s site is a go-to resource for food and wine lovers. Nat was named the World’s Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia. She is the only person to have won both the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award from the James Beard Foundation and the M.F.K. Fisher Award for Excellence in Culinary Writing from Les Dames d’Escoffier International: www.nataliemaclean.com/bio.

 

John Blanchette

John Blanchette is a syndicated travel, food and wine writer for Creators Syndicate (400 newspapers) and other outlets and a monthly columnist (“Savor This”) in the magazine of the American Institute of Wine & Food. He is also  is also a freelance travel writer, television producer and owns a public relations company in Santa Monica, California.

Leslie Long

Leslie Long is a New York-based travel and lifestyle writer and photographer with a love of authentic places off the tourist track. She and her family often cross many state lines and travel far and wide in search of fabulous food and indigenous restaurants. She enjoys baking pies, growing as many herbs and vegetables as she can in containers ,and the constant pursuit of things that are wonderful and new. leslielongportfolio.com

 

Marilyn McFarlane

Marilyn McFarlane is a long-time freelance writer whose emphasis is on travel. She has written several guidebooks and contributed to others, and she’s published scores of articles in newspapers, magazines, and online. She wrote The Healthy Seniors Cookbook: Ideal Meals and Menus for People Over Sixty (Or Any Age) because she saw a need for easy-to-make, healthful, good-tasting recipes for one or two people. The book includes health tips for seniors, numerous contributions from retirees, and six weeks of menus. Her website is www.marilynmcfarlane.com, and her blog is www.lightheartedtravel.wordpress.com.

 

Gail Leskow

Gail Leskow comes to us from the sunny state of Florida in the U.S. She recently traveled on her first cruise and brought back a review of a fabulous lunch she enjoyed in Rome.

Lisa Shusterman

Lisa Shusterman is a mother, part-time arbitrator, world traveler, and author of Around the World in Easy Ways (see Real Reviews for more). She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio,with her husband Marty, her two daughters, Siena and Avocet, and their rats, Pearl and Rue. You can purchase her book at her travel blog, www.aroundtheworldineasyways.com, or at Amazon.com. Check out her around the world travel blog at oneworldonetrip.blogspot.com.

Lana Mulder

Lana Mulder is a woman of many talents — artist, seamstress, fabulous cook, computer wizard, and world traveler. When she’s not traveling to far-flung places like Africa, Morocco, and Europe, Lana operates a photo memory business, Dragonfly Photo Memory and Organization Services where she helps people organize and preserve their family photographs and other memorabilia. She can be reached at info@dragonflyphotoservices.com.

Alice Ericksen

Alice Ericksen is a retired school superintendent who lives with her husband, Paul, outside of Molalla, Oregon. When Alice isn’t trotting around the globe enjoying great restaurants, she and Paul love to cook at home.

Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo

Elizabeth “Libby” Margolis-Pineo knows her way around a tasting menu. She’s attended countless wine, sake, and beer tastings and she loves all things brunchy and boozy. She’smashed ripe Tuscan figs into her mouth straight from the tree, ordered Poutine well past midnight in Montreal, and will eat the skin of just about any roasted animal, especially pig. In addition to being a food and travel writer and graphic designer extraordinaire, Libby is the founder and editor of www.EpicuriousTravelers.com.