Today we’d like to introduce you to Gwen Pratesi.
Hi Gwen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My career as a travel journalist began somewhat unexpectedly with a food blog I started in November 2009, shortly after returning from a cruise that sailed from Monaco to Barcelona. What began as a place for my husband and me to share our travel and culinary experiences quickly grew into something much bigger. We began telling the stories of local chefs, farmers, food artisans, winemakers and distillers while traveling throughout the Southeast, across the U.S. and eventually around the world.
Along the way, I hosted a successful food blogger conference in Atlanta and started a small culinary tour business. Then, in 2012, our website was named a finalist for Best Individual Blog in the James Beard Awards. That recognition became a turning point for both our site and my career.
While in New York City for the awards, we were invited to interview chef Lidia Bastianich. During our conversation, I mentioned that we would soon be traveling to Venice for a Mediterranean cruise. She surprised us by personally inviting us to visit her home in Friuli, Italy. Afterward, I also wrote a piece for her website. On that same trip to Europe, I interviewed a renowned chef from Boston aboard our cruise ship. Those experiences helped me realize my stories could reach a much broader audience, so I began writing more frequently for national publications and ultimately won several additional journalism awards.
Over time, contributing to other outlets became the primary focus of my career. My work has appeared in publications including U.S. News & World Report, Garden & Gun, Frommer’s, Cruise Critic, AARP and Travel + Leisure, where I wrote about legendary French chef Jacques Pépin and his connection to Amelia Island, Florida, where I now live. I also contribute to travel industry publications including TravelAge West and Travel Market Report.
Today, I travel extensively throughout the year, writing primarily about cruises, destinations, hotels, food and the people who make a place memorable. Much of my travel is by cruise ship, but some of my favorite journeys happen on land — especially in Alaska, which I like to call my “heart state,” and throughout the American West.
What started as a food blog almost 17 years ago ultimately became a career I never could have planned. The common thread has remained the same: I’m still most interested in discovering a place through its people, food and culture — and sharing the stories I find along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When we launched our website in 2009, we were in a unique space as blogs were just becoming popular. We combined travel with a culinary focus and planned small tours in the Southeast, bringing recognition to cities not known for food at the time, such as Louisville, Kentucky and Richmond, Virginia. Over the years, more people entered the space, covering similar topics and creating culinary events, so we had to evolve to cover different areas, topics and destinations.
After a few years, I began traveling alone and farther from home, including to Vietnam and Cambodia on a Mekong River Cruise and to Antarctica on an assignment.
Today, I mostly travel solo, unless we’re taking a trip closer to home where we can drive and bring our pup along for the adventure.
With constant changes in the industry, it’s been a challenge to maintain website traffic amid shifting algorithms and SEO — and to keep a steady freelance income with industry upheavals, including editor layoffs, lost writing jobs, shuttered magazines, etc.
However, it seems that when one door closes, another opens. We also recently redesigned our website, so I’m excited to return to covering stories that matter the most, once again returning to where I started.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Florida-based James Beard Award Finalist in journalism and an award-winning food and travel writer with 17 years of experience. I freelance for major publications, including U.S. News & World Report, Garden & Gun, AAA – The Extra Mile, The Points Guy, AARP, Frommer’s and others. I also own and author PratesiLiving.com with my husband. We just redesigned the site and will announce the relaunch soon.
My expertise is cruises (including expeditions and river cruises), culinary and solo travel, luxury travel, the South, Alaska and the Western U.S. I also travel to Europe frequently.
I still get excited to see bylines in new outlets, including my piece about my trip to a remote bear-viewing lodge in Kodiak, Alaska, which was just published in Outside magazine.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My husband, who has supported our work since 2009.
He’s also been very patient while I travel solo, some years as much as 40% of the time.
In addition, I work most of the time when I’m home, so he’s picked up the slack around the house, including cooking.
I also appreciate the people I have met over the years — chefs, farmers, winemakers, and food artisans — and those who work with public relations firms, tourism boards, cruise lines, and hotels and resorts. I’m also thankful to the editors who have commissioned stories and sent me on assignments to faraway places, including Vietnam and Cambodia and Antarctica.
Many have become friends, so I thank you. It’s been quite the journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pratesiliving.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pratesiliving
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PratesiLiving
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwen-pratesi-11435b32/
- Twitter: https://x.com/pratesiliving
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pratesiliving
