For Cuisine Noir Magazine. June 2018 At age of 30, Julius Jackson is a professional boxer, chef, cookbook author, model, and actor. He is a light-heavyweight Olympic qualifier and plays a boxer on the Telemundo series El Cesar based on the life of Julio Cesar Chavez. Born and raised on the beautiful island of St. […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. May 2018 Traveling to the remote country of Mongolia is no easy feat. While most adventure seekers trek through the rugged Tavan Bogd mountains of the west or venture onboard the Trans-Mongolian railroad, cultural enthusiasts can find Mongolia a fascinating destination to explore the historic Great Mongol empire and its people’s […]

For One Travel. May 2018. Whether you are a thrill-seeking mountain climber, long-distance biker, or just like to relax outdoors with the family, chances are that you will be able to find an amazing vacation that will satisfy your mind and body in the expansive 1,200 miles of Yosemite National Park. While the best time to […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. April 2018. You may have heard the terms “volunteer vacationing,” “volunteer travel,” or “voluntourism” and wondered what they are all about. While there is a wide spectrum of journeys from mission trips to homestays and long-term projects to few-hour stints that fall under these terms, they all basically involve some sort of […]

~ For Chowhound. April 2018. The brownish paste has become a staple appetizer on most menus, often served as a dip with a side of pita and veggies. It can now be found at American, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern restaurants, but do you know where hummus really comes from? The Invention of Hummus Israelis, Palestinians, […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. April 2018. Chef Lotfi Chabaane spends each day at a retirement community called Parc at Duluth. At 60, he’s the place’s de facto spring chicken, telling stories, dancing, and cooking for the seniors who live there. What he’s cooking are Tunisian, Indian, French, Malaysian, and German dishes, but his patrons often […]

~ For CheapOAir Miles Away. April 2018 Guatemala is the heart of the Mayan civilization. From ancient ruins and colorful villages, a charming UNESCO city, to beautiful lakes surrounded by volcanoes, there’s a lot to see and savor in this Central American country. Besides being a popular tourist destination, it’s also emerging as a place that […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. March 2018 Kelly Campbell is a native of Indiana and founder of The Village Experience, a responsible tourism company. Kelly travels year-round taking groups of people to fund projects in Kenya, India, and Guatemala, improving the lives of women and children, and providing water to remote villages.Read the full article on CheapOAir Miles […]

For Chowhound. March 2018.  Tired of ordering the same few drinks each time you visit Starbucks? What if you could invent your own pick-me-up at your favorite coffee shop? What if all your favorite desserts were made into beverages? No need for a magic wand to grant this wish! Starbucks has a secret menu, unofficially […]

For Chowhound. March 2018.  You don’t need a plane ticket to enjoy food from different countries. Brighten your morning routine with these internationally inspired casserole dishes that can be made ahead. From Mexico to Nigeria, expand your breakfast culture knowledge one egg at a time. Mexico: Huevos Rancheros Meaning “rancher’s eggs” in Spanish, these are […]

For Chowhound. February 2018.  Airport food doesn’t always have to be greasy fast food, pre-packed sandwiches, and run-of-the-mill chain restaurants. Over 100 million passengers fly through the world’s busiest Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport each year, and they have several options where they can taste local flavors. While most travelers don’t have enough time to step outside the airport […]

For Chowhound. February 2018.  You know you are in the South when you hear men and women screaming “what’ll ya have, what’ll ya have?” as they move you down quickly through the line. If you don’t respond quickly, you’ll be sent back to the line. Sounds like a high school cafeteria? This fast food restaurant […]

For Chowhound. February 2018.  An American girl travels to Italy, meets a charming Italian man, gets married, and together they live happily ever after. It sounds like a cliché love story, right? Well, it happened in January 2009 when Meredith Hall, a resident of Atlanta, met Luigi D’Arienzo (who goes by Gigi) during a milonga […]

For Khabar Magazine print edition. February 2018. Warm humid air, the smell of roasting curry leaves, voices sounding singsong Malayalam, coconut trees as far as I can see—I had arrived in Kerala, also known as God’s Own Country. As soon as I landed at Kochi International Airport, I felt like I was no longer in […]

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. February 2018.  Kenya has some of the best-preserved wildlife and to see it with your own eyes is a dream come true. As I drove in a rustic jeep through the vast expanse of the Masai Mara watching, herds of zebras, giraffes, wildebeest and prides of lions walk past me, it […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. February 2018. Abu Dhabi is the capital and second-largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Known primarily as an opulent business hub in the Middle East, this barren desert-turned-metropolis is not all about over-the-top hotels, gold suks, and designer shopping malls. With some of the world’s best museums, heritage sites, and […]

For Chowhound. January 2018.  Khaled and Ruwaida had a deep-rooted life back in Damascus, Syria. They owned two apartments and a few electronic shops. Khaled worked, while Ruwaida took care of their two kids. But political unrest forced them to leave their home country and walk across to Jordan, where they lived as refugees for four […]

For Cuisine Noir Magazine. January 2018.  I arrived in Dar es Salaam with Grace Odogbili, a Nigerian-American chef and caterer from Brooklyn. Having worked with New York’s top restaurants and caterers, Odogbili started her own business, Dining With Grace, in 2010 to offer people a chance to savor regional cuisines of the African diaspora. She teaches nutritional […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. January 2018.  Are you desperately in need of some sunny beaches, dancing in the streets, and meeting some of the friendliest people on earth? Is seeing the largest carnival in the world on your bucket list but the high travel costs scaring you off? Follow these essential tips so that you […]

For Cuisine Noir magazine. Spring 2017 print edition. Israel is a country built by immigrants and a melting pot of cultures, languages and traditions. It has a diverse population concentrated in a small area. Just walking through the food markets, one can see an array of influences from Mediterranean, North African, Middle Eastern and Asian […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away Blog. December 2017.  The lush state of Kerala, located in the southern peninsula of India, is touted as “God’s own Country.” With such a bold tourism slogan, you can expect the bar to be set pretty high. Well, Kerala does not disappoint. It’s filled with pristine beaches, houseboats floating in clear […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. December 2017.  Seewai Sayavong welcomes me into a 12,000-square-foot Victorian mansion overlooking 15th street. “Tennessee Williams has lived here!” she says. Upon further research, I find that no one is quite sure whether this factoid is true or not, but the building, often referred to as “the castle,” was indeed a […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away Blog. November 2017.  Ready to explore the enormous continent of Africa but don’t know where to start? There are 54 countries in Africa, offering amazing opportunities to immerse in the culture, as well as view nature and wildlife. Most travelers flock to South Africa, not realizing it is farther, more expensive, […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. October 2017. “Refugee cookies!” a 10-year old Syrian boy screamed from the front porch of an Oakhurst home. The shortbread style cookies, known in the Middle East as mamool and flavored with orange blossom, dates and pistachios, were an instant hit. In less than three hours, the entire batch sold: 45 […]