About Susan McKee
Susan McKee is an independent scholar and freelance journalist specializing in history, culture and travel. She honed her craft as a general assignment reporter for more than a decade at a major metropolitan daily newspaper before fleeing corporate journalism for the peripatetic life of a freelancer.
Susan writes for a wide variety of publications, both print and online. Bylines have appeared in Global Traveler USA, JaxFax, HGTV's Front Door, Global Foodie and Road Trips for Foodies.
Recent Posts by Susan McKee
Another Side of South Beach, Miami
February 3, 2012 by Susan McKee
The 11th annual South Beach Food & Wine Festival is set for February 23 through 26, 2012, in and around Miami, Florida.
The lineup is astonishing. Charlie Trotter will be there. So will Anthony Bourdain, Stephanie Izard, Nathan Myhrvold…and Al Roker.
There are food seminars, cooking demos, parties, tastings and a farm-to-table brunch (each is priced separately, and tickets are available online (some events are already sold out — so plan before heading there in your car).
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine magazine is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. All proceeds from the Festival benefit the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center.
(Photo courtesy of South Beach Festival)
Connecticut’s Charity Chowder Cookoff
February 3, 2012 by Susan McKee
Cabin fever strikes northerners as winter drags on, so Olde Mistick Village has decided to turn this seasonal lemon into lemonade with a festival and Charity Chowder Cookoff.
It all takes place February 25, 2012, near Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, Connecticut (map). Twenty-five local restaurants from Connecticut and Rhode Island will serve up their versions of chowder. Tastes will be sold for $1 apiece, seven tastes for $5 or 15 tastes for $10. All proceeds support the Emergency Food Pantry at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center.
Each restaurant will have a sponsoring shop in Olde Mistick Village where space will be set aside to serve chowder. Voting will be done by all participants attending the event and ballots will be supplied at all ticket locations for the People’s Choice Awards. Additional awards will be presented by the Celebrity Media Judges for: (1) Most Creative Chowder; (2) Heartiest Chowder; and (3) Best Use of Regional Ingredients.
(Photo courtesy of Olde Mistick Village)
Sweetening Things Up In Wilmington, North Carolina
February 2, 2012 by Susan McKee
Yum! Wine and chocolate are celebrated together at a festival February 3 through 5, 2012, in the Coastline Event Center, 501 Nutt Street, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Connoisseurs can sip, nibble and sigh as they sample delectable delights from 60 regional wineries, chocolatiers and artisans.
A Friday night Grand Tasting gala from 7 to 10 p.m. kicks off the event. On Saturday (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday (noon to 6 p.m.), the wine and chocolate showcase features fine vintners, chocolatiers and artists in a casual atmosphere. Products will be available for sampling and for sale. Demonstrations by food and drink experts will educate as roaming musicians entertain in a marketplace setting.
Festival proceeds benefit the New Hanover County Senior Center’s programs.
Showcase admission is $15 at the door (tickets good for one-day admission). Grand Tasting tickets are $45 at the door (if the event isn’t already sold out).
(Photo courtesy of Wilmington Wine and Chocolate Festival)
Hop On Over To The Hop Celebration In Žatec
January 31, 2012 by Susan McKee
If you’re truly a beer connoisseur, you really need to consider a trip to the Czech Republic in late August for the Hop Celebration in Žatec.
For more than 800 years, hops have been grown and beer has been brewed in Žatec and its surrounding areas. At one time, there were seven breweries and eleven malt houses in just this one little town.
The 55th Harvest Festival in Žatec promises to be yet another grand celebration of hops and beer (it’s said by aficionados that the quality of Žatec hops is what makes Czech beer so special).
During the celebration — it’s August 30 through September 1, 2012 — visitors can sample more than 40 types of beer from this country and abroad.
The town (center, obviously, of a hops-growing region) even has its own Museum of Hops.
For tourist information about Žatec, go online.
(Photo of the Zatecky chmel courtesy of Hop Growers Union of the Czech Republic)
Come One, Come All to Kingsland’s Oyster Roast
January 30, 2012 by Susan McKee
The annual Old-Time Oyster Roast is set for 6 to 8 p.m. February 4, 2012, in the Kingsland Lions Club clubhouse, 112 William Street, Kingsland, Georgia (map).
In addition to roasted oysters, boiled shrimp, seafood gumbo and Brunswick stew, there’ll be homemade desserts and live entertainment.
It’s sponsored by the Lions Club to provide support for the sight- and hearing-impaired.
Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine and Food Festival
January 29, 2012 by Susan McKee
Star chefs from seven countries will participate in the Wine & Food Festival set for March 15 through 18, 2012, in Cancun and the Riviera Maya, Mexico.
The starriest of all is Ferran Adriá (pictured) of the late, lamented yet legendary Spanish restaurant, elBulli Restaurant, who’ll mastermind an eight-course molecular gastronomy feast at the fest.
Other chefs are coming from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Spain and the United States.
Tickets to the various events spread over four days are available online.
Would You Like A Side Of Kungpao Chicken With Your Terra Cotta Warriors?
January 28, 2012 by Susan McKee
Here’s the ultimate journey: a culinary excursion in the heart of China.
WildChina has an itinerary that combines visits to classic sites with learning how to prepare regional specialties.
Participants will learn to make kungpao chicken, visit outdoor food markets, take a noodle-making class, visit behind the scenes in a Peking duck restaurant, prepare a Sichuan hotpot dinner and fix lunch with green tea — as well as tour Beijing and the Great Wall, see the terra cotta warriors in Xian and Sichuan’s giant pandas, and go sightseeing in Shanghai.
Departures for China for Foodies are in April, May, September and October. The 12-day itineraries start in Beijing and end in Shanghai.
(Photo courtesy of WildChina)
Got Chocolate? Oregon Does
January 27, 2012 by Susan McKee
Did you know that Oregon has more than 30 chocolate-making companies?
Their tasty work is showcased at the Oregon Chocolate Festival, held March 2 through 4, 2012, in the Ashland Springs Hotel, 212 East Main Street, Ashland, Oregon (map).
Tickets are $20.
(Photo courtesy of Oregon Chocolate Festival)
