Francine Segan
From the dining customs of ancient Greece to America's sweet dessert history, Francine Segan dishes out tasty food facts in her books and lectures. Her most recent book, Opera Lover's Cookbook, was nominated for the prestigious James Beard award. Francine is also the author of Movie Menus, Shakespeare's Kitchen, and The Philosopher's Kitchen. Her expertise and ebullient personality have made Francine an in-demand guest on radio and television for CBS, the Food Network and the History and Discovery channels. An avid traveler, Francine explores the world researching culinary history and the latest food trends. Let's peek inside the Little Black Travel Diary of Francine Segan!
My first memory of traveling is riding the subway to Brooklyn with my Italian grandma to get a special Sicilian Christmas dessert. I was so small that I didn’t even have to sneak under the turnstiles, I cleared them by at least a foot.
I never travel without my business cards. Traveling is the best, and most fun, way to network.
My favorite destination is Italy, especially Piedmont in the north. It’s still a relatively little known region but with great shopping, art, and fabulous food.
The taste of red wine reminds me of
My favorite traveling companion is myself
Traveling alone is awesome! I get to do whatever I want whenever I want. Plus I have lots of stories to tell my hubbie when I get back. It sure keeps the marriage exciting to take separate vacations once a year.
I dream of visiting Istanbul, especially their spice markets.
A film, book, or song that awakens my wanderlust is my photo album. Whenever I look at pictures of some place I’ve been, I get a craving to return. My favorite traveling outfit is a pair of black slacks and a fabulous black jacket by Christian Lacroix that I picked up in Cannes on sale. The jacket is wrinkle-proof and easy to dress up or down.
My most unforgettable traveling experience was spending a week at a chocolate plantation in Belize. Raw coco beans tastes nothing like chocolate candy. The process of turning the beans into what we recognize as chocolate is absolutely fascinating. The cacao beans actually have to ferment, just like wine.
When I have been away from home for a long time, the thing I miss the most is speaking English and my own cooking. If I could travel back in time, I would go to Ancient Rome. What a hoot to see all those ruins in Rome looking brand new. Plus togas seem very flattering!
My travel icon is my best friend in Italy, Angela Traversa. She’s always flat broke, but always traveling. She figures out ways to get cheap airfares and interesting deals. She’s been everywhere and has friends all around the world.
My must have beauty product when traveling is Vaseline. It does triple duty. It’s great to take off makeup, but is also a good moisturizer and burn cream. My words of travel wisdom are TRAVEL. Even if it’s just a train ride to a nearby city, get out there. When you’re “traveling” –no matter the destination or duration—you tend to live the time more fully.
