Travel's Best Summer Foods 2015 Advisors
Meet the panel of advisors behind Travel’s Best Summer Foods 2015.
Actress Meghan Markle, who is known for her role as Rachel Zane on USA's sartorially charged legal drama Suits, is a lot like her fictitious character. She is an overachieving scholar who attended Northwestern University, double-majored in theater and international relations, and worked for the US Embassy in Buenos Aires. Meghan is also an avid epicure with a discerning palate, which she has refined during her world travels. She is constantly seeking cultural adventure, whether it be biking through the outskirts of Vietnam, spearfishing for lobster in Belize, touring the inner workings of Per Se restaurant in New York, or camper-vanning through New Zealand. Meghan’s website, The Tig, features inspiration across a range of categories, including fashion, food, beauty and travel.
Kristen Kish
Kristen Kish attended Le Cordon Bleu College in Chicago and earned an Associate of Arts degree in culinary arts. She was the Season 10 winner of Bravo’s Top Chef and has been traveling across the country and around the globe as a guest chef. Her most recent destinations include the United Kingdom, France and Spain. In her new series, 36 Hours, Travel Channel partners with The New York Times to bring the hit newspaper column to television. In each episode, Kristen and her co-host, Kyle Martino, arrive in a new city, where they’ll have 36 hours to explore the most delicious foods and hot spots, meet fascinating local insiders and experience the best attractions unique to that place.
Kelly Purkey is a nomad who is always on the go and documents it all along the way. As a graphic designer with her own small business, she's able to work from anywhere (but prefers beach locations with a cold drink in her hand!). She blogs at KellyPurkey.com, sharing her favorite destinations, travel tips and lots of delicious meals from around the world. Kelly has also recently started Destination Documented, a website featuring e-courses with travel tips and step-by-step instructions for documenting all your travels. You can follow her journeys on her colorful Instagram feed.
Jackie Kai Ellis pursued her lifelong love of baking at Paris’ École Gastronomique Bellouet Conseil, after which she returned home to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2012 to open Beaucoup Bakery & Café. Jackie leads intimate groups on trips to the very best Parisian patisseries and chocolate shops through the Paris Tours, sharing her inspiration for Beaucoup Bakery. With a serious interest in food, fashion and travel, Jackie covers a variety of lifestyle topics. Her writing has been featured in Flavours magazine, Vitamin Daily and Anthology magazine, and she is a regular contributor to The Vancouver Sun and FoodNetwork.ca. Jackie has been named one of Western Living magazine’s top foodies under 40. She’s a culinary council member for Whole Foods Market, and her croissants have been cited as the city’s best in publications such as Vancouver magazine.
Kristen Miglore is the executive editor at Food52. She abandoned a career in economics to pursue a master’s degree in food studies at New York University and a culinary degree at the Institute of Culinary Education. Kristen's writing has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Saveur and The Atlantic. Her first book, Genius Recipes, was published in April 2015 as part of the Food52 Works imprint. It is based on the award-winning column "Genius Recipes" from Food52.com.
Chris Grundy
From 2012 to 2015, Chris Grundy served as host of DIY Network’s Blog Cabin. He previously hosted DIY’s Cool Tools and HGTV’s Home Strange Home and Professional Grade. An avid do-it-yourselfer, he tackles any project by forging ahead with his enthusiasm. Chris brings this adventurous spirit to Travel Channel in the series 50/50. He and travel veteran Samantha Brown ask unsuspecting people on the street if they would like an extreme getaway for 50 hours that’s worth $50,000. But there’s 1 catch: They must drop everything and leave right now.
Marianela Pereyra
Marianela Pereyra is an Argentine model, dancer and TV personality who has served as host of Dance Cam Slam for VH1, MTV’s Top Pop Group for MTV and BBC America, Poker After Dark for NBC, and Road Trip and Latin American Poker Tour for ESPN. Born to professional tango dancers in Buenos Aires, Marianela moved to the United States at age 5. Marianela joined Travel Channel to host the web series Marianela's Best Beaches, where she visits some of her top picks for the best beaches, including California’s Coronado Beach, Venice Beach and Rodeo Beach and Florida’s Key West and Siesta Key.
Frank Prisinzano
Frank Prisinzano was born in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, NY, to Italian immigrants. He is the chef/owner of the restaurants Frank, Lil’ Frankie’s, Supper and Sauce in the hip East Village and Lower East Side of Manhattan. He is the founder and CEO of EastVillageRadio.com, a local, eclectic internet radio station. Frank travels through Italy extensively every year to find inspiration and uses Instagram to document his entire creative process.
Nadeen White is an award-winning travel blogger who created and edits the travel and lifestyle blog The Sophisticated Life. She believes in living life to the fullest and hopes to inspire others to do the same through her writing. The Sophisticated Life shares personal experiences with travel, restaurants, food events, wine and culture. Her motto is “Live. Travel. Share.” Join her on her journey around the world!
Brendan Spiegel
Brendan Spiegel is a food and travel writer whose stories have appeared frequently in The New York Times, The Washington Post and many other publications. He is the editor of the food blog Endless Simmer and the human-interest journalism site Narratively.
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