Media in Minutes

From Food Blog to Award-Winning Travel Journalist: Gwen Pratesi's Story

• Angela Tuell • Season 5 • Episode 7

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Award-winning travel writer Gwen Pratesi takes us on a remarkable journey of transformation from corporate professional to culinary explorer in this candid conversation about finding your calling through life's unexpected detours.

When her husband was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer in 2009, Gwen found inspiration in a Mediterranean cruise that sparked a food blog—launching at the dawn of digital content creation alongside pioneers like Pioneer Woman and Steamy Kitchen. What began as a flexible way to work while supporting her husband through treatments evolved organically into culinary tours, chef interviews, and eventually a James Beard Foundation Award nomination that surprised even Gwen herself.

Now contributing to U.S. News & World Report, Frommer's, Garden & Gun, and numerous travel publications, Gwen reveals the authentic process behind travel journalism. She speaks candidly about preferring solo trips to find unique angles, navigating the challenges of travel mishaps in Vietnam and why Alaska remains her favorite destination despite temperatures reaching 40 below. For aspiring writers, her insights on crafting compelling narratives from personal experiences offer invaluable guidance.

PR professionals will appreciate Pratesi's straightforward advice about journalist relationships: research writers' beats before pitching, allow adequate response time and be transparent about coverage expectations from the start. Her practical wisdom extends to enjoying the journey itself, whether interviewing culinary legend Jacques Pépin or discovering unique treasures in local shops while traveling.

Connect with Gwen via email at gwenpratesi@gmail.com. 

Check out her website and articles at PratesiLiving.com.

Thank you for listening!  Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to the Media in Minutes podcast here or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-in-minutes/id1555710662  

Angela Tuell:

Welcome to Media in Minutes. This is your host, Angela Tuell. This podcast features in-depth interviews with those who report on the world around us. They share everything from their favorite stories to what happened behind the lens and give us a glimpse into their world From our studio here at Communications Redefined. This is Media in Minutes.

Angela Tuell:

On today's episode, we are talking with James Beard Foundation Award finalist and award-winning travel writer, Gwen Pratesi. Gwen contributes to the travel section U. S. News and World Report and freelances for major publications and World Report and freelances for major publications including Cruise Critic, fromers, the Points Guide, garden and Gun, aarp, travel and Leisure, reader's Digest, photers and the World of Cruising. She also covers the cruise and travel industry for trade publications such as Travel Weekly, travel Age West and Travel Market Report. Her work has also been featured on MSN, yahoo and Business Insider. When she's not in a plane or on a ship, you can find her working or in the kitchen at home. She and her husband enjoy the coastal lifestyle in Florida with their Tibetan terrier rhythm. All right, hello, gwen. Thanks for being with us today.

Gwen Pratesi:

Hi, thanks so much for having me Excited to chat with you.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, me as well. I would love to start from the beginning and find out if you always wanted to be a journalist.

Gwen Pratesi:

Well, I used to write a lot, used to write really long entries in my diary, which I don't know what that says about me, but anyway, I wanted to actually write a romance novel at one point. I did not do that, but I did end up co authoring a book with a chef several years ago. So I did, I did write a book and then ended up, but before that really started. You know the blog. That's how we met the chef. So I ended up doing it. Just I my husband actually was going through stage four colorectal cancer, oh wow. And we had taken a trip to was a cruise actually from. I guess. We went from Monaco to Barcelona and I was really inspired by everything we saw and did over there, especially all the culinary aspects of the trip, and I actually came home. That was, I guess, the end of October of 2009. And I started a food blog. So that's how this really all started.

Angela Tuell:

Wow, and what were you doing? What other work were you doing at that time or before that?

Gwen Pratesi:

I actually worked for a CEO chairman and CEO of a financial services firm. Okay, that was in Boston and I had moved down when my husband asked me to get married. We were living in Atlanta and you know I wasn't at the time. We I was looking for something to do, but with all his cancer treatments and surgeries and things like that, he couldn't take on a job. So I think I, in the search for trying to figure out something to do on my own. This seemed to be a good fit at the time because obviously I could work from home.

Angela Tuell:

Right, right, and that was before the time of a lot of you know. Now everyone's freelancers. I feel like but that was before the time when it was as as popular.

Gwen Pratesi:

Oh, that's yeah, that's what I was gonna say, like in 2009, that that was when everything was just starting. So you had, like Jaden Hare if you're familiar with her Steamy Kitchen White on Rice Pioneer Woman, you know I worked with all those people actually did a. It was the first one in the Southeast, I think first one on the East Coast actually did a food bloggers conference in Atlanta.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Gwen Pratesi:

Brought in a bunch of people and got all kinds of amazing swag. Everybody couldn't believe it Two bags of swag but you know that was when things were just really getting started in that whole online industry.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, so you started the food blog, and then how did you go from that to where you are today?

Gwen Pratesi:

Well, we started, we were, we actually had a home in North Carolina up in Highlands and that's where we spent a lot of time because it was the perfect place for my husband to kind of recover, especially after you know some of these surgeries and you know, especially after you know some of these surgeries and you know cancer treatments. But we started to look at things you know outside of our development up there and talk to chefs and started to go interview some local artisans and one thing led to another.

Gwen Pratesi:

You know one chef would say oh, you need to go talk to this farmer, or you need to go talk to this chef, and so we started traveling to go meet these people, which then we were invited to stay at hotels, which meant then we were writing about some of the places where we stayed. We started going to all the food and wine festivals and I think at the time again, it was early on in this no-transcript recognition as far as the story to these areas, but anyway, we then people started saying we want to do what you're doing and you know we'd love to be able to meet these people and have these dinners, and so we started culinary tours.

Angela Tuell:

Okay.

Gwen Pratesi:

And it was called on the road culinary adventures and we would put together these great, very small, up to 20 people tours. We did them in Kentucky and and in Virginia and actually those pieces that I wrote from one of those tours in Kentucky, those were the articles that my husband submitted to the James Beard Foundation.

Angela Tuell:

Oh, okay.

Gwen Pratesi:

Her best individual blog and anyway, I thought it was kind of funny. I just couldn't, I don't know, I couldn't wrap my head around it, you know, because we were up against, like Alyssa Altman, you know that were very well known and, you know, had degrees in journalism and ran in those circles. So anyway, sure enough, we were coming back from North Carolina one day and I started getting back in the days when Twitter was cool. I started getting all these tweets in the car Congratulations, congratulations. And I didn't even know what it was for. I had no idea it was the day they were nominating anybody and any of the finalists. And anyway, there we were. We were James Beard Award finalist for best individual blog.

Angela Tuell:

Wow.

Gwen Pratesi:

It was crazy. And then, like the next year, I was invited to do this cooking contest it was called Lambs and Clams with the Charleston Food and Wine Festival, and we I forget how many dishes I was actually looking at it today, I didn't count but I won all but one of the contest. Wow, I won all but one of the contest and did win the whole thing. And then Nicholas Stefanelli, who's a Michelin star chef in Washington DC. He actually prepared my lamb dish at one of the events at the Food and Wine Festival. So it was. You know, this whole thing just kind of I don't know. It just blew up basically.

Angela Tuell:

So so then you went from food to do you still do a lot of food, or more travel in general and cruise. Tell us a little bit about you. Know what you're working on currently, what outlets, the types of stories you like?

Gwen Pratesi:

I would say that, you know, now it's there's a lot more travel. Obviously I still try to, you know, work from a culinary angle. I did a piece, you know, now it's there's a lot more travel. Obviously I still try to, you know, work from the culinary angle. I did a piece, you know, on the best cruise food, best restaurants. That's still, if that's my thing, I want to go where the food is amazing. I'm actually doing a culinary tour next month, um, in Athens and Istanbul. So I I still, you know, want to stay with that angle. Um, we just actually did a event last week at the Ritz Carlton, attended a event at Salt is the restaurant here I live on Amelia Island, florida, and they just redid the restaurant there, so we had an amazing lunch. So it's still, it's still all about food. I don't want to go somewhere if the food's not good. But yeah, so I do.

Gwen Pratesi:

I do a lot of travel, obviously now a lot of cruise pieces, but I also write a lot about the South Florida, alaska. I love Alaska. So, not so, you know, some international travel but more domestic travel and then also obviously still trying to, as I said, do the culinary but hopefully some more wellness pieces this year. I'm actually in conversation about going and doing a reset here in the next few months, so love to write a piece about you know what it's really like. We went years ago out to Canyon Ranch and did a trip out there, but it's been a while. But I know that's another. I thought that trend was kind of going away a little bit, but apparently it's still a big deal this year.

Gwen Pratesi:

So I'm sure I'll be hearing some more about that and I love Western stuff like dude ranches and soft adventure, winter activities, you know that kind of thing. But right now I've been with US News since like 2016. A lot, a lot for frommers. I've got something coming out in, a little bit for Garden and Gun Cruise Critic, some of the travel trade publications Travel Weekly I just did a piece for travel market report. Um, new to me, I just I'll be doing a piece for, uh, triple a, the extra mile. Okay, I had a piece actually on wellness, on a spa treatment that I had on a cruise for world of cruising. So those are you know. But you know how it goes periodically. Sometimes you're writing for one outlet and you do a bunch. You know I've written for the Points Guy and Reader's Digest and some other outlets too, but you know it kind of is cyclical how it happens.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, it's very true. How often are you traveling?

Gwen Pratesi:

It was 40 percent. Again last year it was, I think, about 40 percent%, maybe a little bit more the year before. My guess is it may not be that much this year, but we'll see.

Angela Tuell:

We'll see how it goes. How do you choose your travel and what are your preferences on hosted trips?

Gwen Pratesi:

Okay, Um, well, usually I prefer either a solo trip or a small group trip. It's just, you know, for me, really, it's it's better opportunity, you know, for an angle to find an angle. Obviously, if it's something like a christening for a cruise ship or naming ceremony, that's going to be a group trip. But whenever I have an opportunity I prefer to travel by myself trip. But whenever I have an opportunity I prefer to travel by myself.

Gwen Pratesi:

You know, there were things I've found like I did a trip I guess it was to not last fall, but you know, the year before I did a like a week long trip out to Colorado and drove all the way up to a dude ranch up north, but I stopped in several times. Yeah was October and it was super warm and loved when we were sitting out by a little stream drinking wine and t-shirts. You know it was great at the end of October. But there was a woman and I met with there that well, I asked for an interview. But she was a Southerner and had moved out West and just had a really cool story. And you know, if I hadn't done that trip on my own, I never would have found that story and that was something I did for Garden and Gun. So I you know that's. I like to try to try to find something unique, a unique angle, and if you're traveling with a group of people, you're all going to be seeing the same thing, and right thing.

Angela Tuell:

So yes, that's a great point. Do you have any places that stick out as most memorable that you've traveled to? Always alaska, I love alaska okay, what do you love about alaska?

Gwen Pratesi:

uh, what don't I love about alaska?

Angela Tuell:

I haven't been there yet. It's on the bucket list.

Gwen Pratesi:

It wasn't so cold, um Um. Yes, I've been there every season. It's it's just, you know, it's just amazing. I actually did the Iditarod several years ago on a small group tour and it was.

Gwen Pratesi:

I think it was maybe four, was it 40 below. It was really cold. Actually I thought I was prepared. I had done 40 Below in Quebec City for the carnival years before, but I didn't fit in that stuff anymore, so I had to purchase some crazy outfit to stay warm on that trip. But I just I love it, you know, any time of year. I just this past year went to Brooks Lodge to see the bears at the falls. Past year went to Brooks Lodge to see the bears at the falls. You know that iconic shot of the bear with the fish in its mouth, the salmon you know, swimming upstream. So I love Alaska, um, I love, I do love the west. I love the state of Colorado, um, oh, where else? Let me see. Vietnam and Cambodia were amazing. That was a really special trip years ago and I I have been to Antarctica and I'm actually the end of this year that's. That's an incredible experience as well.

Gwen Pratesi:

So but it's odd cold weather other than Vietnam and Cambodia a lot of cold weather destination that's great, great.

Angela Tuell:

That's the one thing I don't. Well, I definitely don't love cold weather, but same thing where some of those destinations are just so amazing. We went to Iceland, but we went over the summer so it wasn't as cold, but just such beautiful land, yeah.

Gwen Pratesi:

Iceland is beautiful. Yeah, I actually I'll be doing well, I'll be doing an Arctic trip as well, which starts in Iceland. So there we go again More polarity.

Angela Tuell:

More cold. I've always heard it's not about how cold it is, it's about your gear, right?

Gwen Pratesi:

That's right. There's no such thing as bad weather. It's bad gear, bad gear.

Angela Tuell:

So what about your? You know, a lot of times we talk about how amazing travel is and everything that just you know. You see the photos on social and everything is perfect, but travel rarely goes as we have planned, exactly. You know what about? Do you have a worst travel experience? And you know, I'd love to hear how, how it went, how you made the best of it, what you do in general when things don't go as planned.

Gwen Pratesi:

Oh yeah, I had a couple. I actually thought about writing about them, but I was torn because I didn't want to put a negative light on certain places, because I didn't know if it's just a one-off. The one thing was I was going actually en route to Vietnam and Cambodia. I flew through Dubai and I had been to Dubai before and I'd had an unbelievable trip. It was a press trip, it was a week-long trip and it was an amazing time. Talk about food, it was fabulous. It was really hard to top that one, but I flew through there and you are permitted to if you fly with this airline, you're permitted to, I think. Maybe take like up to a month and do something you know different and then hop back on and continue.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yes, I've heard of right.

Gwen Pratesi:

Yes, but there was one forced overnight, so I was going to have to spend the night there before going on, you know, to Vietnam the next day. But I, they wouldn't give me my bag back and and I, when I went to talk to them about it, they said oh yeah, this happens all the time. You know, they've checked it through well, it was. This happens all the time. You know, they've checked it through Well, it was.

Gwen Pratesi:

Trust me, it was not that easy and you know, I don't know what that situation was about. It shouldn't have been what it was. There was one person that was very difficult and it went on for hours and I find my bag. But you know it, like I said, I was hesitant to really write about that because I'd had such a good experience before and I felt like that was more of just a personal thing. The other thing that happened and I actually just did see an article about this and I had a neighbor who we had told them, I guess at a party or something years ago, and it had happened to them, so they were familiar with the situation and could handle it better somehow than I did. But when I landed in Vietnam, so not only did the bag situation happen? But the second thing was on the same trip. When I landed there, they told me my paperwork wasn't in order, my visa wasn't right and that.

Gwen Pratesi:

I had to fill out paperwork and it was going to take three days. I said I don't have days. They anyway it was, I hate to say it, it was, you know scammish. But they took my passport, went to the back, came back and told me that if I paid them cash I think it was 50 US I had to pay to get another photo done, but if I would pay them this cash, that they would let me go, oh, my goodness. And they had pulled several other people from our flight. Um, so you know it was. It was unfortunate that it those two things happened on the same trip.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, and the trip was so amazing.

Gwen Pratesi:

And the trip was so amazing but I don't you know, and I don't know how you actually if they're going to pull you and do that to you and you've done what you were supposed to do and everything is in order. I mean, I don't know how you, how do you?

Angela Tuell:

argue Did you have to pay it?

Gwen Pratesi:

Yeah, you just have to pay it and hopefully you have cash and you know you go on about your business afterwards. But yeah, that was two things in one trip that were not a good experience on the way to get there. But it was amazing. Once I was there.

Angela Tuell:

So well, that's good. Definitely With in our podcast we have a big audience of PR professionals, publicists and other journalists. But I would love to know, you know from the publicist standpoint, how can we best help you do your job, and do you have any sort of pet peeves when working with PR professionals?

Gwen Pratesi:

I think this has been said a lot, but I get a lot of pitches that aren't relevant at all. Yeah, yeah. So I think it's. It's really important if people can at least just take a few minutes and see what you write about, cause I get pitches all the time for stuff political things, you know, energy, I don't know. I get stuff from all all kinds of places that have. You know they have nothing to do with anything I do. I think the other thing for me is give me a few days, and sometimes I don't respond to anything.

Gwen Pratesi:

I you know the inbox, you know how it is. The inbox is crazy and it's really hard to just send a message all the time saying I'm sorry, I'll keep this information, but I can't use it right now. I don't have anything where this would be a fit. I try to respond, but many times I don't. But especially, at least give me a few days, because I find if I have some downtime I will run back through the inbox and see if I can just send a quick note. The other thing is and we had talked about this earlier, but a lot of times and all journalists, this happens because we all talk about this. But you'll get an invitation for a trip and it sounds like there are no strings attached, and you, you say yes, and you want to go and everything looks good.

Gwen Pratesi:

And then the person comes back and says but what outlet is? Where are you putting this story?

Angela Tuell:

You know what angle and so you don't even ask that in the beginning.

Gwen Pratesi:

Baby, no, no and so that's all very frustrating because it'll get coverage eventually, you know, but it's. I may not have anything before I on the plane or show up there because, like this trip I'm doing in a few weeks, they've gotten some coverage overall. But there is an angle I have in my mind, mind.

Angela Tuell:

But until I get to this country, to the city and do this one trip, you know, that day I don't know if there's really a story there, but it's in my head, but I can't pitch that to anybody yet. Right, and it might change completely Exactly.

Gwen Pratesi:

What I think I might want to write a story about could completely change. So I would just say, if it's, if it's something where a client has to have a guarantee, at least mention that up at the very the invitation, because otherwise somebody sees it and they say, yes, you know, and then they come back and they go, oh, but and it's, it's just. I think it's frustrating for everyone that way.

Angela Tuell:

So, yeah, you may have turned down other opportunities in the meantime, Exactly, and you can see that that'd be very frustrating. Yeah, what have been some of your favorite stories? You've mentioned some. You know great travels. What about favorite stories?

Gwen Pratesi:

I guess Northern Lights in Alaska, always, you know, Recently I've been doing a couple pieces In fact I've got another one coming up on epic itineraries, cruise itineraries, and there really are some unbelievable itineraries out there. Right now Viking, for their expedition line, is doing one from you know, from the Arctic to Antarctica.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, how long is that?

Gwen Pratesi:

I'm not looking at the thing, but I think it's 40-ish days.

Angela Tuell:

Wow.

Gwen Pratesi:

And there actually are. It's not like a repositioning cruise, a transatlantic cruise where you're seeing you know so much, you know so much this ship's stopping a whole lot all the way. You know. Yes, there's some sea days, but I was just really surprised at how many, um, how many stops are along the way, but they're just. There are some super cool itineraries. I actually have, um, talked my friends into taking some explorer journeys cruises, of which I love that line, and talk about culinary they. Their food is amazing, but they had already booked one for January, but they're. They've actually added one they're going to be on.

Gwen Pratesi:

They've never done a month long cruise and they're going to do a month long cruise out of Miami. I think they end up in Athens, but they are there's, it's. It's essentially a, you know, repositioning cruise, but they're stopping in the Azores, it's like a really cool. So I don't know, some of those stories are kind of fun because there's just they're they're just really doing some amazing itineraries right now. And, like I said, some amazing itineraries right now, and, like I said, northern Lights in Alaska.

Gwen Pratesi:

I got all excited about the epic, epic itineraries, One of my favorite stories on our website, which I don't write much on there anymore, but it was about one of our good chef friends who's one of the people that I can thank for kind of starting us on this crazy journey, but John Fleer from Asheville he's an amazing chef and you know good friends so that piece had.

Gwen Pratesi:

There was a lot of heart in that one and you know we both cried over that. So that was a cool story. The other thing that was super fun was I had a print piece I guess last year or the year before in Travel and Leisure about Jacques Pepin. You know he comes to Amelia Island for the Pétanque tournament every year but he used to spend before his wife passed away. He used to spend a lot of time on the island. So you know I interviewed him twice by by phone for that but then met I and I had seen him before around the island but I actually, you know, got to meet him in person and chat with him a bit. So that was that was a really fun piece to write to. Yeah.

Angela Tuell:

Oh, that's great. Well, we will. We will link to some of those in our show notes, for sure. I also have to ask what you are the proudest of in your career at this point. You have done a lot.

Gwen Pratesi:

Yeah, it's been. When you talk about it, it seems even crazier. Um, let me see, I get has to be James Beard award yes, no finalists. That was um. Has to be James Beard award yes, no finalists. That was um, that was really, uh, like I said, a surprise, a big surprise to me. And then when we, when it was announced, we we actually had a cruise already set up. We were going to interview um Ken Oranger. He's a chef up in Boston, but we were already set to interview him on this cruise, and it was, the cruise was set up.

Gwen Pratesi:

But when we were going to New York for the you know, the James Beard Awards, I got an email from someone who worked with Lydia Bastianich and said would you like to come and have lunch for Lydia and speak with her? And of course, yes, of course, yes. So we went, we went, it was the day of the I guess that was. That was, I think, yeah, it was the day of the journalism awards. So we went in early, we had, we had lunch with her, interviewed her and she said oh, you must go to my home in Friuli. If you're going to Venice, which is where the cruise was starting, she says you must go to my home in Friuli, and so we changed all the reservations, went earlier, that was like the best you know best part of the trip. But that you know, those were just some of the coolest things you know, meeting her, being able to go to those awards. And then, you know, turn it into this crazy full-time job. I mean cause it is full-time for me, it's, it's all I do.

Angela Tuell:

So yeah, I was also told by an editor that you are one of a handful of journalists that she turns to and thinks is fantastic. So why do you feel you've been able to be so successful in your career?

Gwen Pratesi:

Well, I spend a lot of time on research. You know fact checking stuff. Some, some editors, want links to everything, but regardless of if there's a link in there or not, you know it's fact check and I I think also you know there's there's a lot of heart put into it too, especially around the things that that are near and dear to me, like Alaska, northern Lights, obviously, these exciting cruises, and I have a lot of knowledge about these things, especially after all these years. So hopefully that comes through. And also, I ask for very little as far as extensions. Every now and then, like everybody, you have to ask for a few extra days, but if it's due I try to get it on time and get in it on time and make sure it's right. So hopefully that that's what they think too.

Angela Tuell:

I'm sure that's what. That is definitely part of it. I do have to ask. We could talk forever, but before we go, I'd love to know if you could tell us more about you personally. I know you love food and travel, but what are some other things that you enjoy?

Gwen Pratesi:

Uh well, I used to cook a lot more. My husband does a lot of the cooking now, but obviously that goes back to the whole culinary thing, but I still do enjoy getting in the kitchen and that's kind of a release. I'm frustrated because with all the sitting, with the writing, sometimes you just need to get up and move around. I used to be more into fashion but that's clearly taken, taken a, you know, a back seat these days because it's more about packing casual, practical stuff. So I try to be, you know, try to fuss up a bit on some of these trips and one of the things which is sort of related to traveling.

Gwen Pratesi:

But I really love when I can find some super interesting stuff when I'm traveling, whether it's clothing or jewelry, just spending time wandering some of the you know, the unique shops, not real touristy stuff. Yeah, I do enjoy that, but yeah, it's pretty much this is my world right now. Hopefully get to spend some more time with family this year, so I've got a little grandson, so we're supposed to be all traveling together next week if all goes well and everybody stays well. So hopefully a little bit more time in that department.

Angela Tuell:

I will keep my fingers crossed for you, for sure. How can our listeners connect with you?

Gwen Pratesi:

online. Well, you can go to US News and World Report and just Google US News and Gwen Pratesi, and you can see a lot of my stories there. So I have a listing at Muck Rack If you want to look at some of the articles. If you'd like to get in touch with me personally, my email is my name, gwenpratesi@gmail. com.

Angela Tuell:

Wonderful. Thank you so much, Gwen. Thank you, I appreciate it. Have a great day. That's all for this episode of Media in Minutes, a podcast by Communications Redefined. Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to our show. We'd love to hear what you think you can find more at communicationsredefinedcom slash podcast. I'm your host, Angela Toole. Talk to you next time.