Alison Roman

Cook, author, culinary badass

How many chefs beloved for their instant-legend recipes so readily urge you to ignore them? Well, Alison Roman isn’t your average chef or food expert. She’s a wizard at kitchen improv with an infectious desire to create more “can do” kitchens for everyone willing to dabble. As she puts it, “Say yes to everything! It’s the only way to figure out if you like something or not.”

You’ll have seen Alison’s work. After leaving college to pursue her culinary dreams, she’s been pastry chef at famous New York bakery Momofuku, created beloved chocolate-chip recipes for The New York Times, Bon Appétit and Lucky Peach, written books dedicated to lemons (she really has a thing for lemons) and helping everyone to feel empowered to riff in the kitchen, to be open to new ingredients and new influences. Alison is funny, inspired, stylish and always ready for an adventure.

In other words, Alison is our kind of traveler.

"Vietnamese crepes (banh xeo) are the most delicious thing I've had in my life. It's tangy, crispy, crunchy and salty. It's so good. And I'm obsessed with it."

“Experiment. It’s not always about making a perfect plate of food; it’s about learning to cook, teaching yourself what you like and empowering yourself to riff and do your own thing.”

Alison’s Travel Essentials

  1. USB Charger: I am queen of 'do you have a charger I can borrow?', which I am trying to change by bringing my own.
  2. Travel bottles from Muji: I used to buy travel bottles every time I went somewhere, which meant switching products and spending money and wasting bottles. Now I buy small travel bottles and use them to put small amounts of the products I usually wear. Even the smells of the things I use at home make me feel more adjusted when traveling. It's the little things! Literally.
  3. Sunblock: If I'm outside for even 5 minutes I burn, especially on my face. I love this SPF from Supergoop.
  4. Water Bottle: Drinking water is the difference between feeling excellently rested and completely wiped, especially on long flights. I bring my own bottle and refill it a million times.
  5. Notebook: I travel with a small notebook wherever I go - helpful for writing down thoughts, feelings, the name of that one restaurant you never want to forget, ideas, etc. Especially when you're somewhere without wifi, or, if you just want to take a break from staring at your phone all day. Something small that fits into a travel bag is ideal - I like these small thin ones from Moleskine.
  6. Melatonin: It helps me sleep on red eyes and get back into a rhythm once I've landed, especially with regards to a long flight and huge time change.