Host a Dinner Party Inspired by Your Travels

Last August, while enjoying the gentle breezes on a ferry in the Aegean Sea, I found myself daydreaming about a dinner party back in Brooklyn. Having just completed a nearly two-month solo adventure through the Balkans, where the local cuisine is richly shaped by Ottoman, Italian, and Adriatic influences, I often felt the urge to share my experiences with friends. I sent them photos of my meals, like digital postcards saying, “Wish you were here!”

When winter came, I finally organized A Very Balkan Dinner Party, using those photos to inspire my menu: stuffed fermented cabbage leaves reminiscent of the stuffed grape leaves I had all summer, flaky borek filled with spinach and creamy cheeses, roasted peppers topped with kaymak from Sarajevo, a smoky Macedonian eggplant dip, arugula drizzled with pumpkin seed oil as a nod to Slovenia, and poppy seed ice cream with sour cherry compote inspired by a cone I enjoyed on a sweltering day in Belgrade.

On a snowy Sunday, I ventured to Parrot Coffee Grocery, a Balkan store in Queens, where I had an engaging conversation with a Romanian salesperson about stuffed cabbage and her favorite ajvar brand. Before my friends arrived, I played a Balkan playlist and displayed a handmade cheese knife from Kosovo alongside a ceramic bowl from Albania. As we enjoyed the meal, a friend asked me to share stories behind each dish. After dessert, I introduced my guests to a raki toasting tradition I picked up at Alpeta, a family-run winery in Albania. For that night, it felt like I had transported my friends back to my travels.

As I began to inquire about similar dinner parties, I connected with over a dozen travelers who have hosted their own gatherings. Utilizing souvenir ingredients and recreating dishes, they have shared their adventures with friends and family around their dining tables.

Liz Furman, who works in the toy industry, explains that food can immerse someone in your travel experiences. After a trip to Santorini, she and her husband co-hosted a Greek dinner party for her 30th birthday.

“We prefer sharing our travels this way instead of just showing a bunch of photos,” Furman notes.

For Jerome Halm, a semi-retired clinical psychologist, photo slideshows were a key feature of the 20 or so dinner parties he and his late wife, Beverly Halm, held after visiting countries like Italy, Russia, China, and Peru. Their dinners in Queens and Long Island followed a routine: Beverly, a librarian and culinary educator, handled the cooking while Jerome compiled a slideshow of their trip to present between dinner and dessert.

The idea for one unforgettable dinner originated at a conference in Peru during the 1960s. After returning to New York, Beverly sought out a Peruvian chef in Queens to master the art of making mazamorra morada, a traditional purple corn pudding. During the dinner, Jerome shared images of the Nazca Lines—ancient geoglyphs etched into Peru's coastal plains—while recounting a chance lunch with renowned archaeologist Maria Reiche, who studied the lines.

For many, these dinner parties serve as a chance to cook with ingredients sourced from far-off places. In the early 2000s, Singapore-based food writer Annette Tan found it challenging to find ingredients she had read about in cookbooks by authors like Claudia Roden and Paula Wolfert, prompting her to purchase them on her travels.

“At that time, I couldn’t prepare those dishes without traveling,” Tan reflects.

One Christmas, she prepared a timballo from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper for a dozen cousins, featuring porcini mushrooms, Parmesan, ham, and heirloom tomatoes she had brought back from Italy. On another occasion, her travels to Japan provided miso and mentaiko (spicy cod roe), which she used to create oxtail stew and a Western-style pasta dish for her friends.

For some, like cookbook literary agent Sally Ekus, these meals are a way to honor the places they’ve visited. In 2007, Ekus and her mother Lisa traveled to Vietnam on a culinary mission with PeaceTrees Vietnam, a non-profit focused on landmine education and clearance. Upon returning to Western Massachusetts, they prepared bánh tráng rế (netted rice paper wraps) for spring rolls and banana blossom salad for a fundraiser for the organization, hosted at Lisa’s home for 30 guests.

“This is just a part of who Lisa and I are. Whenever we visit a new place, we feel compelled to bring something back and share it, transforming our lives and those of the people we’re excited to dine with,” Ekus explains.

Meanwhile, writer Caroline Eden, who was in Ukraine shortly before the 2022 invasion, organized two eight-person supper clubs at her kitchen table in Edinburgh, Scotland, to support #CookForUkraine. Guests engaged in discussions about the war while enjoying pickled mushrooms, challah, and regional dishes like Black Sea borek from Eden’s cookbook Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes, Through Darkness and Light.

You don’t need extensive kitchen skills for these meals; smart shopping during your travels can make cooking optional. The night after returning from Amsterdam to New York, Irina Groushevaia, a senior social media manager at Punch (owned by Vox Media along with Dinogo), hosted a gathering named Back from ’Dam, featuring a delightful array of snacks.

“The items I brought back were a narrative of my experiences in Amsterdam,” Groushevaia explains. Cheese and stroopwafel reminded her of a bike tour, while party favors like tea and elderflower lemonade concentrate were souvenirs from a visit to the botanic gardens. As her friends enjoyed snacks, Groushevaia shared the watercolors they painted during their trip.

While many of these dinners highlight a specific destination, providing guests with a taste of a place they might visit, a meal can also embody the journey itself. Last December, after a lengthy trip to Antarctica, Tan served conservas and olive oil from Portugal, wine from Buenos Aires, and chocolate truffles she acquired during a brief stop in Zurich. Her gatherings are as much about sharing experiences as they are about distinct cuisines.

“I love the concept of sharing a piece of my travels with them and, at times, inspiring them to explore,” Tan shares. “It’s a tangible recommendation.”

Devra Ferst is a Brooklyn-based food and travel writer. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, and numerous other publications. She is also the co-author of The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long.