CURRENT MISSION

See as much of the world and eat as much of it's food as I can.

ABOUT ME

I graduated with a Master's Degree in Food Technology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended the University of Illinois for my Bachelor's Degree, then moved to Napa Valley to attend culinary school. After that I spent three years working in the wine industry--retail in the Chicago area, and harvest work in New Zealand and Willamette Valley, Oregon.

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is to experience the world as much as possible and make your own judgments about how it works. Don't take other's generalizations for fact--experience it, and decide for yourself!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm a beginner at surfing and hosting, yet excited to be a part of the community!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I am a beginner at Couchsurfing. I have traveled a lot and stayed in all sorts of hostels, hotels, AirBNBs, friend's couches and now I'm adding couchsurfing to the list.

Interests

I enjoy traveling, reading, doing yoga, watching movies, drinking tasty beer, drinking nice wine, and cooking. I particularly enjoy eating chocolate :)

visited 25 states (11.1%)Create your own visited map of The World or Like this? try: Mapped Web

• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• wine
• beer
• yoga
• drinking
• technology
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• billiards
• hiking
• surfing
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite movies are: Clueless, Batman, 21 Jump Street, Food, Inc., Celeste and Jesse Forever, and Donnie Darko
I like to listen to: Ben Harper, Grizzly Bear, The Arcade Fire among others
My favorite books are: The Omnivore's Dilemma; Blink; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; and Devil in the White City

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was driving solo in New Zealand, I was told to stop just before the Kaikoura Peninsula because that is where baby seals are born and learn to swim. I decided to check it out and after a small hike found a waterfall that dropped into a pool, which formed a river that ran to the ocean. In the pool were about 20 baby seals PLAYING GAMES and learning how to swim, jump, dive. It was an incredible sight!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Honduras, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden