Ode to Travel
In his memoir Ode to Travel, Patrick Trefz combines intriguing photographs with recipes and stories, reflecting on his multilayered, global experiences.
Trefz is an acclaimed photographer, filmmaker, surfer, and chef who champions the farm-to-table movement. As he travels—often in search of ideal surfing conditions and culinary delights—he immerses himself in local scenes with a low-impact approach. Here, he shares his unvarnished experiences in Central and South America, Europe, Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, and the US alongside insights on how places are shaped by geography and history—and about how the availability of particular ingredients shapes regional foodscapes.
Trefz’s approach to sharing his travel discoveries is artistic throughout. The book’s varied visual layouts include filmstrips, doodles, and stains, as though it’s a scrapbook preserving moments in time. The images capture movement well, as with myriad shots of interrupted motion in the course of a bullfight, crashing waves, and instances of surfing, cooking, and riding a horse. The result is a work of unenhanced realism that makes good use of variations in subject, light, and color saturation.
The book includes thirty-nine recipes for dishes including Indigenous Salmon and Mussels and Urchin Risotto; they appear alongside sensory descriptions of their ingredients and collages that capture the essence of the places they connect to. Further, the recipes themselves include handwritten notes that suggest pairings from wine, music, and literature (the Tuna Curry, for example, can be chased with a cup of chai tea, evoking the Maldives and its “turquoise waters … abundant pearls, spices, coconuts, and dried fish”).
Replete with culinary and cultural discoveries, Ode to Travel shares a global traveler’s flavorful memories with a sense of deep appreciation. Savor it for its recipes, images, and thoughtful observations about diverse cultures across the world.
Reviewed by
Wendy Hinman
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
