Initially, I intended for this space to be an online home for just my portfolio - nothing else. Over time, I realized that it would be helpful and fun to talk about the interesting things I see and eat that don't make it into an article, as well as have a place to kick some ideas around without the pressure of publishing. Also, I wanted another space to share some published work I don't necessarily want to post on my portfolio, for reasons of brevity.
Since this site will, primarily, remain a spot to share published work, I figured I'd start 2017 with a roundup of things I wrote that came out in 2016. Enjoy, and thanks for visiting!
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First things first: I was incredibly proud to publish at Roads & Kingdoms for the first time. Especially considering it's about a topic near and dear to my heart, Mexico's Valle de Guadalupe. Wonderful though the area is, it has a major problem that spells big trouble for its future.
This story, also about the Valle de Guadalupe for Harper's BAZAAR digital, was my first national piece and what broke everything wide open for me, so to speak. I was happy to do another piece for them later in the year about a wonderful culinary trip I took to Oaxaca in July 2016.
I began contributing to a new site about food and culture in the Americas, called New Worlder. I'm proud to be among their ranks and excited to see how the site will grow - if you check out the various contributors, you'll see everyone has a pretty stacked resume and is putting out great content. I wrote about the classic Oaxacan street food, the tlayuda as well as the rise of another agave spirit called raicilla, for which I won 1st prize in the food category at the annual San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards.
I also began contributing to AFAR digital, where I wrote stories about the Valle de Guadalupe (and profiled a man who, unknown to me at the time, would end up being my boss for 6 months just a few months later) and raicilla.
I returned to the Infatuation to host a dinner in San Diego for them in partnership with American Express. The corresponding article lists the best spots in San Diego for celebrations. Later in the year, they invited me to produce a re-write of a guide to Barcelona that I had originally written for them in 2014.
I became a digital contributor to Long Island PULSE magazine, my hometown regional publication. I wrote a restaurant overview as well as a few "Strong Island" pieces, including this one, which was one of their 10 most read of 2016.
I had a few month-long stint as the lifestyle editor for a luxury lifestyle site called JustLuxe, which sadly, is closing its doors in January 2017. While there, I got to write some great features: an interview with the Roca brothers of Spain's El Celler de Can Roca (3rd place in the Profiles category at the San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards), an interview with Spanish-American chef Jose Andres just before he was awarded his first Michelin stars, a dive into the world of natural wine, a insider's look at the value of the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, an interview with JetSmarter CEO Sergey Petrossov, an interview with yacht designer Luiz de Basto, a profile on the ultra-exclusive dating app Raya, a look at South Africa's booming fine dining scene, and the billions that go into the Monaco Grand Prix.
I had a memorable year in print, as well, producing several pieces for Locale Magazine, Modern Luxury San Diego and my first solo byline for San Diego Magazine, which was about a culinary-themed trip I took to Arizona.
I produced several pieces for a San Diego-based travel company, called Classic Journeys. Although they're marketing material, I'm actually quite proud with how they came out and would feel comfortable recommending any of them to someone visiting the Basque Country, Vietnam or Iceland - all places I've visited (and lived in) and loved
At the very end of the year, I formally joined Luxury Living International as their editor. Prior to that, I wrote about the Valle de Guadalupe, raicilla, handmade yachts, developer and jack of all trades Peter de Savary, Cabo San Lucas' Resort at Pedregal and the best spots in the Caribbean to host a wedding.