Where Alison Roman Goes to Eat, Cook and Actually Relax

For Alison Roman—author, pantry-staple purveyor and cook—there are few things more thrilling than walking into a market and finding something she’s never seen before. First Bloom, her corner store in the Catskills, is stocked with a rotating lineup of local proteins, produce, prepared foods and sundries. The shop prioritizes accessible, practical products that are also unexpected, each chosen to provide a small antidote to a world where most things are available instantly, no matter the season.

Roman travels the way she cooks: with what’s available, and without too much of a plan. The trips that hold an outsize place in her memory aren’t the most extravagant, but the ones where the ingredients of daily life feel close at hand, whether you’re walking around a market, lingering over a long lunch or taking a nap between meetings. “People are inherently made more interesting and enriched by every place they go,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be excessive. It can just be leaving your house for a few days.”

While as a new parent, she’s no longer routinely taking three-week-long solo trips, her belief in the value of allowing plans to change and new places to surprise you hasn’t wavered. “Just because you have a baby doesn’t mean you should stop traveling,” she says. “It just becomes different.” Here are five destinations she returns to again and again, and how to experience each more deeply.

Sicily, Italy

“I love Sicily. The Aeolian Islands, Palermo, the smaller towns, everything about it. It feels like a different version of Italy than Rome, Florence or Venice. It’s like traveling to the U.S. and ending up in New Orleans—it’s part of the same country, but it feels different and has a specific culture and personality. The produce is great, the meats are great and the restaurants are fabulous. It’s a less-crowded place to cook, hang and walk to the beach every day. I went in August, thinking I’d cook beautiful tomatoes, and found not one single tomato. Instead, we had pork chops, eggplant, peppers and pasta, and we figured it out. You’re on an island. You have to let go of what you think you should be doing and allow yourself to make do.”

Sifnos, Greece

“I first went to Greece with an ex and then went back twice on my own. There’s so much culture and food in Greece that never leaves the islands—you don’t get to experience them unless you’re actually there. Alcohol and dairy products are particularly hard to export, so there could be 48 types of feta, and we know maybe one. I love seeing something I’ve never encountered. For anyone curious about the islands, I’d recommend Sifnos. Go between May and October for soft, sandy beaches and gentle waters—great for kids. There’s incredible pottery and chic little wine bars, too.”

Vietnam

“From Hội An to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is somewhere you can completely build your days around food. Pho for breakfast, something quick on the street for lunch, snacks and crab for dinner. More than any place I’ve ever been, food really anchors the culture there. Everyone’s drinking beer, sitting on stools, crowded around a table, talking and gathering. Eating feels like the main activity, and that’s what I spent most of my time doing. You can also get a massage and do a lot of karaoke. It’s kind of a dream.”

Mexico City, Mexico

“Everyone loves Mexico City, right? It’s so easy to eat well there, whether you’re cooking, dining at a restaurant or eating on the street. The markets are massive. You can get everything in one place, from cheeses to dried spices, and a green juice on the way out. You can do a three-and-a-half-hour lunch somewhere traditional like Contramar and then go somewhere like Masala y Maíz for an early dinner and have something totally different. I love a chelada or michelada in the daytime, then a mezcal bar at night where everything is treated with respect. In my late 20s and early 30s I used to go about once a year, and every time I’m there, I still never feel like I’ve seen or done it all. Instead of feeling anxious about not getting to everything, it’s like, well, I can come back, and I know I will.”

Maine

“There’s no other place like Maine. It’s a 90-minute flight from New York, but it’s a slower style of living. I’ve spent the most time in the Midcoast: Rockport, Rockland, Camden, Lincolnville, Belfast and, farther east, Blue Hill and Deer Isle, which are really fabulous. You really feel like you’re on vacation, but you can also just live your life there. I first went in the dead of winter, after a breakup, and loved it. In the summer, my perfect day looks like: farmers market, fish market, lunch outside, picking crabs on the patio with wine, start dinner around six and, somewhere in there, swimming in the ocean or a lake. It’s a less-is-more place. Some of the coziest times I’ve had there have been on rainy summer days. Perfect sweatshirt and shorts weather. And the antiquing is incredible, especially for the kitchen: dishware, bakeware, candleholders, chic glassware. Whatever speaks to you.”

Portrait of Alison Roman by Katie McCurdy; all other photos courtesy of Alison Roman.