Food Lover's Guide to Seattle

I interned for Keren Brown last spring, and I learned so much about PR and marketing. Keren had just published Food Lover's Guide to Seattle, a comprehensive guide to foodie spots, like bakeries, restaurants, grocers, markets, and events in Seattle.

It's divided out by area, so if you're new to Seattle, you'll find this book absolutely invaluable. There are explanations to the neighborhoods, which then serve as the chapter titles in the book. Even better, the book starts with a list of the coffee shops in Seattle; this is essential information for the intrepid - but not yet awake - tourist of Seattle.

One thing especially unique about this guidebook is that Keren includes information like recommendations of foods to experience when you visit that business. All of my favorites were listed: Staple & Fancy, Molly Moon's, Quinn's, Long Provincial, Kukuruza, and Macrina Bakery. There were even a few that were new to me (not actually that hard to do): Gorgeous George's, Kisaku, Blackboard Bistro, and Thai Curry Simple.

It's definitely a book to give to a foodie friend who is curious about exploring the city through the eyes of a really well-informed foodie, Keren. After a quick perusal on a social media site we all know and use daily, I found that friends still message Keren and ask her for advice about places to visit.

The other element that I have liked about this book is that it's not pretentious, like some guide books could seem. I say that, because I've looked at guidebooks for various cities. I have usually had to resort to blog searches for local recommendations to restaurants, shops, and sights in those cities. Fortunately, when you come to Seattle, you can just pick up this book and follow it around.

I recommend picking up the book a few weeks before arriving in Seattle. Based on the schedule you have, choose the neighborhoods you want to visit and then plan your meals based on the restaurants you find in the book. Each chapter is arranged by category, like "Made Here" for bakeries and local favorites. There are also "Food Lover's Faves," which provide a list of businesses that I'm sure you'll love as much as I do.

I spent most of the time going "Oh, that's a good one!" I hope you get this book and get to visit the Sattle that I love.

*Even though I interned for Keren, I was actually given this book as a Christmas gift by a friend who also sent me Ferran Adria's The Family Meal. Thanks, Santa!

J&K on the Road

We’ve talked a lot about traveling to Europe. I always intended to do a semester abroad, but my ROTC scholarship schedule had made it seem unreachable. Josh had traveled to Portugal and Spain for a summer to teach English, but we never got further than the U.K. together. Years go by, and we picked up jobs and made smaller or priority trips.


Josh and I have been traveling before, but this is the first time we’ve signed up for a planned vacation. We don’t normally do package trips, but we were invited to join the adventure after a schedule opening left some friends without travel clients for two weeks.


Our friends, Shawn Frederick and Anne Gayer, recently founded the Adriatic Academy, after deciding that they would love to share their home-away-from home Croatia with friends. We met them during our trip through the Grand Canyon. We stayed in touch and through various subsequent visits in the LA area, we found common ground in our love for outdoors and travel.


This year, we’ve crossed a few milestones, including paying off our school loans and downsizing. When the school year ended, we both decided to leave our jobs and travel while we had the means, the time, and the least obligations. We’re finally traveling Europe, starting with the Adriatic Academy in Croatia, and will be wending (or winding) our way west to Portugal.