CURRENT MISSION

to learn about other cultures through food and drink

ABOUT ME

I grew up in a small town in Michigan and moved to the west coast, the day after graduation from college. I lived in the Bay Area (Santa Cruz and San Francisco for a couple years) then moved to Seattle, WA where, I was a cook/chef, for 10 years. I currently live on an avocado and citrus farm in California. It has been in my partners family for 100+ years. We are learning about the small business and expanding the diversity of crops. I work as a chef at a teen after school program as well as cooking for a house concert series. I also love music, pod casts, riding bicycles, hiking with dogs, camping and rock climbing. Mostly, I love to travel and meet interesting folks.

PHILOSOPHY

sharing a meal (beer totally counts) is the best way to get to know people

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love to host and meet people and share stories over a beer or food. I love to surf in other places, because you can truly get a feel of the local culture and meet some pretty great folks.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We haven't had many couch surfers from the site, but we have had lots of bands and friends stay at our house. It's always fun to hear people's traveling stories and get to know people. We have surfed in France, Philadelphia, PA and Belgium and loved it. We met some great people.

Interests

food (especially French, Southern food, BBQ, Korean, Thai and Mexican), gas station or corner store restaurants, social justice, farmer's markets, farmland, homesteading, pigs, chickens, dogs, belgian beer, mezcal, ice cream, playing board games, dark pubs, watching movies, cookbooks, drinking coffee, growing food, rock climbing

• animals
• dogs
• chickens
• culture
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• picnic
• drinking
• pub crawls
• movies
• board games
• traveling
• socializing
• homebrewing
• homesteading
• darts
• cycling
• rock climbing

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: River Cottage Meat book, Pork and Sons, Nose to Tail Eating, Bouchon Cookbook, Salt: a world history, Assata, old cookbooks, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Homemade, French feasts, everything by Diana Kennedy

Music: Beirut, Andrew Bird, Tom Waits, Greg Brown, Ani DiFranco, Willie Nelson, Blue Scholars, Sassparilla, patty griffin, cheesy pop music (it's all so catchy!). I like most music, but cannot stand jammy bands, anything with multiple fiddles, Celine Dion or old white American dudes playing the blues.

Movies/TV: guilty pleasure rom/coms, Anthony Bourdain's shows, Mean Girls, Orange is the new black, Mind of a chef

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Toured an agave field in Oaxaca with a Mescalero named Enrique and a cab driver named "Nacho. Like the chip". It's a good story.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love learning about cultures and traditions. I especially love learning about food and drink. I can show you how to brew beer or cook food. I also can pass along knowledge of the local and seasonal food production.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can bring you American beer or bring ingredients to make you Mexican food

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States