The 19th Anniversary of The Passionate Foodie!

Today, it's time for me to open a special bottle of wine to celebrate another milestone as The Passionate Foodie blog celebrates its Nineteenth Anniversary! During all those years, I've seen many other food & wine blogs come and go, but I've chosen to continue my writing, and to continue to challenge myself. I've posted over 5600 articles on my blog, covering a vast myriad of food and drink topics. 

I'm very proud of all I've written and accomplished, and I look forward to continuing to write, continuing to share and spread my deep passion for food & drink. I've actually been writing about food and drink for over 20 years, as I wrote for another blog, Real World Winers (since defunct), for 1 1/2 years before I started The Passionate Foodie.

During the past 19 years of The Passionate Foodie, I've learned so much about food & drinks, exploring a wide variety of topics, essentially about anything I can eat or drink. I've never restricted my blog to a specific type or style of cuisine or drink. I've just wanted to write about whatever interested me at the moment. My blog has provided me a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences, creating a vast storehouse of fantastic memories. I've sampled so much excellent and exciting food and drink, in this country and many others.

I've gotten to travel to some amazing destinations, including Croatia (Dalmatia, Istria, Slavonia), England (London & surrounding areas), France (Bordeaux and Champagne), Spain (various regions, including Rioja, Ribera del Douro, Penedes, Jerez and the Canary Islands), Portugal (Porto, Vinho Verde and the Douro), Italy (Tuscany and Collio), Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada (from Nova Scotia to Vancouver), Argentina and Chile. Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Argentina and Chile. 

In the United States, I've visited a number of states, including all of New England, California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Georgia, North & South Carolina, Nevada, Washington D.C., and Virginia. 

Over all these years, I've met so many interesting people, which has enhanced my experiences as I've long said that food and drink when shared is even better. Some of those people have become very close friends. It's been fascinating to meet numerous wine makers, distillers, brewers, wine & liquor store owners, importers, distributors, farmers, restaurant owners, chefs, and much more. From each, I've learned something new, which has expanded my understanding and enhanced my writing.

During these nineteen years, what began as a hobby transformed into my profession. I'm now a freelance writer, having been published in a number of magazines and newspapers. I'm also a Sake educator and consultant, having worked for a variety of clients, from restaurants to distributors, conducting Sake classes, tastings, dinners and more. I also work part-time at the Victoria Hill Wine shop, conducting wine tastings twice a week, on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. 

It has been my ardent pleasure to showcase and promote under-appreciated and/or lesser known wines, spirits and other drinks, such as Sake, Croatian Wines, Greek Wines, Georgian Wines, Uruguayan Wines, Portuguese Wines, Sherry, Franciacorta, Mezcal, Baijiu and more. I've championed many of these underdogs, all which are worthy beverages deserving of much more attention by consumers as well as other writers. We all need to expand our palates and seek out the liquid wonders that can be found all around the world.

Within the last several years, especially because of the pandemic, I've dedicated more time to researching and writing numerous historical articles about food and drink, and I'm especially proud of these articles, many breaking new ground in our understanding of certain topics. I've compiled links to all of these fascinating articles in two compilation posts: All About My Historical Food & Drink Articles and All About Boston's Chinatown, Chinese Restaurants & Cuisine. Look forward to more of these articles in the near future.

I owe many thanks to all of my readers, as it's their support and encouragement which has helped motivate me to continue writing year after year. I also owe thanks to my family and friends who have been so supportive for all these years. In addition, I am grateful to everyone in the food and drink community, from chefs to wine makers, who have helped contribute, in a myriad of ways, to my blog.  Life is about connections, about the relationships we make, and they all contribute to what we do.

If I didn't thoroughly enjoy what I've been doing, then it would have ended years ago. I find it fulfilling and satisfying, and hope that my passion for food, drink and writing never dims. I look forward to celebrating my 20th anniversary next year, and I hope my readers keep reading me year after year.

It's time to celebrate!