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In Search of Flavor, Episode 04: On the intersection of beauty, art, and hospitality with Carrie Vik
Today Carrie Vik joins us for a peek into her beautiful world of art and travel. Carrie is the founder and visionary, along with her husband Alex Vik, of Vik Retreats, a family of exquisite luxury, art-centric hotels in Uruguay, Chile, and Milan. Liz and Carrie...
In Search of Flavor, Episode 03: On the magic of Colombian design with Tomás Vera
Today we welcome Tomás Vera, founder and Creative Director of Verdi Design in Bogota, Colombia. Tomás founded his company after the untimely passing of his father, Carlos Vera Dieppa, a pioneer in woven rugs made with natural fibers. He landed back in South...
In Search of Flavor, Episode 02: On the culture of coffee with Jake Standerfer
On this episode, Jake Standerfer of Coffee Culture Coffee Roasters, a roaster and pioneer in specialty coffee in Santiago joins us to talk all things coffee. In the late aughts, Jake began roasting coffee in his bathroom, kicking off his largely self-taught,...
In Search of Flavor, Episode 01: On the ‘somewhereness’ of wine with Santiago Achaval
We are thrilled to welcome Santiago Achaval, an icon in Argentine wine who has been heralded as a “Master of Malbec” and considered one of South America’s most revered winemakers. Santiago joins Liz to discuss how the wine “virus” infected him with a passion...
Waterfalls, Rainbows, and Butterflies
My first glimpse of Iguazu Falls was in the 1986 film, The Mission, with Roberto de Niro and Jeremy Irons. In the opening scene, set in 17th century Iguazu, a Jesuit missionary priest is tied to a wooden cross and pushed into the swirling Iguazu River....
Traveling without Moving
Up until last month, we lived in an age of constant movement and fluidity, open international borders, and an ebb and flow of coming and going. We moved liberally all over the place, and to some degree, probably took it for granted, too. Then one day in...
A Coffee Affair with Colombia
I am sitting in a colorful little cafe in Bogotá's trendy Zona G. Outside a steady rain is falling. Bogotá is a mountainous city with chilly air and frequent showers. Much like in Britain, it’s wise to always have an umbrella in hand (or purse). Today,...
About Sunday Night…
Two Sundays ago, the first Sunday Suppers communal dinner party in Chile, and South America, was born. Thirty people came together between guests and organizers in an evening celebrating local end-of-winter produce, food artisans, and a few of Chile’s...
The Culinary Conservationists
I am on a twisting country road high on an Andean plateau. We appear to be on a road to nowhere as we careen towards the jagged outline of the Andes. We zip through patchwork fields where only an occasional shepherd herds a flock of sheep or alpacas. We...
Risen
Flour, yeast, water, salt. Plus time and temperature. Those are the ingredients to make good bread. It is simple--but not easy to make. Not without a lot of practice, and patience. That’s why baking bread is a craft. To be honest, it’s a realm of the...
A Sweet Spot in Southern Chile
I am standing in an ancient forest with a tree canopy so tall it masks the sun. The trees reach high into the heavens above me. I am surrounded by the cold “jungle”, the selva valdiviana, a dense rainforest in the south of Chile. I survey my...
Why Artisans Matter
The word artisan is born from the Latin verb, artire, which defines an artisan as a worker, in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. The mention of an artisan immediately conjures up visions of a craftsman sitting quietly...
Elemental Eating
Quite often, people ask what my cooking style is. Today, I can define it in one word. Elemental. It’s simple, flavor-forward, and most often centered around seasonal local produce. I love dishes with only a handful of ingredients (or...
Signature Journeys 2019 – 2020
While most of the year we plan made-to-measure, private travel, our Signature Journeys (small group trips) are very near and dear to my heart. Perhaps it’s because I get to play hostess during part of each one, and meet so many of you. Signature...
FORTY TWO
Last week I turned 42. I finally feel I can really celebrate what it means to be "40” (well, now 40-something). When I turned 40, two years ago, I hardly recognized it. I was navigating extremely choppy seas with a newborn (second) baby and...
Daily Life, Disrupted
I recently had a friend visit me in Santiago. One night, we sat down for a chat over a glass of wine while she was editing photos. I was curious to see how she was capturing the city in images. To my surprise, Santiago was almost unrecognizable. Sure, there were the...
An End Meets a Beginning
For years, I dreamed about Ecuador. I had visited before but I had a specific trip in mind that included the Galapagos. I didn't have any immediate plans to go, but nonetheless obsessively researched the hotels, the destinations, the hikes, the snorkeling, and...
The Holidays
It’s that time of year again…and a typical conversation in Chile during the holidays starts off like this: “Que atroz! How terrible! I am muuuyyy busy. You know…it is end of school year, graduation, parties, Christmas, New Year’s and summer vacation. Ayayay es...
and the meaningful
