Margaret (Peg) Kern has been fulfilling her clients’ travel dreams since 2004 when she joined The International Kitchen as a tour coordinator after leaving academia. She and her business partner bought The International Kitchen in 2015 and have expanded the company to include more trips, new destinations, custom itineraries, and a robust food and travel blog.

Raised in a small town in Ohio, Peg always wanted to see the world. She started doing so by heading to New York City for college, where she graduated cum laude from Columbia University. One of the highlights of college for her was a junior year spent in Rome, Italy, studying Italian literature and art at the University of Rome la Sapienza. Her interest in travel blossomed into an intense and enduring love for Italy.

After returning to Rome for a year (and enjoying work in a couple of Roman
eateries), she headed to Chicago for graduate school. Peg received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Italian literature from the University of Chicago, graduating with honors, where she then taught for two years as part of the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities.

By 2004 Peg was ready to leave academia behind to pursue other interests, and when she saw an ad for a boutique tour company that specialized in food-themed tours, she jumped at the chance to the join the team. That company was The International Kitchen, one of the premier providers of culinary vacations and food-themed travel since 1994.

Having lived for several years in Italy during the preceding decade, Peg was particularly keen to introduce travelers to the authentic Italy she knew and loved, but she quickly expanded her areas of expertise to include the rest of Europe, most notably France and Spain. She stepped back from the company for a few years to start a family but came back full force in 2015 when she assumed co-ownership of the business. She has instilled the travel bug in her sons and enjoys traveling with the whole family to check out cooking classes and food tours in destinations around the world.

Peg’s experience in traveling and living in Europe has made her well suited to plan trips for her culinary travelers, and she couples that with years of experience in restaurants and the food service industry. Although her work in the food industry began inauspiciously in high school at the local McDonald’s, she has worked at restaurants and bars in the US and Rome, and worked as a private chef on Long Island.

A consummate foodie, Peg enjoys cooking for her family, entertaining friends at lavish dinner parties, and judging her sons’ home-cooking competitions. Some of her favorite food activities include perfecting her bone broth, making bread from her 30-year old Italian Mother yeast, and exploring the many ethnic cuisines so wonderfully available in Chicago.

Peg’s favorite destination remains Italy, including the regions of Lazio, Sardinia, Campania, Tuscany, Umbria, Sicily, Abruzzo, Lombardy, the Veneto, and Piedmont – to name a few.

Her philosophy when it comes to writing about food and travel is to share what she knows and to explore what she loves.


Posted

February 20, 2024

By Peg Kern

Recipes from Sarteano: Pici al Ragù Toscano

Filed Under  Kitchen Tips, Recipes

Meet Chef Chiara, the culinary instructor behind our Authentic Tuscan Cooking in the Val d’Orcia Valley and this recipe for Pici al Ragù Toscano! Chef Chiara left her career in journalism after genetic testing revealed her intolerance for many staple ingredients in Italian cuisine. She embarked on a mission to create flavorful alternatives for herself and others with dietary restrictions. She would become an accomplished Chef and author of the… Read
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Posted

February 9, 2024

By Peg Kern

What to See in Normandy France

Filed Under  Destination Features, Travel Tips

We love all the regions where we offer cooking vacations, but some locations really stand out! Normandy is certainly one of those places, offering amazing regional cuisine, fantastic local food products, and interesting cultural and historical sites. Normandy is perhaps most well-known for its place in military history, but it is its culinary traditions that stand out to us. From its rugged coast that hugs the English channel to the small hamlets that… Read
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Posted

December 20, 2023

By Peg Kern

Gluten and Dairy Free Christmas Cookies: Recipe for Italian Amaretti

Filed Under  Food History, Recipes, Special Occasions

Almond-flavored cookies are popular in Italy in general, and even more so around the holiday season. This super easy recipe for Italian amaretti is naturally gluten and dairy free, making it a go-to around the holidays for those with dietary restrictions without sacrificing the flavor! Amaretti Cookies in Italy There are many different types of almond cookies in Italy. These amaretti are slightly crunchier than ricciarelli, a popular Tuscan almond… Read
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Posted

December 14, 2023

By Peg Kern

Visiting Rocamadour in the Lot Department of France

Filed Under  Destination Features, Travel Tips

Today we are going to talk about one of France's most beloved and most stunning sites: Rocamadour. Located in the southwest of France, in the Lot départment of the Occitanie region, Rocamadour is a centuries-old religious pilgrimage stop, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a remarkable example of medieval building. What Is Rocamadour? Rocamadour is a tiny village in southwest France, built over the Alzou River gorge. Although Rocamador has… Read
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Posted

September 28, 2023

By Peg Kern

Will International Flight Prices Go Down in 2024?

Filed Under  Travel Tips, What's Up at TIK

As you've likely experienced firsthand in recent years, airline ticket prices have experienced significant fluctuations, catching the attention of globetrotters, industry experts, and even specialized travel companies. Our culinary travel company, The International Kitchen, has also noted these shifts, as they've greatly impacted our clientele and their ability to enjoy everything worldwide cuisine has to offer. The current international flight pricing trends highlight a mix of hopeful dips and challenging… Read
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Posted

September 20, 2023

By Peg Kern

Why Visit Trastevere in Rome

Filed Under  Destination Features, Travel Tips

I love to travel, and I especially love to travel to Italy. I've described elsewhere why Rome is my favorite, and perhaps no other neighborhood beckons to me like Trastevere. Trastevere literally means "across the Tiber" (Tevere is the name of the Tiber River in Italian). It's a very descriptive name, as it is the part of Rome that likes just across the Tiber from the historical center. Known for… Read
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Posted

July 18, 2023

By Peg Kern

How to Stay Cool in Europe during a Heat Wave

Filed Under  Destination Features, Travel Tips

You've probably read the headlines just like we have: record heat across Europe is throwing a wrench in some travelers' plans. But summer is still the time many of our clients are able to travel. So how can one survive the heat and stay cool when temperatures are soaring? If you find yourself in Rome or Athens and the temperatures are in the triple digits Fahrenheit, what can you do… Read
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Posted

May 25, 2023

By Peg Kern

Recipe for Greek Chicken Souvlaki

Filed Under  Food History, Recipes

When summer rolls around, it is time to pull out the grill. My family loves anything cooked on the grill, and it's a lot more fun to hang out in the back yard drinking a beer while cooking than it is to be stuck in the kitchen on a nice summer day! One of my go-to recipes for grilling out is Greek chicken souvlaki. It is perfect for a family… Read
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Posted

March 3, 2023

By Peg Kern

Moussaka Recipe from Our Poros Island Cooking Odyssey in Greece

Filed Under  Food History, Recipes

In our family our kids call moussaka "Greek lasagna," and it does bear a lot of resemblance to its Italian cousin. Both are layered, baked dishes, both feature a meat and tomato sauce along with a béchamel (at least authentic Italian lasagna–pasta al forno–does). But moussaka eschews the pasta layers for layers of delicious eggplant and potato. The meat is more pronounced, and the top layer of thick, creamy béchamel… Read
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Posted

January 21, 2023

By Peg Kern

Recipe for Picarones from Peru

Filed Under  Destination Features, Food History, Recipes

To whet your appetite for our newest tour, Exploring Andean Cuisine in Peru & Bolivia, we are featuring a classic Peruvian dessert: picarones. These fried treats may look like a donut (or an onion ring!) but they have a unique flavor this is all their own due to the inclusion of pumpkin, squash, or sweet potato (or all three). Picarones have an obvious relationship with the classic Spanish buñuelos, but… Read
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