Travel Tuesdays for Foodie Fans is live on Facebook every Tuesday at 6:30pm ET with new guests each week, discussing foodie destinations, cocktails, kitchens & more! Then, the edited podcast is released the following Tuesday morning. We interview founder Bryce Morrison, who along with wife Carla, founded the Travel Tuesdays for Foodie Fans podcast. The couple are also travel planners and they tell us a little bit about the landscape of travel during these unprecedented times.
Q and A with Bryce Morrison of Travel Tuesdays for Foodie Fans Podcast
Tasty Chomps: What inspired you to start the Travel Tuesdays for Foodie Fans podcast?
Carla and I have enjoyed searching for the next best eatery or fine dining establishment both in our back yard and every time we travel. With our Cruise Planners travel franchise focused on foodie adventures, we thought the podcast would be a great way to pool information from guests to help us and our clients find even more great options!
What are some topics on some past podcast shows? Upcoming topics?
Every episode is different because every guest is different. From a Team USA athletics coach to a flooring professional from Brooklyn, our guests have a wide variety of foodie interests. We have spoken with lifelong cooks, bartenders, and startup restaurateurs. There have been financial professionals, Cutco representatives, and realtors.
The topics range from personal cooking experience and disasters to favorite cocktails and foodie destinations. Our future guests are even bringing vegan and vegetarian experiences with them!
What is your main work in food and travel planning like?
For individuals looking to use our services, we start by getting to know them. Our early focus is in developing a sense of their likes and dislikes; previous travel successes and failures; and their overall level of adventure both in food and experiences. Then we have some fun! Once we have an idea of who the client is, we go to work creating a fantastic travel plan specifically for them. Next, we work closely with the client to add or remove parts of the plan, upgrade or downgrade portions, or even look for other vendors that may better align with their vision. We like to think we are pretty intuitive; but, ultimately, nobody knows their desires better than the client themselves!
We also plan group trips. We have done several team travel experiences for businesses. These can be as team-building experiences or just to reward employees for a job well done. We also take groups on pleasure trips. Currently, we have a cruise in October 2021 to raise money for cancer research and a foodie vacation for spring 2022 in the works!
How has travel changed in the past year with the pandemic? What does travel look like now?
Many things have changed, up to and including, a complete halt to all travel experiences outside of the United States. In many cases, even domestic travel ended for a period of time. The truth is though, that many are now traveling again. It may not seem like it from our friend’s newsfeeds; but, many of them just aren’t sharing that they just came back from Las Vegas, Cancun, or The Hamptons. Travel is definitely more centered around domestic experiences at the moment; but, ninety percent of our 2021 bookings are for international travel and cruises.
What are some services you offer for travelers?
We help travelers from start to finish, as much as they would like for us to do so. If a traveler has no idea where to start, we can help get their creative juices flowing. But, many travelers do like the planning part of their vacation; and, we have no desire to inhibit their imagination. If they can dream it, we will help them book it. From rental cars to cruises to all-inclusives and elaborate land vacations, we have the resources to create the perfect trip. We also offer travel protection and can help clients understand when and why it is important.
Where a travel advisor really shines, though, is once the travel begins. Though many people like to plan a vacation, nobody enjoys planning the replacement transportation when the train derails, or the special accommodations when a member of your party breaks their leg in two places three days before departure!
We don’t care if you are on the other side of the world and need to call or text us at 3am, we’re still working for you to ensure your trip is the best possible bang for your buck. In many cases, our vendor partners will have already alerted us and you will first learn about changes when we reach out to you!
What is your ideal food and wine itinerary for a visitor to Orlando? How about to Europe?
Much of this is subjective and comes with my personal experiences; but, for me, I believe no foodie trip to Central Florida would be complete without two things: Disney & Park Avenue in Winter Park. For Disney, we could begin without admission to any of the parks by visiting Disney Springs for an appetizer and glass of wine at Wine Bar George. My preference would be the Saganaki On Fire paired with one of “George’s Finds”, Jorge Ordóñez, “Botani” 2017. This Muscat is not too pricey at only $10 a glass and fits well with the dish.
From there, I would enjoy a beautiful boat ride on Disney’s complimentary transportation system to Port Orleans – Riverside for dinner at Boatwright’s Dining Hall. The Prime Rib and Shrimp and Grits are both fantastic options. I would likely choose the steak and pair it with a nice malbec (my personal wine of choice for most steaks).
Feeling extra fun this evening? Hop on a horse drawn carriage to head over to Port Orleans – French Quarter and finish the evening out with the best beignets this side of New Orleans (except perhaps Savannah, Georgia; but, that’s another vacation!).
Of course, if you can plan a trip to Disney that includes staying on property and admission to the parks, there is nothing better for a foodie like me than doing so during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival! Taste foods from around the world and experience enormous variety in just a single visit. Of course, there is so much to offer, you’ll want to spend several days at the festival.
And, when you are ready to have a great sit-down meal, you must visit Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canadian Pavilion. I’ve enjoyed great meals in most of the restaurants in Epcot; but, this hidden gem owns a special place in my heart. Perhaps I am biased because Carla and I had our first meal as a married couple and have celebrated several anniversaries at Le Cellier. Perhaps it is because we have never had less than five star servers. Or, maybe the food is just that amazing. Regardless, Le Cellier Steakhouse would definitely have a role in my Disney foodie getaway!
Park Avenue in Winter Park is a great place for foodies to enjoy an evening of shopping, food, and wine. Carla and I almost alway begin at The Wine Room with a loaded card ready to sample from dozens of automated wine dispensers. Cheese boards and flatbreads tend to be our go-to starters on these evenings. From there, Bosphorous with their great Turkish cuisine or Boca for locally sourced American food would be great options for dinner. Many times, we will start at Boca with some fantastic Blistered Shishito Peppers or their Fried Green Tomatoes (note that their menu changes frequently) and end at Bosphorous with a decadent dessert of Kunefe. I also like to have a glass of their Sandeman 20 – Year Tawny port wine whenever I visit. There’s also other worthy restaurant choices on Park Avenue in Winter Park that one could try. We inevitably end up buying spices, olive oils or balsamic vinegars, or kitchen goods from the many retailers along the easy walk from one end of the shopping district to the other; and, there are often opportunities to stop and watch live music in the park across the street or catch one of the many artists that choose to perform their craft here.
For Europe, I’m partial to spending time in France. Though I do prefer Rome over Paris, it is the French countryside that has captured my heart and keeps me going back to France. Le Havre is also nice on the coast; but, my perfect trip involves a town called Grenoble. With its idyllic location at the base of the French Alps, Grenoble is just over an hour to many fantastic foodie destinations such as Lyon; the Rhone Valley; and Geneva, Switzerland. The Chartreuse Monastery where the herbal spirit was invented and is still owned by two monks is less than an hour away. Being so close to the Alps, I would definitely enjoy ziplining and the amazing ropes course. I would also partake in a restaurant takeover where the chef and owner teaches a small group his signature dishes with copious amounts of French wine followed by lively dinner conversation with copious amounts of French wine!
Where can people follow you on social media and listen to your podcast?
The podcast is available as TT4FF on all the major (and many minor) podcast sources such as Spotify, Apple Music, and more. We also have the video of our interviews here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLDnyhUfdbgL6Ii_kynHWNg?view_as=subscriber
The easiest way to find all of our links is at our website: foodandwinecruiseplanners.com under “Podcast” in the dropdown menu. On Facebook, we can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/TT4FF and https://www.facebook.com/FoodandWineCruisePlanners
We’re also on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/tt4ff.podcast/ and https://www.instagram.com/foodandwinecruiseplanners/
