Our Women’s Eye Podcast Travel Series continues with guest host and travel writer Laurie McAndish King in conversation with Naomi Duguid, a culinary tour guide, writer, award-winning photographer, storyteller, and cook—and Naomi has won five James Beard Foundation Awards including Cookbook of the Year (twice) and Best Food Photography.
Join in as I talk with Naomi Duguid, a culinary traveler I’ve admired since I first met her several years ago. Naomi writes beautiful, award-winning cookbooks that take us traveling and explore home-cooked foods through recipes, stories, and photographs.
Available also on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube
Naomi takes small groups of travelers on extraordinary culinary adventures in northern Thailand and the Republic of Georgia.
“The goal is to have people not afraid to move forward. So I take them to the market, and I’d say, ‘Who’s going to buy the cilantro?’ And by the end of the week, people are way more confident. They just say, ‘Oh, sure, I’ll go,’ and ‘Oh, look at that! Let’s buy some of those donuts.’”
One of the special aspects of Naomi’s culinary tours is that she actually takes participants into people’s homes to learn about—and enjoy—home-cooked meals. In Naomi’s view—and I agree—engaging with local food and agriculture traditions is a fundamental way to experience a land and its culture. And if there happens to be a feast taking place, well, that’s important to experience, too!
“It’s people’s relationship to the food that’s interesting… What tools do people have? What are they short of? What does that mean? So it was clear to me that food is the way to understand so much, from labor and economics to social relations.”
You’ll also hear Naomi’s insights on:
- The best way to try street food when you travel.
- How and where you can become a “fly on the wall” and see local culinary interactions, even as an outsider.
- The joy of returning to a place you’ve visited before—with beginner’s eyes.
Naomi Duguid’s Cookbooks and Tours take us traveling and exploring cultures through home-cooked foods, recipes and beautiful photography.
Connect with Naomi:
Website: Naomi Duguid
Instagram: NaomiDuguid
Some links in this post may be “affiliate links,” meaning TWE receives a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.
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