About Travels with Benedict

I have been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the stove while standing on a step stool and old enough to know that even when the burner turned from red to black it was still hot.

Growing up, there were foods that I loved, but I didn’t truly fall in love with food until my first Eggs Benedict. I was 10 and at the bridesmaid’s breakfast for my sister’s wedding. A friend was cooking Eggs Benedict. I hated runny yolks, the idea of ‘uncooked’ sauces nearly killed me solely through the power of imagination and I usually kept my foods very separated on my plate. I was not looking forward to the breakfast.

I was sipping my virgin mimosa trying to be very grown up when in came this steaming mass poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. My heart sank. I had to eat it though because best behavior was required. I mentally steeled myself for the first bite of runny yolk, ham, bread and sauce (Mom told me I couldn’t take it apart). I told myself it was like eating asparagus, I could do it in emergencies. The first bite came and went. I ate two servings. It was heaven and I was in love.

At that moment, I realized that food could be magic. It could transform you and transport you. It could surprise you, challenge you, and if you’re lucky, unlock whole new worlds.

Since that breakfast all those years ago I have been in search of two things, great Eggs Benedict and experiencing the magic of food alongside the people I love most in the world.

Food is the opposite of solitary, whether it’s the moment two ingredients meet, or the slow spreading smile when a loved one tastes the very first bite. Food is communal and it is the universal currency of most things worth having in this world. I hope you enjoy traveling with Benedict as much as I do.