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Culinary Travel Article Pitch to Editors

I’m pitching a 2000 word article that looks at all seven top tastes of Asturias, Spain, to show why each is worth traveling for, and while at least two should be on rotation in your kitchen. I’ll use my photos and a recipe for pitu callela

The seven must taste foods of Asturias, Spain Hello editor Chef Marcos, alongside his father chef Pedro Morán of Michelin starred Casa Gerardo restaurant in Prendas, Asturias (Spain), told me over a bowl of their famed fabada that there were seven Asturian specialties I must taste during my visit. Cheese cave I hiked into “You need to drink the cider and eat our great cheeses. Of course, you…

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Fabada Asturiana – Pork & Beans Never Tasted So Good

Fabada Asturiana – Pork & Beans Never Tasted So Good

A recent trip to Asturias, Spain, with friends was essentially to explore the rugged interior and shoreline, but one has to eat. Especially when the list of activities included hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and even coal mining! You can bet we were hungry after all that. There were Michelin as well as comfort food restaurants on our itinerary, plus two simple eateries that delivered…

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A Time For Change (An Inauguration Day Manifesto)

A Time For Change (An Inauguration Day Manifesto)

(I know this is a foodies blog, so please consider this food for the soul.) New day, new President, new expectations . . . here are some needed changes I hope to see: 1. Tax payers should no longer have to subsidize racist, misogynist or seditionist government employees. People have a right to their opinions, but not the right to ask the public to support them while they spew their hatred. If…

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Homemade Pizza!

More people are cooking pizza at home during the Covid-19 pandemic than ever before. It is easy, it’s a great way to use up leftovers, and they can be very delicious. (So long as you can find the yeast!)

When I can’t find the yeast I buy one of the top 5 pizzas in New York State at Slices in Saugerties.

Me – I usually make my own pizza. I learned to make bar-pizzas from scratch when I…

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Pandemic Scalloped Potato Recipe

  Held hostage by the virus pandemic, I’ve been experimenting with recipes as I try to use what is in my refrigerator before it goes bad. This dish of scalloped potatoes was a way to put a big dent in my leftover Easter ham, as well as soon to expire cheeses and dairy. So use what you have and leave out what you don’t. (You’ll need cheese, meat, potatoes and dairy – plus seasonings – or you need…

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A Bespoke Tour of Segovia

A Bespoke Tour of Segovia

my article from Ensemble Winter 2020 Vacations Magazine . . .

I travel to visit friends, to explore history and culture, and to taste the local cuisine. My recent visit to the city of Segovia, in Castilla y León, Spain, combined all three, and I had a blast!

After a 30 minute train ride from Madrid, my friend Tomas met me at the Segovia station for a bespoke tour of this beautiful city with the…

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Torta Elaborata

When I first saw a picture of this elegant pastry I knew I had to make it. It is a starburst of flavorful beauty that elevates any party! The problem is, after one attempt I realized that I didn’t like the filling (only four ingredients) or the dough (too dry), and the baking temperature /time was all wrong. But the description of the construction (with photos) was so good I mostlyfollowed the…

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Medellín is a warm friendly city, really a bustling business center, and the Colombian people are gracious hosts. It is a city of eternal spring with moderate temperatures year-round. But for five weeks every year Medellín is the center of all things Christmas.

The largest municipal power corporation in Latin America, EMP, sponsors an extravagant Christmas Festival every year called Alumbrados Navideños or El Alumbrado, in and around its headquarters. There is a city-wide theme for all the decorations.

The year I visited, my excellent guide, Carlos Carmona, showed me around the city to experience his hometown’s celebrations. The theme was the Nativity, and there were all shapes and sizes of Nativity scenes throughout the city, ranging from miniatures to 20 feet tall. These often colorful religious symbols were in stark contrast to the secular tree and Santa displays we are used to being publicly displayed in the US. Colombians do not hesitate to celebrate their religious holidays.

This year is the 52nd anniversary of Medellín’s Christmas display. The theme is an Old Fashioned Christmas, primarily set up along Parque Norte with huge displays and colorful booths. Medellín’s Christmas celebration is second only to the scale and scope of Mardi Gras in Rio de Janeiro or New Orleans. It is a huge event!

For the greatest infusion of Christmas Spirit, plan a trip to Medellín, Colombia in December. The light show runs from the end of November through the first week in January. Have other Christmas plans? Medellin is fun all year round. There’s great nightlife, many cultural events, fantastic food, and amazing architecture to enjoy. Check out their version of Mardi Gras, the Tango Festival, or the Flower Festival, just three of the many reasons to visit Medellín, Colombia.

A lethal but local favorite drink pleasantly served

Travel:

American Airlines has connecting flights from everywhere in the US through Miami. www.aa.com

Stay:

Intercontinental Hotel Medellin – with over 150 hotels in 65 countries, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts are the premier place to stay. It was my choice of where to lay my head.

Hotel Poblado Plaza – Located in the heart of the most exclusive area of Medellín, the Golden Mile of El Poblado neighborhood. This is where the main business and financial corporations of the city meet the shopping malls and restaurants. Or their sister resort: Hotel Poblado Alejandria

guandu & pork at Restaurant Bijao

Eat:

Unfortunately, my favorite restaurant in Medellín (Restaurant Bijao) closed since my visit. But I can tell you that the excellence of the place sparked a lively conversation between myself and the Food Editor of the largest local newspaper. We bonded over our admiration for their food. Their guandu & pork  riff on a Cartagena seafood dish was amazing!

En Casa de Oliva  an equally excellent restaurant with fresh food and a kindly waitstaff

Carlos on the right with me in Colombia

Guide:

Carlos Carmona is a freelance tour guide in Medellín, Colombia. He embodies the culture and customs of Medellín and its citizens, while sharing a decade of professionally honed skills to show you the real Medellín.

More Information:

https://medellin.travel/en/

https://bureaumedellin.com/greater/

Alumbrados Navideños or El Alumbrado Christmas in Medellín, Colombia Medellín is a warm friendly city, really a bustling business center, and the Colombian people are gracious hosts.

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World Paella Day Is September 20th

World Paella Day Is September 20th

Chef Rafael Vidal from behind the line

What better way to celebrate World Paella Day than to taste the original paella from Valencia, Spain, cooked by the world famous paella chef Rafael Vidal?

Let me back up a bit. I cook “American” paella, meaning I mix seafood and meat, and add broth, peppers, and onions – a blasphemy within the rarefied paella circle in which I found myself last Tuesday. That…

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Saugerties Pro Musica 4-Hand Piano Concert Sunday 4/28 @ 3 p.m.

Saugerties Pro Musica 4-Hand Piano Concert Sunday 4/28 @ 3 p.m.

Saugerties Pro Musica welcomes back pianist Yalin Chi, who is joined on our stage by Steven Bech on his first visit, for a very unusual four-hand piano concert  on April 28, 2019 – Sunday  – at 3 p.m. They will be playing Mozart’s Sonata in B-flat major, K358, Debussy’s Six épigraphes antiques, Hindemith’s Sonata for Piano Four-hands, and Jeux d’enfants by Bizet.

Yalin Chi & Steven Bech

The…

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Shout Out Saugerties is hosting a Food & Art Walkabout

Shout Out Saugerties is hosting a Food & Art Walkabout and I'm leading it!

The perfect event for a Fall Foliage Weekend is a celebration of the season’s bounty. That’s why Shout Out Saugerties is hosting a Food & Art Walkabout Saturday, October 20th, as part of its annual festival. Join international culinary travel writer and chef Richard Frisbie in a tour of the best eats in his home town of Saugerties.

The tour will begin at the Farmers Market with an introduction…

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“It smells like death in here.”

“It smells like death in here.”

That’s the first thing I said when I entered Niagara Parks’ Floral Showhouse,  a pyramidal tropical greenhouse and formal gardens just a hop, skip and jump from Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Park, Canada. Not the best greeting, I know, but the stench was unbelievably vile. The room was lush and humid, a verdant tangle of plants and blooms that should have smelled like – well, flowers – not death.…

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Unpublished Culinary Travel Articles Looking for Placement

Editors - please note: award-winning journalist has five culinary travel articles available

Editors please take note: I have five finished culinary and/or travel articles unsold. They range from a street festival near Barcelona, to a rare Mediterranean Island liquor; from the sites and museums of Curacao, to the unique food there: and finally, an extravagant dinner in one of the top restaurants in Spain. All will put you in the street, or in the seat experiencing remarkable travel and…

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The Foods of Extremadura, Spain

This was my first time climbing up the orchard’s terraced slopes to pick the ripest of Spain’s famous cherry crop. I can reach all the dwarf trees’ branches – especially those hanging low with the weight of luscious red fruit.

The cool of the night left one side chilled while the other, freshly warmed by the morning sun, is hot and bursting with flavor. Popping one into my mouth, I spit out the…

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Ludwig Piano/Cello Duo at Saugerties Pro Musica Sunday 11/19 @3 p.m.

Each November the Bard College Conservatory of Music sends Saugerties Pro Musica some of their most talented musicians to perform.

This year, the Ludwig Duo, made up of Pianist Erica Allen and Cellist Chang Pan, will be our featured performers. One is a second-year student in the Advanced Performance Studies program of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, the other teaches in the music…

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Alf’s benchmark regional history and a collection of essays

Last Saturday evening I spoke at an event – 100 Years of Art in Woodstock – about the life of Alf Evers. This is a transcript of my speech:

Good evening. My name is Richard Frisbie. Thank you for coming to what I’m calling a Catskills Cantico – Cantico is an Algonquin word meaning a ceremonial dance. And – No – I’m not going to dance. I’m here to tell you about my friend, noted historian and author, Alf Evers, and I’ve been given 5 minutes to cover nearly a century of his accomplishments.

My presence here is not without precedent. I spoke at Alf’s 90th birthday party, and again in 2001 for what was called a “Celebration in Recognition of Alf Evers’ Contributions to the Furthering of New York History”. That’s the rather grand title for what was actually a very impressive ceremony on the grounds of the Senate House in Kingston. Alf was surrounded by County, State and Federal dignitaries – everyone from a Pulitzer Prize winner to a Congressman. After 14 people spoke, and Jay Unger and Molly Mason performed, Alf spoke for an hour! His speech was engaging and captivating and covered the important influences in his writing carrier. It was great! I’m sorry if you missed it.

I can’t match the speech he gave, but I can promise to be brief.

For those of you who don’t know – Alf Evers was the preeminent historian of the Catskills. He is renowned for his definitive 800-page histories, “The Catskills: From Wilderness to   Woodstock”, “Woodstock: History of an American Town” and his final book, “Kingston, City on the Hudson”. His other books include “In Catskill Country: Collected Essays on Mountain History, Life and Lore”, as well as more than 50 children’s titles written in collaboration with his wife, Helen. In total, he wrote almost 10,000 pages of Catskill Mountain history!

Alf was born in the Bronx, and came upstate with his family when he was nine. They moved to a farm in Tillson where he first became aware of the Catskill Mountains and where his love of the Catskills began. As an adult, he moved into the Catskills, settling finally in Shady, where he raised a family of his own. His strong bond with the region remained his passion until his death in 2004 when he was 99 years old.

In his lifetime, besides the aforementioned books, he was the associate editor of the New York Folklore Quarterly. He wrote articles for the New York Conservationist. He also wrote many newspaper articles on regional history. In addition, he served as Vice-President of the New York State Folklore Society, President of both the Woodstock Historical Society and the Woodstock Library, and he was the town historian of Woodstock for many years. Through all this, he actively encouraged the preservation of the landscape and character of Woodstock and its environs.

My signed, numbered commemorative copy “In Catskill Country”

Personally, I always knew Alf to be generous with his  vast knowledge. One day while I was President of the Board of Management of the Woodstock Tree Trust, (and yes, there was such a title) Alf asked me: “Did you ever see a chestnut tree? You know we have one growing here in Town.” Since the American Chestnut had been virtually extinct since the beginning of the 1900s, he had my attention. He said come on – I’ll show it to you. We jumped into my car and he said turn onto Plockmann Lane. I immediately thought – all right, we’ll go through and on up Lewis Hollow Road to find an isolated stand of trees up near the State Land. That made sense.

Nope.

Just a little way in he pointed to a short skinny tree and said there it is. Right there on the side of Plochmann Lane – the rarest of rare trees – an American Chestnut. He explained that every few years the highway department cuts back the roadside so cars can pass – Plochmann Lane is narrow. Since the virus attacks mature trees, and a cut chestnut grows from sprouts on the stump, this one was cut and it grew, and cut and grew, and cut and grew for nearly a century, but it was never old enough to get the virus. It survived.

Who knew? Alf Evers Knew!

In 1995, Overlook Press had a book signing / birthday party on the occasion of Alf Evers’ 90th birthday and the publication of his book “In Catskill Country“. It was a benefit for the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. The event was called A Catskills Cantico, meaning a dancing, singing, fiddle-playing party, like the old-timers used to have in the Catskills – and much like what we’re having here. It was called that as a concession to Alf, who actually wanted that to be the title of his book.

And that is how I knew Alf to be, a person with the depth of knowledge so great about the Catskill Mountains that he knew the answer to every question. He knew where the last American Chestnut was in the Town and what a cantico was –and why it would be an appropriate title for his collection of essays. And still, as a respected historian and bestselling author who was revered in his community, he was modest and unassuming enough to bow to the wishes of his publisher. So, to honor him tonight, I referred to this event as he would have: A Catskills Cantico – A Song of the Catskills. I hope you’re enjoying it.

Thank you

Speech – A Catskills Cantico Alf's benchmark regional history and a collection of essays Last Saturday evening I spoke at an event - 100 Years of Art in Woodstock - about the life of Alf Evers.

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A Halloween Ghost Story From Curacao

A Halloween Ghost Story From Curacao

Curacao is an island in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. Blessed with temperatures in the 80s, sunny skies and beaches to rival the best in the world, this Dutch island has all that plus enough colonial heritage and history – including the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Western Hemisphere – to please every tourist. My recent visit there also revealed some unanswered questions about its…