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Robert St. John

Restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, & world-class eater.

Featured Column

Birthplace

PETROGNANO, ITALY— It’s true that there’s no place like home, and I deeply and dearly love my hometown of Hattiesburg…

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Loblolly Stories

Ten Things I’ve Learned Opening a Bakery

I am opening a bakery today. Opening any style of restaurant is one of the most stressful activities one will…

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It’s A Tough Job but Somebody’s Got To Chew It

“No one trusts a skinny chef.” In my business— if you posess the body style I walk around with every…

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Neck Deep In King Cake Development

It looks like 2023 will go down as the year of the king cake— at least in my book. I…

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RSJ's New Orleans Favorites

RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2023

NEW ORLEANS— In a poll of national food critics I believe New Orleans would be listed among the top three…

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RSJ’s Top 10 New Orleans Breakfasts

The following is the first in a summer-column series that will cover dining in New Orleans. Over the next four…

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An Engagement to Remember

This past weekend was a memorable one for our family. Our 26-year old daughter got engaged to her longtime boyfriend.…

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Recent Columns

Oh, Jesse Where Art Thou? — A True Tight Spot

VALENCIA, SPAIN— It was a tight spot. Not in the figurative sense in which one is faced with a challenging…

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Spanish Breakdown

MADRID— The motto of the Boy Scouts of America is to be prepared. That’s all well and good, except I…

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Burgers I Have Known

There are long stretches in my life when I dedicated all my culinary focus, research, development, and meals to fine…

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The Best Job Ever

There are many emotions associated with parenthood. Joy and amusement come to mind immediately. The early responsibilities of parenting can…

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Nobody’s Poet

In the late 1990s I was asked by my local newspaper to write a weekly food column. I politely declined…

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Bad Food

It took me 60 years to start eating like an adult. I am 62 so I’ve only been eating responsibly…

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Ed’s

Since 1999 I have written every week in this space, a thousand words a week, never missing a week. That’s…

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I Love This Business

In the 1985 Ron Howard movie, “Cocoon,” a group of senior citizens from a retirement home break into an abandoned…

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Fried Shrimp

The late great Ella Brennan, long-time matriarch of the New Orleans restaurant scene as head of the Brennan clan— and…

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Cakes Fit For A King

It’s king cake season. Those four words don’t carry a lot of weight across 90% of this country. Though in…

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Good Morning, Hattiesburg

A few weeks ago, an interviewer asked, “Give me a typical day in the life of Robert St. John.” I…

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Next Up in New Orleans

I have often wondered what it must have been like to have attended the Beatles first live performance as a…

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Robert’s Top 10 of 2023

For the 25 years I have written in this space I have always reserved the final column inches of the…

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The Currency of Christmas

Everyone has a favorite holiday. Many of my friends are partial to Halloween. They have fond memories of trick-or-treating through…

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Not Your Typical, Everyday, Run-Of-The-Mill Christmas Message

Let’s talk about failures. The holiday season may seem like a peculiar time to air personal disappointments but stick with…

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Cousin Jim

They buried my cousin last week. He was sent to his reward with full military honors in one of the…

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Mississippians Feeding Mississippians

It is said that Texans have an unparalleled pride for their state. My wife grew up there and my father-in-law…

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It Takes a Village (or at least a dedicated team)

There are a lot of factors that go into the process of writing, testing, re-testing, editing, photographing, re-editing, styling, re-re-editing,…

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All In the Family

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— It could be said— and probably has often been said— that I am a slow learner. It took…

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From A Hot Dog Cart

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE— This week will mark the final week of my most recent work stint in Italy. I host tours in…

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When In Rome (mostly)

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— One of the travel codes I abide by is the when-in-Rome-do-as-the-Romans-do dining philosophy. No matter where I am…

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Tuscan Son

BARBERINO-TAVERNELLE, TUSCANY— I first came to this part of the world in 2011 on a three-week stopover with my wife…

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It’s All Lessons All the Time

It’s funny how at different ages I have assumed I had life completely figured out. When I was 19 no…

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Breakfasts Abroad

PALAERMO, SICILY— Ten weeks out of each year I work over here leading tours of Americans through European countries. It’s…

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It’s Good Work If You Can Get It

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth…

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An Engagement to Remember

This past weekend was a memorable one for our family. Our 26-year old daughter got engaged to her longtime boyfriend.…

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Wonderland

Everyone has a personal wonderland. When my brother visits a hardware store, a garden center, or a tackle shop he…

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The Blue Crab Invasion of 2023

Featured image:  "Crabs" by Wyatt Waters, from our book A Southern Palate One of the most frequent questions I am…

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RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2023

NEW ORLEANS— In a poll of national food critics I believe New Orleans would be listed among the top three…

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My Latest Addiction

Let's talk about addiction. I know what you’re thinking. Ol’ St. John is about to ramp up all that recovery…

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If These Walls Could Speak

“If these old walls could speak Of things that they remember well, Stories and faces dearly held” – Jimmy Webb…

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How Tuna Came to the Panhandle

WATERCOLOR, FLORIDA— Once a year I bring my wife, our kids, and their friends to the Panhandle of Florida to…

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Potatoes, Peas, Popcorn, and Pancakes (but not all at once)

A few weeks ago, I wrote that 2023 will go down as the summer of watermelon. I mentioned how I…

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Ten Things I’ve Learned Opening a Bakery

I am opening a bakery today. Opening any style of restaurant is one of the most stressful activities one will…

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A Good Foot Forward

Last week I read an online article about feet. I can’t remember where I read it, or from which website…

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Watermelon 2023

Cartoon by Marshall Ramsey If I were to make a list of my favorite fruits, it would be extensive. Peaches…

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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

“The best things in life come from patience.” – Author Unknown As a kid I grew up across the street…

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Happy Birthday, America

If I were asked to rank the holidays my family and I celebrate, Christmas would go down as an easy…

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Mississippi

Texans are often recognized for the pride that they have in their home state. I get that. Not because I…

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A Former Fruit Cart at A Century

Some people judge towns by their population. Others judge them by amenities such as parks and playgrounds. Many consider school…

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It’s A Tough Job but Somebody’s Got To Chew It

“No one trusts a skinny chef.” In my business— if you posess the body style I walk around with every…

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Friends On the Level and Restaurants Off the Track

Everyone has “that” friend. He or she is the friend that doesn't sugarcoat his or her comments. It's a straight-talking…

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Small Town Guy

“I cannot forget from where it is that I come from Cannot forget the people who love me Well, I…

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Windy City Rendezvous

CHICAGO— I have been coming to this city almost every May for the past 35 years. This time of year…

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TO THE MISSISSIPPI GRADUATES OF 2023

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver It’s graduation…

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A Bridge Not Too Far At All

YPRES, BELGIUM— Friendships in the 21st Century carry a different dynamic. A constant connection throughout the World Wide Web has…

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The Curious Case of a Sliding Door Monopoly Game

AMSTERDAM— A sliding door moment is a seemingly inconsequential action that alters the trajectory of future events. I am sitting…

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Pondering Chips

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— Things are different over here. It’s not just the language. Spaces are smaller. Roads are tighter. Bathrooms are…

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An Easter to Remember

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— Most of my early childhood memories come from Christmas and Easter. If I let my memory go back…

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Perfect Simplicity

Sometimes the simplest things give me the most satisfaction. That probably seems like an obvious statement to most. I have…

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A Lifetime Love Affair

TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— My love of bakeries goes back as far as my episodic memory will allow. The earliest bakery recollection…

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Porcine Paradise

SEVILLE— Travel is situational. I could almost end this column with that first sentence. That sums up everything I am…

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When Irish Eyes Are Smiling in Spain

MADRID—Irish pubs have always intrigued me. The attraction doesn’t come from the typical things one expects from a pub. I’m…

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Seasons in Mississippi

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to…

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Endure

Cartoon credit: Marshall Ramsey   It’s February in the Pine Belt of South Mississippi. It’s 82 degrees outside, the azaleas…

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Easy Bake Memories

The year was 1968. It was my 7th Christmas. Also, the first Christmas after my father died. The only thing…

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Neck Deep In King Cake Development

It looks like 2023 will go down as the year of the king cake— at least in my book. I…

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An Unbalanced Force in the Foothills

BLACKBERRY FARM— A portion of Newton’s Law of Motion states, “An object in motion remains in motion at a constant…

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A Golden Opportunity

To be successful in the restaurant business it takes total commitment and sacrifice. It's a brutal way to earn a…

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It’s A Tough Job but Somebody’s Got to Chew It

“A party without cake is just a meeting” –Julia Child It started as a whim. It ended as a quest.…

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Breakfast, Routines, and Bacon

Many of the business books I am familiar with go into great detail about how successful people commit to a…

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Restaurant People

It is my belief that some people are born with their life’s mission already implanted deep in their DNA. Just…

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Local Hopes

NEW ORLEANS— The practice of making New Year’s resolutions is something that has never interested me. I guess I have…

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RSJ Top 10 Meals 2022

For the 22 years I have written in this space, I have always reserved the final column inches of the…

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RSJ’s Top 10 Christmas Movies

Nothing quite matches the energy and excitement one experiences as a kid during the Christmas Eves of his or her…

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My Top 20 Christmas Songs

Music has always been a huge part of my life. It surprises me that— in the 23 years I have…

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Pass the Crackers (and the butter, and the slaw, and the comeback), Please

Appetizers are often the most interesting part of a restaurant menu. I could live in the appetizer section, alone, and…

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My Favorite Season

It has been said that the four seasons in Mississippi are— almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas. I have…

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Home Is Where the Realized Nouns Are

L. Frank Baum nailed it when he penned the line, “There’s no place like home,” in his novel about the…

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Restaurantsick

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— Yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my travel guests who was talking about being homesick…

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RSJ’s Tuscan Top Ten

Barberino-Tavarnelle, Tuscany— For the past 11 years I have spent considerable time in this region. Specifically in the two towns…

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Home Away From Home

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, ITALY— Is it possible that one can fall in love with a town? I love my hometown of Hattiesburg,…

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Sometimes I Feel Like a Magpie

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— A few months after my wife and I started dating, she wanted me to meet her grandmother. We…

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It Takes A Village (or at least a couple of Dutch People and several Italians)

BARBERINO-TAVERNELLE, TUSCANY— There’s a big difference between a tour host and a tour guide. A tour guide goes through rigorous…

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All Roads Lead to Rome, They Really Do

ROME— If 2022 had a personal theme created specifically for me, it would be decorated in the green, white, and…

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The 32nd Anniversary of My 29th Birthday

Yesterday I entered my 62nd year on the planet. The thing about turning 61 years old is that I thought…

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Another Blessing

This morning I read a Business News Daily article that listed the most stressful jobs in America. Enlisted military personnel…

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A Different Kind of Welcome

NEW YORK— I first came to the city sometime in the mid-1960s. My grandparents lived here. My father had recently…

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In Search of Voice

For the majority of the 23 years, I have written this weekly column, the primary focus has been on food…

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Random Thoughts on a Tuesday Morning

For the past 23 years, I have written a 1,000-word column every Monday morning. Always early in the morning. I…

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In Honor of Mississippians

“To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” – William Faulkner “Work hard and be kind…

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The Best Job, Ever

If I carried a business card, there would be a lot of job titles listed on it— restaurateur, author, producer,…

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Enter Enzo

Forty years ago, I worked my first shift in a restaurant. It was almost the first hour, of the first…

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RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2022

NEW ORLEANS— This city is, unquestionably, one of the top five restaurant cities in America. I would imagine that if…

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Support Your Local Catfish House

We are a nation of regional dining concepts and local dishes. Chicago has deep-dish pizza parlors. New Orleans has po-boy…

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The Restaurant Family Takes a Vacation

Last week I spent seven days in the Florida Panhandle on “vacation.” I used the word “vacation” because that is…

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Vacation Food

It's always interesting to me how we enjoy some foods only during certain times of the year or on certain…

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Welcome to America, My Dutch Friend

There is something deep inside of me that enjoys hosting people. It borderlines a compulsion or obsession. I've been that…

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Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

Last Friday I wrapped up a photo shoot for my new cookbook, “Mississippi Mornings.” It's a book I've wanted to…

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Harry’s Homecoming

I am a fan of first lines in books. But I also like the last lines in movies. In the…

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Peaches

Peach season is here. Peaches are my favorite fruit. Period. End of story. Strawberries, bananas, grapes, and blackberries fall into…

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A Blunt Request

Everyone needs at least one friend who is frank and to the point. Someone who speaks their mind no matter…

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Mississippi Mornings, The Photo Shoot Begins

Over the course of the past 20 years, I have written 11 books. Four were collaborations with my friend and…

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The Great Bakery Expedition of 2022

Some men dream of playing the back nine at Pebble Beach. Others dream of bagging that big buck or landing…

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Chicago 2022

CHICAGO— I first came to this city over 30 years ago. I fell in love with Chicago instantly. There was…

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Bowling, Movies, and the Restaurant Biz

“What's it like owning a bowling alley?” That's a question I am asked a lot these days. To be honest,…

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To the Mississippi Graduates of 2022

It’s graduation season. This year’s high school seniors have experienced an extremely uncharacteristic high school career filled with Zoom classes,…

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Home Again

It’s great to be home. I have spent the last two months overseas. First in Spain leading a group of…

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Arrivederci

TAVARNELLE VAL D’PESA, TUSCANY— A little over six weeks ago I boarded a flight for Spain to spend 10 days…

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Finito!

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— A little over five weeks ago I boarded a plane to Spain. I was arriving two days before…

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Tuscany Top Ten

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— There are several places I have considered my second home over the years. In my youth I spent…

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The A Team in Italy

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— It all starts with a lady named Annagloria. In 2009 I started planning a long trip that would…

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Harrison In Florence

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— For the good part of the past decade I have hosted groups of American travelers— mostly Southerners— in…

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Nine Days of Spain in 1,182 Words

SEVILLE— Nine days into this Spanish deep-dive, I find myself sitting in the front jump seat of a tour bus…

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Yonderlust: Spain Week One

MADRID— I spent the final month of 2011 in Spain. I was nearing the end of a six-month sojourn with…

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Feline

For the past couple of months, we have hosted a special guest in our home. Feline Been is the daughter…

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Sweet Roll Swan Song

December is considered the month for giving in these parts, but something is going on in February. Last week I…

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The Notebook

It doesn't take much to make me happy these days. My wife might argue with that statement, but it’s true.…

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