Oi, we’re Aline & Olavo!
a trained chef and former sommelier couple based in Portugal, eating and drinking our way through the world one bite and sip at a time.
I’m Aline
I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, then lived over twenty years in the United States, and now call Portugal home. Experiencing three very different cultures didn’t just shape how I live; it completely changed the way I see food, travel, and what it means to truly know a place.
Food has always been my way of understanding the world. I’m a trained chef, food writer, photographer, and the creator at Brazilian Kitchen Abroad, where I help millions of readers bring authentic Brazilian flavors into their kitchens. My culinary work has been featured in The New York Times, Saveur, and more.
But long before I was developing recipes, I was fascinated by people.
I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Globalization Studies, where I explored how history, culture, and migration shape the world around us. The more I traveled, the more I realized food brings those stories together around the same table. Learning four languages along the way, taught me that while languages can start conversations, food often tells the stories words sometimes can’t.
Today, every trip begins with one question: not just what people eat, but why. My hope is that by sharing those stories, you’ll discover incredible places to eat, yes, but also connect more deeply with the destinations you visit, and maybe even see the world a little differently.
and I’m Olavo
I was born and raised in Lisbon, one of the oldest cities in Western Europe. The city’s skyline is unmistakably Christian, yet beneath its churches lie the remains of Islamic mosques, and beneath those, ruins of Roman temples.
That collision of civilizations now exists mostly underground. But traces of it are still alive, in the roots of words, in everyday traditions, and, best of all, in the stories preserved in food. I’ve long been drawn to those stories, leading me to study culinary arts and hospitality.
Like many young adults, I confused my love of food with wanting to build a career in it. It took me many years, working as a cook and a waiter in Portugal, Brazil, and Indonesia, to realize they weren’t the same thing. Somewhere along the way, wine found me… not simply as a beverage, but as a culture, a language, and a way of understanding people and place.
Today I work as a wine educator and importer, visiting producers in their regions and connecting them with people who enjoy their wines. I also hold a Master’s degree in Political Philosophy, where I connected history and the ideas that shape civilizations. Through The Eating Travelers, I hope to bring those same layers to the dinner table.
The more I travel, the less I want to collect places. I want to know a handful deeply, to slow down, look closer, and share it with people who believe the best way to understand a destination is through its food, wine, and the stories behind them.
Together
We created The Eating Travelers because we believe that the fastest way to understand a place is to taste it.
We Travel to Eat
Not because we’re trying to check restaurants off a list, but because every dish, every market, every family recipe, and every glass of wine tells us something about the place we’re visiting.
Sure, we’ll visit the landmarks. But we’re just as curious about what people were eating when they were built, why one valley grows incredible wine while the next doesn’t, how a centuries-old recipe survived for generations, or why a monastery became famous for its pastries.
To us, food is never just food. It’s one of the clearest expressions of a place’s history, geography, culture, and the people who call it home.
Every meal has a story to tell. Sometimes it’s a centuries-old tradition. Sometimes it’s the result of trade, migration, or local ingenuity. Sometimes it’s simply the dish everyone gathers around on Sunday.
The more we travel, the more convinced we become that the best way to understand a destination isn’t just by seeing it. It’s by tasting it.
If asking “Why?” excites you just as much as asking “Where should we eat?”, you’re in exactly the right place.
Follow the Journey:
Come Hungry
Around here, you’ll find food travel guides, destination itineraries, unforgettable restaurants, local wines, hidden food experiences, and practical travel planning – all designed to help you experience a destination beyond the typical tourist checklist.
But you’ll also find the stories behind the meals, the people preserving centuries-old traditions, and the questions that make us see familiar places in entirely new ways.
Whether you’re planning your next trip or simply dreaming about one, our goal is the same: to help you travel more curiously, eat more intentionally, and return home with more than great recommendations.
But above all, our hope is that you’ll come home with more than incredible meals. You’ll leave with stories to tell, a deeper appreciation for the places you’ve visited, and a new way of seeing the world… one delicious trip at a time.
✨ Cheers to Living Deliciously
