I have been listening to a great podcast recently called Passport to Everywhere hosted by Melissa Biggs Bradley, the founder of Indagare, a members only boutique travel company.
She has some great guests on her podcast — so far I’ve listened to interviews with Mary Celeste Beall of Blackberry Farm, Aerin Lauder, and Chris Blackwell, founder of Golden Eye resort in Jamaica and have enjoyed them all.
She did a deep dive with the General Manager of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train (a trip I am dying to take) and the General Manager of the Ritz Paris.
Melissa also discusses travel tips on the second half of her podcast, and I’ve found myself taking notes based on her advice and expertise.
If you love travel, I highly recommend Passport to Everywhere – it is informative but also a great escape if you’re on a walk or a long drive. You can find it here.
I have to say my favorite interview so far was with charming British banker, hotelier and *get this* – vicar of the Anglican church (talk about a side hustle!), Charlie Vere Nicoli about his life and experiences on the island of St. Barth’s, including owning and operating two legendary hotels, the former Isle de France (which is now Cheval Blanc) and most recently, Le Toiny (pronounced Le Twaney) – the last privately owned five star hotel on the island.
It is a fascinating conversation about his life, his experience on this incredible island, and the hotel that he owns and operates alongside his wife Mandie.
Two comments from the interview stood out to me as very funny but very true – 1) that St. Barth’s can be described as Nantucket meets St. Tropez and 2) that when his friends ask him to describe St. Barth’s – his response is that it is all about “having lunch.”
That really made me laugh because I am certain that the phrase “rosé all day” originated on St. Barth’s – a late lunch with chilled rosé and delicious food alongside a DJ booth is what it is all about on this tiny beautiful island.
I have only been there once but after listening to this podcast, Le Toiny is on the top of my Wish List.
You can also see my newsletter on Cheval Blanc + a restaurant guide here.
“Le Toiny offers you the privacy and space that you require during your St Barths voyage.
22 unique, independent, self-standing ultra-comfortable Suites will be available with one or two bedrooms. Each one offering a private pool, large terrace and overlooking wonderful Toiny Bay.
Our beach club and restaurants will be offering exclusive service for guests staying on property.”
By the way, speaking of Rosè and as I reported last summer, according to Bon Appétit, 2020 is “The Year of Magical Rosé” & more specifically, California rosé. Due to the impact of the smoke from the wildfires in 2020, natural producing winemakers had to remove the skins from the grapes to be able to remove the smoke and “make rosé like their lives depended on it.”
Here’s the most interesting part: “Most winemakers didn’t just survive, they actually thrived. And they did so by taking fruit from their most prized vineyards, the ones they normally reserved for their top-tier reds, and rerouting it into a flurry of wonderful once-in-a-generation rosés.”
So if you are one of the lucky ones who can find a 2020 bottle of California rosé, pick it up immediately and serve it with this delicious tomato and feta recipe.
- 4 oz. feta, crumbled
- ½ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp. chopped mint, plus leaves for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
- 1½ lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, sliced, quartered, or halved
- Flaky sea salt