Martha’s Local Food Adventures Around the Globe

Travel is in my future for 2018. My food and wine-seeking radar is taking me to a destination that I have only dreamed about: South America. When planning a trip in the spring, I always try to make it a warm get away and going to South America at the end of March is like our September, so it should be warm and sunny. I am taking 14 hardy souls who have also never been to South America. I have actually never been south of the Equator and we will be traveling to almost the South Pole!  

martha SAWe will arrive in Santiago, Chile for some wine tasting, cooking classes for local food (of course), and some sightseeing. Then we fly south to Patagonia which is in Argentina at the very tip of South America. We will go to the strait of Magellan, which is named after Ferdinand Magellan of Portugal. It is a route that he discovered in 1520 as the safest and quickest way to get from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Instead of going all around the tip of the continent, it cuts through providing a much safer route for sea-going commerce and exploration. Then we will see some amazing glaciers and penguins and be very close to the South Pole.martha sa glacirerAfter our trip to Patagonia, we then fly north to Buenos Aires where it will be warm again and we can taste some marvelous Malbec. Surely this will be a once-in-a-lifetime excursion.  (Editor’s Note: To see full trip details, follow this link.)

Because I travel, twice a year, I must be planning the next trip before the first trip is completed. I have had several people express an interest in Scotland and Ireland, so that is my destination for the fall of 2018. By Screen Shot 2018-01-04 at 9.59.59 AMthe time this article is published, I will have booked this trip for October of 2018.  I have never been to Scotland so I am excited again to see new sights and taste new flavors. I have been to Ireland before and am delighted to return to the land of my ancestors. We will depart on October 25, 2018 for Edinburgh and spend 6 days in Scotland visiting castles, “Outlander” sites, tasting Scotch along the way. Some highlights will be the Isle of Skye, Fort Williams and the Royal Mile. We transfer by ferry to Belfast in Northern Ireland, and will visit the Giant’s Causeway and the Titanic Belfast Museum before leaving for Galway, which is a lively city on the wild Irish coast. Traveling south towards theScreen Shot 2018-01-04 at 10.00.18 AM Ring of Kerry, we will visit the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. One major highlight for me will be a visit to Ballymaloe Cookery School where we will take a class and have dinner. I have wanted to visit this cooking school for many years, and now have the chance. We will have spent 12 days touring some of the most beautiful and historic landscapes in the world.

When I am not traveling in the off season, I will be at my restaurant, Martha’s Leelanau Table, in Suttons Bay planning menus, cooking, tasting wine, and greeting guests. If anyone is interested in traveling with me on a trip abroad, please call the restaurant at 231-271-2344 or check out the website at marthasleelanautable.com to see where I am traveling to next.

Martha’s Leelanau Table, 413 N. St Joseph St, Suttons Bay, MI 49682

Martha Ryan is the owner of Martha’s Leelanau Table in Suttons Bay, MI. Contact her at [email protected]