Sustainable Food Travel: From Dumplings to Tapas, How Local Flavors Connect Us

Guest: Tonya Hennessey

What happens when food becomes more than a meal? In this flavorful episode, Dr. Allen Lycka sits down with Tonya Hennessey—San Francisco Bay Area travel and food writer—to explore how simple dishes, local markets, and farm-to-table traditions reveal the soul of a place.

From backpacking in Beijing and tasting dumplings in hidden alleyways, to sipping cava with tapas in Spain, Tonya’s stories uncover how food sparks connection, sustainability, and joy. She shares experiences of kindness from strangers abroad, how agritourism reshapes the way we value food, and why eating seasonally can change the way we travel—and live.

If you’ve ever craved deeper cultural connection, wondered how to travel sustainably, or simply wanted to recreate the tastes of your journeys at home, this episode will inspire you to see food as the bridge between people and places.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

How local dishes like dumplings and tapas open doors to culture.Why agritourism and indigenous stays connect travelers to food systems.How farm-to-table supports sustainability and flavor.Why markets and small merchants are the heart of community travel.The destinations that surprised Tonya most—and why

Connect with Tonya Hennessey:

Website: tonyahennessey.comVideo Show: https://create24.co/

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