Karen McCann

"A delight to read, amusing, witty, and informative," Karen McCann is an award-winning, bestselling travel writer whose delectable new foodie memoir, "The Great Mediterranean Comfort Food Tour," has been called "a rollicking culinary adventure seasoned with a dash of history, a sprinkling of heart-warming characters, and a liberal shot of humor.” "Having lived in Seville, Spain for the better part of two decades, I’ve learned to view eating as the Spanish do — not as squandering time but as making the most of it," Karen says. "I'm always curious about food and what it reveals about culture — including my own. Some dishes I've tried were literally hard to swallow — Portuguese pigs ears, for instance — but I've found most to be marvelous, including ultra-creamy moussaka, lamb roasted in yogurt, and various rich flaky pastries stuffed with cheese and blitva, the Eastern European cousin of spinach. One Albanian eatery carried in my grilled fish on the back of a horse. Now that’s presentation with panache." "The Great Mediterranean Comfort Food Tour" won the 2023 Firebird Book Award for Travel. Her other bestsellers include "Dancing in the Fountain" about her transition from Cleveland, Ohio to Seville, Spain; "Adventures of a Railway Nomad," which recounts her three-month train trip through Eastern Europe; and the popular short works "Pack Light" and "Seville's New Normal." Karen's journeys have taken her to more than sixty countries, and she's served as a volunteer consultant to micro-enterprises in Europe, Africa, the Caucasus, and Central America. She now divides her time between California and Spain — when she’s not on the road in pursuit of another great story or more comfort food.