I’ve spent years getting lost on purpose: in alleyways, night markets, teahouses, and kitchens across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. As the author/co-author of books like The Real Food of China, East: Culinary Adventures in Southeast Asia, and Turkey: Recipes and Stories From the Road, and a writer and photographer for titles including Gourmet Traveller, the Sydney Morning Herald, Qantas Magazine, and Travel + Leisure, my work has always been about digging deeper into culture, history, and the human stories behind what we eat.

China, in particular, keeps calling me back. It’s rich, complex, utterly delicious… and too often misunderstood. There’s much to discover beyond the usual cliches and bog-standard tourist sites (no disrespect to the Great Wall, Warriors, et al). That’s why I created Elsewhere & Beyond: to share the regional bits of China I know and love the most, through immersive, food-focused journeys powered by real relationships with locals – from village cooks to artisans and expert guides.

These aren’t cookie-cutter tours. They’re carefully crafted experiences shaped by trust, taste, and curiosity. And while China is where we begin, it’s not where we end. Elsewhere & Beyond is for anyone hungry to travel deeper – to the places that stay with you long after you’ve unpacked.

If that sounds like you, come along. There’s so much more to explore.