Back to the Table
When I started fooddialect, enthusiasm and consistency came easily. Discovering culinary gems, talking with entrepreneurs and cooks, and writing about their establishments and stories always gave me energy. Even the hours of research and long stretches behind a laptop shaping each post was never a drain.
After a couple of years though, it began to feel like I’d said what I needed to say about culturally authentic and affordable restaurants in London. In many ways, the blog had already done more for me than I ever imagined. Along with a few meals on the house, it opened the door to a golden opportunity: a Travel Designer position with a boutique luxury travel agency with food at the heart of the company.
Always stick with your passions and what feels true to you. Luck helps, but I promise there is no better substitute for consistency.
Over the past year I’ve travelled across continents, eaten outrageously good food, stayed in some of the best five-star hotels and worked harder than I ever have. Completely worth it. But it also meant that when I finally got home, or had a moment to breathe the last thing I wanted to do was sit back down at my desk and write.
Miami was my first business trip, and it was exactly as I’d imagined. I arrived at my South Beach hotel in the thick, sticky & slightly unbearable heat just as two Latina women in bikinis and high heels climbed into a Lamborghini. A scene straight out of GTA: Vice City, with Hall & Oates’ “Out of Touch” playing in my head on repeat. The week was a blur of rooftop networking, pool parties, ceviche, margaritas and filthy martinis on tap.
Then came Marrakech: desert parties pulsing with strobe lights, elegant riads, preserved lemons and cheap cigarettes. Moroccan hospitality? Unmatched. Mexico followed, wilder and more extravagant yet humbled by raccoons raiding my room like tiny bandits. Hogs roasting over open flames, swimming in crystal clear cenotes with manatees and barefoot beach dancing. You get the picture.
I assure you there was plenty of work done too but that’s saved for LinkedIn.
It’s been a crazy year and one that’s completely changed my life. I’ve stepped into an industry I didn’t even know existed, and into a lifestyle we all know about but rarely ever experience, especially through work. Somehow, I’m now doing exactly what I once dreamed of: getting paid to travel, eat, meet people from all parts of the world and experience some of the finest hospitality in the world.
I’m not trying to brag, just giving context on where I’ve been and to clear my own head. Call it “reflective/introspective therapy". And If I seem out of touch - perhaps you’re right, but I do my best to never take any of this for granted. I’m still genuinely giddy whenever I see a beautiful spread, but I’ll be honest, it’s dangerously easy to become a little spoiled in this industry. So if you ever see me reaching for a free canapé or cocktail like it’s my birthright, feel free to slap some sense into me.
My ideas for this passion project have evolved, and I’m done sticking to just one lane and similar conclusions. Expect more content - I’m hungrier and have even more to say.