If you have ever witnessed a Japanese tea ceremony, then you know that it is a very special event. Unfortunately, many Westerners think the ceremony is just a fancy way to drink tea. As Fuyuko Kobori, a 17th-generation tea master and one of the rare women to attain this position…

Many thanks to Mrs Mimi Kobayashi, my “fixer” and interpreter, who made this interview happen. Mimi-san can be your best guide in Tokyo! https://www.instagram.com/kobayashimimi2/ Yukitaka Yamaguchi is, without any doubts, a very important man at Tsukiji market and one of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met in Tokyo. If…

You can probably tell me what brand coat you have on, but can you tell me what brand of knife you used to prepare dinner last night? According to Jay Patel, owner of London-based Japanese Knife Company, the knife is humankind’s most valuable and underrated tool. There is a big…

I’ve been lucky enough to have met many exceptional people thanks to my blog, and today’s post is about one of those experiences. While I was staying at Maria Cristina hotel in San Sebastian last year, I had the great pleasure of talking with Andreas and Dr Shokat Cohen, organizers…

The market of all the markets, the largest fish market in the world is coming to the end. Or at least in the form how we know it. On November 7th 2016 Tsukiji market will officially open in its new location, where tourists will be no longer allowed to browse…

Below is a slightly modified and adapted to my blog presentation I gave at “Made in Japan” conference in Vilnius on October 24 2015. When you think of Japanese food, what comes into your mind? A glistening red and white striped prawn draped over a wedge of vinegared rice? Or…

Between towering Ancient Greek temples and the pristine Mediterranean Sea lies the vast Piana del Sele Paestum. Known for millennia as the “plain of the gods,” this region of Campania in southern Italy is also home to the water buffalo that produce some of the world’s most heavenly mozzarella. The…

Nestled on the tip of the Sorrentina Peninsula, overlooking the Bay of Naples, seventeen acres of lush organic gardens and orchards provide the raw ingredients for Don Alfonso 1890. Run by Alfonso Iaccarino and his wife Livia, the restaurant is an extension of the land the Iaccarinos began cultivating 25…

Ibiza has a reputation for being a party paradise, but there is so much more to this tiny island off the coast of Spain than beach parties. If you love traditional food as I do, you’ll find many wonderful dishes like arroz a banda or bullit de peix, just to…

On a recent trip to Hungary, I had the pleasure of meeting István Szepsy, whose family has been making wine in Tokay since the Middle Ages, or, like MrSzepsy said, “since always”. The region is best known for its sweet white wines and rare Eszencia, an elixir of botyrized grape…