Tibs: A Traditional Ethiopian Dish with Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Unseen Chef Marcus Samuelsson stirs beef tenderloin, broccoli, and tomatoes in a cast iron pan for the Ethiopian dish Tibs

We are excited to share with you a traditional Ethiopian recipe for Tibs made with either beef or lamb. Leading us in this cooking class is James Beard winner Chef Marcus Samuelsson. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, Chef Samuelsson shares a traditional recipe that is best eaten with a group, especially as a… Read more »

Review of the Film “Lamb”

Movie Lamb by Yared Zeleke. Young boy in a cloak shorts boots with a rust colored lamb gazing over the green hills of Ethiopia

Scene from the movie Lamb, Ethiopia © Photo courtesy of www.indiewire.com   A young Ethiopian boy and his rust-colored lamb are the protagonists of Lamb, the beautifully crafted first feature from Yared Zeleke. This award winning Ethiopian film, Lamb (2015); 94 minutes; Amharic with English subtitles is a must see. It does an extraordinary job of… Read more »

Beyond Marrakech and Fez

Behind the roofs of earthen buildings, a vast green oasis of grass and trees blankets the land

Standing in front of the Tafilalt Oasis, it was hard to understand how anyone had called this an oasis. I tend to think of an oasis as a small patch of greenery given life by an equally small source of water. As far as my eyes could see there was green. And when I say… Read more »

Ramadan in Morocco during lockdown

Moroccan iftar table with traditional dishes

Normally, the centuries old traditions of Ramadan are sociable affairs as abstaining from food and water during daylight hours gives way to festive feasts and communal gatherings at dusk. With the coronavirus upending these faith-based traditions, we asked Ahlam Ben Saga, one of the journalists we meet with on some of our Morocco tours, to… Read more »

A Review of the Villa Mandarine Hotel, Rabat

Villa Mandarine - Rabat, Morocco

Compared to Morocco’s seductive Marrakech and Fez, Rabat is a colorful, sunny oasis of calm just waiting to be explored. Rabat is the country’s untapped, culture-rich capital. It is brimming with buried cities, majestic mosques, mouth-watering food and an emerging contemporary art scene. We guarantee we can keep you enthralled with a range of experiences… Read more »

The Perfect Chicken Tagine Recipe

We are excited to share with you a Chicken Tagine recipe from Michelin-star chef Mourad Lahlou. This is a modern twist on a traditional, indeed iconic Moroccan dish that you will enjoy on our Morocco tours. Don’t worry if you don’t have a Tagine dish, you can use a skillet with a cover or even… Read more »

A Review of the “Crossing Borders” Documentary

Crossing Borders Documentary - Morocco

Even when our passports remain safely tucked away, the enduring power of travel can still connect us. It can remind us that we share much more than our media, and sadly, sometimes our governments, lead us believe. In 2007, the German filmmaker Arnd Wächter brought four college-age Americans to Morocco to join four Moroccans of… Read more »

Why all the Food Making?

Baklava, Greek yogurt, and homemade orange, vanilla, rosemary marmalade. Plus a cameo from the tea. Photo - Savannah Fortis

We have been checking in with our partners around the world to see how their lives have been impacted by COVID-19. Read how one of our favorite tour managers, Savannah Fortis, has been filling her days at home and, at the same time, creating ambrosial scents for those around her.   “Why All The Food… Read more »

Sitting in Little Rock, I was Transported

Elizabeth Eckford - Little Rock Nine

I was 14, maybe 15, when the raw emotion of racial injustice hit me. I remember the moment vividly. I was sitting in an English class and our beyond-hip teacher was reading a poem. I remember it as titled Landlady and it was the telephone conversation, on a payphone, between an African tenant and his prospective… Read more »

Revitalizing Jackson, Mississippi’s Farish Street One Pig Ear Sandwich at a Time

Holding a pig ear sandwich with a bite taken out. Taken at Big Apple Inn on Farish Street in Jackson, Mississippi

For anyone who embarks on a trip along the Civil Rights Trail looking to better understand the civil rights movement, perhaps one of the most overlooked but telling places is Jackson, Mississippi’s Farish Street. Sitting just north of downtown Jackson, Farish Street was once a thriving African-American neighborhood known as “Little Harlem”.  By the early… Read more »