Allison Robicelli is a James Beard nominated writer, former celebrity chef and restaurant owner, and cultural intelligence consultant whose work sits at the intersection of food, media, and destination storytelling. She has written for The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Eater, Food & Wine, and The Washington Post, where she founded the publication’s first dedicated non alcoholic beverage column in major food media.

In this conversation, she explores how overlooked and post industrial cities can become some of the most compelling food destinations in the world when approached with curiosity rather than convention. Drawing on her experience working with tourism boards, editors, and producers, she explains why traditional destination marketing is losing impact in an algorithm driven media landscape, and what replaces it.

This episode is a sharp, often humorous look at how stories of place are found, shaped, and shared, and why the future of culinary tourism depends less on promotion and more on genuine human discovery. The Taste of Place podcast is sponsored by the World Food Travel

Association’s Taste of Place movement. Taste of Place is a global

initiative that celebrates culinary culture, food heritage, and the

makers behind them. Through the movement, travelers and consumers are

encouraged to connect more deeply with destinations and products through

their unique flavors and traditions. Learn more at JoinTasteofPlace.org.