Chef Marcelle Bienvenu

Marcelle Bienvenu is currently a chef/instructor at Nicholls State University in the John Folse Culinary Institute. Since 1984, her food column “Cooking Creole” has appeared in the The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. She is also a contributor to Louisiana Cookin’ magazine, Acadiana Profile Magazine and other food publications. In 1991, she published Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux. A sequel of the same name (Book 2) was published in 1998. She is also the author of Cajun Cooking for Beginners as well as a new book published in spring 2011 “No Baloney On My Boat.” She co-authored “Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen” In 2004. With Emeril Lagasse, she co-authored four cookbooks. She also is a co-author of “Stir The Pot, The History Of Cajun Cuisine,” published in 2005 by Hippocrene Books.

Marcelle provided the recipes for TRUE BLOOD, Eats, Drinks and Bites from Bon Temps (published in 2012), a companion cookbook to HBO’s True Blood series.

With Judy Walker (Food Editor at the Times Picayune), she co-edited “Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost And Found From The Times-Picayune,” which was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2009. She also published (with wildlife photographer Charlie Hohorst) “Wings Of Paradise: Birds Of The Louisiana Wetlands. Pecans: From Soup To Nuts” was published in 2009.

Kelly E. Carter
Founder, TheJetSetPets.com
Pet Travel Expert, AOL’s Paw Nation
Contributing Editor, Elite Traveler

Kelly E. Carter has globe trotted with her pint-sized pooch Lucy since the two met at an airport in Pasco, Wash., 11 years ago. As a result of their extensive travels, Kelly is the Founder/President of TheJetSetPets.com, serves as the resident pet travel expert for AOL’s Paw Nation and pens the “Posh Pets in Tow” column for Elite Traveler, where she’s a Contributing Editor.

Kelly has journeyed to more than 40 countries and territories on six continents and shares her expertise on the Travel Channel’s “21” series. Lucy stands just four inches off the ground but refuses to be outdone by her 6-foot-1 pet parent. Known as “the world’s most lovable pooch,” little Lucy carries a European passport, follows commands in English and Italian, has traveled by plane, train, automobile, Vespa, helicopter and boat and blogs about her exciting life as a jet set pet for Paw Nation. As inseparable as they are personable, the dynamic duo is well-known throughout Italy, where the couple enjoyed la bella vita for two years, and the south of France, where they frequently vacation.

Kelly believes in following her dream and reinvention being the spice of life. She decided in the sixth grade to become a sportswriter, became the first female beat writer assigned to cover the Los Angeles Lakers and worked as an on-air correspondent for CNN-SI. After enjoying an award-winning sports writing career and not wanting to be an old lady chasing young men around the locker room for interviews, she switched effortlessly to entertainment reporting. She wore out her stilettos on the red carpet working for People then USA Today before following her passion into travel writing.

Her travel stories have appeared in USA Today, Departures, Modern Bride, Black Enterprise, Men’s Fitness, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, New York Post, Outside’s GO, Qantas, The Australian Way, the South China Morning Post and many other media outlets. She teamed up with tennis phenom Venus Williams, who also travels with her four-legged friend, to co-author the New York Times bestseller Come to Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors, and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession. www.TheJetSetPets.com

Deborah’s accomplished career as a Group Travel professional includes 20 years with AAA Travel. After graduating from the University of St. Francis with a BA in Recreation Administration she coordinated Adult Programs for the Park Districts of St. Petersburg, Florida and the Village of Oak Park, Illinois. A transition to the travel business was the next step and over the years Deborah has honed her skills as a group specialist. Besides designing customized itineraries for groups traveling to all seven continents, she has also escorted scores of groups worldwide. Her expertise contributes to the unique collection of group tours and cruises offered by AAA. Notable Chicagoland clients have included WGN Radio, the Chicago Cubs, WFMT Fine Arts Radio, and the Chicago Blackhawks.

William Chalmers
Event Director, The Global Scavenger Hunt

William has circumnavigated the globe on ten separate occasions and stepped foot in well-over 100 countries (Okay, a few toes!); in 2002, he was dubbed the “world’s greatest traveler” by National Geographic Traveler. The author of two books: A Blind Date With the World (2000) and The Origin of the Species homo touristicus (2011), his next book, America's Vacation Deficit Disorder is due May 2013. His bylines and photographs have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, USA Today and the Times of India; and he has made radio and TV appearances in dozens of countries. He was the winner of the 1989 around-the-world race using public transportation called the HumanRace—that he completed in 17-days collecting the first place prize of $25,000.

In 2000, William merged his philanthropy and travel passions and has for over a decade served as the Event Director (AKA traveling circus ringmaster!) for the world’s only real life annual around the world travel adventure competition known as The Global Scavenger Hunt. The 2013 event is scheduled to begin April 12th.

Raised in Ontario, Canada, then later educated at universities in the United States, Canada and England, William has lived on three continents and currently splits his time migrating between California (winter) and British Columbia (summer). His two children, ages 7 and 17, are already accomplished globetrotters and storey-tellers.

A.K. Crump
TasteTV

Prior to founding TasteTV, A.K. Crump applied years of strategic and tactical experience in market leadership at well-known companies such as Apple Computer, Sun Microsystems, Apropos Technology, SAP, Citadon, Asyst Technologies, Merck Pharmaceuticals, G.D. Searle, and AT&T.

A.K. Crump received his MBA from one of America's top-ranked business schools, and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance, and a Diplome of French Commercial Studies. He has authored bestselling books such as "The Cafes of San Francisco", "Chocolate French", and "The Best Waterfront Dining," as well as been editor and publisher of limited edition luxury tomes of international photographers such as "Incredible Eyes" and "Like Sand from Orchid's Lips."

Mr. Crump holds Inventor status with the U.S. Patent Office, where he is registered on several patents.

His business travels and projects have taken him to the four corners of the Earth, including to Tokyo, where he was interim Dean for the Akio Morita School of Business, named after the founder of the Sony Corporation, Akio Morita. He also holds a Doctorate Honoris Causa.

Joe Diaz
Co-Founder, AFAR Media

Joe passionately believes that experiential travel is the best form of education and the more people who travel in a curious and open-minded way, the better our world will be.

Lee Foster
Award-Winning Travel Writer and Photographer

Lee is a veteran, award-winning travel writer/photographer with an enduring love for Northern California. Lee’s articles, photos, books, ebooks, and apps on Northern California and 200 other worldwide subjects can be seen on his website at www.fostertravel.com. From his base in Berkeley, Lee travels the world. Over the years, his travel journalism has won eight of the prestigious Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers. Lee’s new books for Spring 2013 are Back Roads California and Northern California Travel: The Best Options.

Colleen Kelly
Host and Executive Producer, Family Travel with Colleen Kelly

Colleen currently serves as Host and Travel Guide for Family Travel with Colleen Kelly, a national show launching in July 2013 on highly-acclaimed public television. After traveling extensively with her own family, Colleen saw the distinct need and broad appeal for a show dedicated to making family travel easier. Engaging viewers from the start with her upbeat, high-energy approach, Colleen explores must-see locations and attractions throughout the U.S. and abroad, sharing expert travel tips and insights to create easier family vacations filled with once-in-a-lifetime memories. Family Travel with Colleen Kelly is filmed and produced by Travel Film Produc-tions, LLC - a television production company co-founded by Colleen and fellow Executive Producer and President, Tricia Fusilero.

Jen Leo
Web Buzz Columnist, Los Angeles Times

Jen Leo writes the nationally syndicated Web Buzz column for the Los Angeles Times, blogs for CNTraveler.com, and writes kid-friendly hotel reviews for PoshBrood.com and Travelsavvymom.com. You can hear her weekly co-hosting the podcast “This Week in Travel,” available on iTunes. Outside of Jen’s travel life, she co-founded BestKidsApps.com, a website that reviews children’s iPhone and iPad apps.

Andrew McCarthy
Award-Winning Travel Writer and Actor

Andrew McCarthy is an editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler. He has written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic, to name a few. The Society of American Travel Writers named him their "Travel Journalist of the Year" in 2010, and in 2011, the North American Travel Journalists Association awarded him their Grand Prize. His recent travel memoir, The Longest Way Home, became a New York Times bestseller, with the Financial Times of London naming it one of the Best Books of 2012. Despite all this he is perhaps best known as an actor, having appeared in dozens of movies, including such iconic films as Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire and Less Than Zero.

Namibia Tourism Board

The Namibia Tourism Board’s mission is to market and develop tourism to and within Namibia that exceeds our visitors’ experience expectations, delivers value to stakeholders, improves the living standards and sustains the cultural values and way of life of our people, and enables broad base participation of Namibians in the tourism industry.

Sucheta Rawal
Founder of the international nonprofit, Go Eat Give

Sucheta is a food and travel writer, cooking instructor and international volunteer. Born and raised in India, she is a home grown chef who is an expert at many cuisines. Sucheta started off by borrowing American cookbooks from her high school library at her home town of Chandigarh and translating them in Hindi to her help at home. Her passion for cooking started with Italian cuisine, learning through observation, direction and experimentation and expanded into many others. Soon she was trying new restaurants, critiquing them and refining the preparations in her own kitchen. She particularly enjoyed blending flavors and creating a variety of palates on her dinner menu, such as an artist would.

Sucheta also has a passion for seeing the world and has traveled to 35+ countries and counting. Her favorite things to do while traveling are eating with families, talking to the locals and visiting local farmers markets and wineries. She likes to bring back recipes from people she met or places she ate at around the world and teaches international cooking classes at schools around US.

Sucheta is the founder of the movement, Go Eat Give, that brings people from around the world together, through food and community service. Her goal is to encourage people to explore the diversity of this planet, have fun and learn from each other. The Go Eat Give showcases volunteer abroad tours, travel guides, restaurant reviews, stories of giving and recipes from around the world. website http://www.goeatgive.com/.

Anthony Saba
Goway Travel

As an Australian growing up, the rest of the world seemed so fascinating and so far away! For Anthony Saba, travel was a big adventure, so he quit his job, twice, and went travelling to see the world. Europe, Asia, the Americas… and after all that he found his calling…a career in travel! With that came the opportunity to explore the amazing lands Downunder: Australia and New Zealand. Seventeen years later, and many more countries and continents, travel is his life and livelihood. Now living in North America, he gets to speak about the far-away places that he loves, and wants everybody else to see and enjoy.

Chef Phoebe Schilla

Chef Phoebe loved cooking from an early age growing up outside of Portland, Maine. Her mother and aunt were accomplished self-taught cooks who welcomed curious Phoebe into their kitchens. From tapping her own maple syrup from trees in the yard to baking homemade bread, Phoebe learned at an early age about the delicious benefits of whole, natural, seasonal foods.

After high school, Phoebe traveled to France where she studied at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Upon returning to the States, Phoebe worked in the New York restaurant scene and attended the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating from CIA in January of 1999, she moved to the Bay Area and worked in the catering industry and the wine industry. In 2004 she fulfilled her long term dream of becoming a private chef and having a direct impact on how people eat.

In 2005, Phoebe lost a good friend to a long-term illness, and the experience prompted her to look at her culinary gift through a new lens. While she had always understood intuitively how wellness and nutrition were linked, she realized that she could use her passion and skills to convey this value to the larger community.

“Cooking is a great way to teach yourself patience and forgiveness,” says Phoebe. “We should all learn how to cook healthy food for ourselves and not feel overwhelmed by the process. I want to help people learn the basics and not be afraid to experiment because that’s how we’ll learn to become more confident in the kitchen.”

Since the Studio of Good Living launched in 2005, Phoebe has developed a roster of clients including Silicon Valley top executives, a UN ambassador and families looking to relieve their hectic schedules. Phoebe is also an accomplished wine buyer and educator who helps clients and restaurants enhance their cellars.

Phoebe lives in San Francisco with her husband Peter Schilla and their daughter. In her spare time she enjoys reading cookbooks, traveling, studying yoga practices and, of course, learning about all the latest culinary happenings from around the globe.

Patricia Schultz
Author, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die

Patricia Schultz has a dream job: traveling the globe and writing about it. She is the author of the international #1 bestsellers, 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE (with over 3 million copies in print and translated into 25 languages) and 1,000 PLACES TO SEE IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA BEFORE YOU DIE. With these works, she has reinvented the idea of travel book as both wish list and practical guide. She was chosen by Forbes as one of the 25 most influential women in travel, and was executive producer of the Travel Channel’s TV show based on her first 1,000 PLACES book.

The second edition of 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE came out in November 2011, with 200 entirely new destinations, 28 new countries, full-color photographs, and more than 50 percent new material woven into the revised and expanded entries, which emphasize comprehensive travel experiences instead of single sites.

Family legend, never proven, is that Patricia’s family is somehow related to Mark Twain, who was a preeminent globetrotter of his day. Patricia’s own wanderlust began on the beach at Atlantic City, when she set off from the family beach blanket seeking adventure and was returned to an apoplectic mother several hours later by some relieved lifeguards. “I had heard the siren call of the great, global beyond,” she recalls, “and I had answered. I was hooked. I was four years old.”

While her college classmates headed for Wall Street, Patricia grabbed her passport and made a beeline for the airport, and soon discovered that she could make a living from her passion. Many guidebooks and articles later, she embarked upon the first 1,000 PLACES book, spending seven years augmenting the knowledge she gained from her own travels with information from hundreds of books and magazines and first-person reports from colleagues, tourist agencies, and individual travelers. How did she winnow it all down? “The common denominator I chose was a simple one: that each place impress upon the visitor some sense of the earth’s magic, integrity, wonder, and legacy. And sometimes places that were just plain fun.”

Patricia Schultz has written about travel for publications including The Wall Street Journal, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Travel Weekly, and for guides such as Frommer’s and Berlitz. She is a popular speaker at travel shows, museums, associations, and organizations both in the U.S. and abroad. In more than 25 years of travel writing, she has never lost her curiosity or passion. “Some people can speed from New York to L. A. without registering a thing,” she writes. “I can walk around my mid-Manhattan block and come home with a carton of milk and stories to tell. In the end, the number of miles covered has nothing to do with the real pleasures of travel–the inherent beauty of the world and the discovery it promises are all around us.”

Supinder Singh
President, Palace Tours

Mr. Supinder Singh is the President of Palace Tours, based in Princeton NJ, a leading luxury tour operator specialized in building unmatched experiences for the independent traveler in Asia, Africa and Europe. The company specializes in luxury train journeys and custom designed travel experiences for its guests based on a consistent service delivery framework. Before Palace Tours, Supinder worked with leaders in timeshares and hotel industry and was a consultant to a number of companies where he helped them grow their business on the Internet. He has helped position the Palace Tours as a market leader by investing in technology solutions for marketing, sales and consistency in service delivery while keeping the costs down. He continues to travel extensively and helps his team in identifying potential areas of grow the portfolio of Palace Tours offerings.

David L. Sloan

The author of The Key Lime Pie Cookbook. Sloan landed his first baking job when he was 16 and continued his career in the hospitality industry earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University. During this time he apprenticed under South Florida Chef of the Year, Pascal Oudin in the Coral Gables Colonnade Hotel before relocating to the Atlantic Ocean where he served as General Manager for Premier Cruise Lines.

Sloan moved to Key West in 1996 and redirected his passion for baking after stumbling upon the original Key Lime Pie recipe in the Curry Mansion. Over the next decade, he dove into the history of The Florida Key's native pie, experimenting with recipes along the way and even buying an old citrus grove. He has served as a judge for the commercial division of the Great American Pie Festival, competed in the professional division of The National Pie Championships and filmed with the Food Network’s Food Challenge.

David is a member of the National Pie Council and the author of nine books, for which he has been featured on The History Channel, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, Food Network and more.

Rick Steves
Travel Writer, Host of Rick Steves Europe and Travel with Rick Steves, Europe Through the Back Door

Rick Steves grew up in Edmonds, Washington and studied at the University of Washington where he received degrees in Business Administration and European History. But his real education came in Europe — since 1973 he's spent 120 days a year in Europe. Spending one third of his adult life living out of a suitcase in Europe has shaped his thinking. Today he employs 80 people at his Europe Through the Back Door headquarters where he produces over 50 guidebooks on European travel, the most popular travel series in America on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show, and a weekly column syndicated by the Chicago Tribune. Rick Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington. His office window overlooks his old junior high school.

Ralph Velasco
Author, Ralph Velasco on Travel Photography: 101 Tips for Developing Your Photographic Eye & More

Southern California-based travel photography instructor Ralph Velasco is author of “Ralph Velasco On Travel Photography: 101 Tips for Developing Your Photographic Eye & More.” Ralph guides photo tours around the world, including to Egypt, Mexico, Spain, Central Europe and other locations. He’s also creator of the photography app My Shot Lists for Travel (MyShotLists.com), which helps people of all skill levels to bring back a more interesting set of images from their travels. Additionally, his blog, which can be found at RalphVelasco.com, was selected one of “The 11 Best New Travel Blogs of 2011” by National Geographic Traveler columnist Christopher Elliott and one of the “Best Travel Blogs of 2012” by Washington Flyer. Mr. Velasco was named “Open Photographer of the Year” two years in a row by the Professional Photographers of Orange County.