EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kimberly Buerkle
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Michele Sponagle
Nancy Hellmrich CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Laura Torrisi
DESIGN & PRODUCTION Torrisi Design Associates An Ensemble Travel® Group Publication Ensemble Vacations® is a publication of roup Ensemble Travel® G © December 2021 Ensemble Travel, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise duplicated without written permission of the publisher. Ensemble Travel Group 256 West 38th Street New York, NY 10018. Ensemble® Ensemble Travel® Ensemble® Hosted Cruises Ensemble® Hotel & Resort Collection Ensemble® On Location Ensemble® Villas & Vacation Homes Ensemble® Exclusives Ensemble® Experience and the floret design are registered and unregistered trademarks of Ensemble Travel, Inc.
ON THE COVER:
A meal is prepared over an open fire in Bangalore, Karnataka, India Photo Credit: Amith Nag (@amithnag) for Getty Images SUBMISSIONS:
Got a travel story you’d like to share? See inside back cover for how to submit your pitch.
Dear Traveler, I know we’re not supposed to have favorites, but The Traveler’s Table has special meaning for me because I grew up in a family that valued the time spent with those we loved, around the dining table. One side was from Palermo, the other from Messina—two unique faces of Sicily. My great grandparents came through Ellis Island and settled in New York’s Little Italy. They brought with them the belief that food was love and, through the years, embedded in me the thrill of culinary adventure. Growing up, we ate crazy things. Goudina, pig skin that’s rolled and braised in a thick ragù. Vasteda, fried beef spleen on a roll with parmesan cheese. We ate tripe, brains, snails – we call them babaluci – and artichoke-like carduna stalks that were dipped in egg, breadcrumb and fried to a golden brown. The idea was always, “Try it, tell us if you like it first. Then we’ll tell you what you just ate.” Since those early days, I’ve traveled to many Caribbean islands, throughout Central and South America, 30 of our United States and even celebrated the turn of the millennium with hot toddies in Ireland. Wherever I went, I savored, not just the food, but the people and stories around the food that make travel and cuisine such a perfect pairing. As we gather to ring in a new year, the theme for this issue just had to be Savoring— not just the food but the whole experience. When you’re ready to book your next culinary adventure, count on your trusted Ensemble Travel advisor to get you into all of the best places. Buon appetito! Kim Buerkle, Editor Kbuerkle@EnsembleTravel.com
ENSEMBLE TR AVELER ’S TABLE 2021
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