Who is the BaconMedic?

Yes, BaconMedic is one person, but in reality, doesn't a little bit of him live in all of our soul?

Foodie. 'Que Fanatic. Craft Beer Lover. Original Member of the Wanderlust Family.

I have been obsessed with travel and food since a wee lad growing up in New Hampshire. My father was born and raised in Louisiana and gave me the gift of a love for food. Despite being 1500 miles from his home state (or perhaps because of that), our house often smelled of gumbo, jambalaya and other amazing southern treats. I learned at a very young age how to make the perfect roux, the most fluffy white rice, and the importance of using real andouille as opposed to kielbasa sprinkled with some form of cajun spices.

Of course we didn't only eat Louisiana cookin', we had a normal, New England menu as well. Like many other food lovers, I first learned how to cook from my parents. Boiled dinners, roast chicken dinners, meatloaf - all the standard fare. I also learned to be quite the grill master as well, I recall cooking my first hot dog on our El-Cheapo brand K-Mart habachi on our back porch as a thunderstorm slowly rolled in. It wasn't long before I graduated from burgers and dogs to steaks, sausages and chicken; many who know me now compare my steak cooking skills to those of an Iron Chef. 

My love for cooking with fire was further fueled when my dad bought a smoker. It wasnt much to look at, you probably know the type - the upright, R2D2 shaped guy, also from El-Cheapo brand. I remember my first bite of hickory smoked turkey and I was hooked; I am now a full fledged, probably in need of some form of rehab, barbecue addict. 

Barbecue - meaning cooking meat over a long period of time with a low temperature - has become a way of life for me. In 1995, I purchased a smoker of my own - the Brinkman Professional, complete with an offset smoke box. This guy normally retailed for about $250, but the display model sitting out in the patio in front of the local Wal Mart had some cosmetic damage to it. I managed to sweet talk the manager into giving it to me for $25, with the condition that I took it on the spot and paid cash, which I happily did. 22 years later - the same age as my oldest daughter - that smoker is still going strong, having cooked hundreds of pounds of meat.

With my dad coming from Louisiana and my mom being a New Hampshire gal, family travel was a necessity. We took yearly road trips to visit the family and along the way made plenty of stops, and with that, had plenty of different types of food. Back in the 70s and 80s, air travel for a working family of four was more of a luxury, so the 1980 Ford Granada was our usual mode of transport. A road trip to Louisiana was often taken via central Florida to visit the mouse. Growing up, we visited most of the eastern states in our travels.

I got my Wanderlust from both my parents, they both had it well before they met, and as fate would have it, they met on a tour to Morocco in 1967 and the rest was history. Despite the relatively high cost of air travel, we occasionally splurged and hopped on board Eastern Airlines. I was immediately hooked, and to this day, have an amazing love for all things air travel. My dad was hooked too, in 1979 Eastern offered a ticket special - all you could travel during a certain time period for one low price. To this day, I vividly recall a two week whirlwind tour: Boston to Orlando for 3 days, fly to Mexico City (via Atlanta) for 2 days, fly to New Orleans (via Atlanta) for 5 days, fly to Los Angeles (via Atlanta) for 2 days, fly to San Juan (via Atlanta) for 2 days, fly home to Boston (again, via Atlanta). This must have been a nightmare for my mom, but my sister and I were loving every minute of it. 

Once I grew up, my Wanderlust exploded. Even with a family of my own, I did whatever I could to give them the same love of travel and love of new foods that my parents gave me. We also did central Florida and Louisiana, but we also branched out - some with the kids, and some without. And best of all, quite a few of those trips were with my parents when they were well enough to travel; these were memories that will last all of us a lifetime. 

Now here I am - the kids are grown, travel is becoming more frequent and dining is tops on my list when planning a trip. My love for great food and travel is as great as it ever has, and I look forward to sharing them with you as they happen.

Thanks for reading!