Hi, I’m Jordan Hamons. I’m a classically-trained chef and a seasoned traveler. I currently live in Cincinnati, Ohio. In June 2014, I launched The Hungry Traveler, where I write about globally-inspired cooking and food-driven travel. I also launched Tablespoon Cooking Co, where I share my love of food and help home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen.
My culinary perspective is simple — I like food that tastes really good and is made using great ingredients and traditional recipes. I like baking as much as cooking — searing a steak as much as rolling out pie dough. I’m most drawn to food that is internationally influenced, has a historical connection, or reminds me of a special place or memory.
I went to business school at the University of Cincinnati and completed my culinary training at Midwest Culinary Institute. Before starting my own business, I spent time working as a corporate chef at a Fortune 500 company, a restaurant consultant, and a food and beverage branding specialist. I now teach cooking classes, write about food and travel, and am working on my first cookbook proposal.
I’ve studied in Korea, China, and France and traveled extensively throughout North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. I always love to discover cities but so far some of my favorites are Paris, Istanbul, Hong Kong, and Boracay, and Walt Disney World will always hold a special place in my heart.
About The Hungry Traveler
The Hungry Traveler is a culinary travel blog about globally inspired cooking and food focused travel.
The mission of the blog is to encourage readers to use food to discover foreign cultures, whether cooking international cuisines from the comfort of their home kitchens or traveling thousands of miles to eat the local specialty.
The Hungry Traveler provides approachable recipes and recommendations for must-try foods, restaurants and culinary experiences in destinations around the world. Encouraging and friendly, The Hungry Traveler makes cooking and traveling accessible for readers.
For The Hungry Traveler, food is always the destination.
Keep Reading for the story about how I started cooking…
I’ve loved to cook for as long as I can remember. I made pizza dough from scratch before I could even read. Before I was tall enough to reach the counter, I would stand on a chair to make a variety of BBQ sauces and then hold taste tests for my parents. We used to plan our weekends around going to my aunt and uncle’s house (they had a satellite dish) to watch Emeril Live! on Friday nights. Our road trips included long detours to try Wisconsin’s best pie or visit the SPAM museum.
Food has always been my destination, but I never considered cooking professionally for a career. I went to college and studied in a rigorous business program that put me on the fast track for a career in marketing and international business. Everything changed though, when six weeks before I was supposed to complete my final internship, the company cancelled the program. This led me to a summer with way too much time on my hands in an apartment with a beautiful kitchen. So what did I do? I cooked and baked and cooked and baked some more. After four years of kitchen-less living, my love for the kitchen was rekindled.
My business school classmates at our freshman year etiquette dinner.
Losing that internship was the best thing that could have happened to me. For the first time in four years, I had nothing planned out for me. It was time to reevaluate what I wanted to do after graduation. I took a risk and enrolled in culinary school, thinking I would only complete a semester or two. One thing led to another and a year later I graduated with my culinary arts degree.
After graduating from culinary school, I spent time working as a corporate chef at a Fortune 500 company, a restaurant consultant, and a food and beverage branding specialist working with brands such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Jim Beam, California Pizza Kitchen, and Kellogg’s. I now teach cooking classes, write about food and travel, and am working on my dream of writing a cookbook.
My first cooking competition at culinary school
There’s only one thing that rivals my love for cooking and that’s travel. So far I’ve been to 30/50 states, Canada, Mexico, many Caribbean islands, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, France, England, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Andorra, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Turkey, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, and I’m always planning my next trip.
Swimming in Boracay Island, Philippines
I believe cooking and traveling are two of the most rewarding (and fun!) things in life and I encourage using cuisine to learn about a foreign culture from the comfort of your kitchen. I’m looking forward to sharing my recipes, kitchen advice, stories from abroad, and travel tips with you.
You can contact me at jordan [@] thehungrytravelerblog.com or via the contact tab listed at the top of this page.
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If you’re interested in working together, please check out my Work with Me page.