I’m a California-born food and travel expert dedicated to inspiring food lovers to taste the world. I promote sustainable food and travel, support small businesses, and help preserve cultural individuality.
AÏDA MOLLENKAMP BIO
I’m a food and travel expert, on-camera host, cookbook author, and founder of the food-first travel planning company Salt & Wind Travel.
I grew up in Los Angeles and studied at the Cornell Hotel School and Le Cordon Bleu Paris before joining CHOW Magazine as the Food Editor.
I worked on camera, hosting Ask Aida on Food Network, Foodcrafters on Cooking Channel, In The Pantry on Yahoo!, and Off Menu on Tastemade. My cookbook, Keys To The Kitchen, is a resource for cooking more adventurously.
When I’m not traveling or working for Salt & Wind Travel, I spend my time crisscrossing California in search of its best food, wine, small businesses, and outdoor adventures.
B.S., Hotel Administration
2002, Cornell University
Le Grand Diplôme
2004, Le Cordon Bleu Paris
WSET Level 2
2021, Wines Certified
Language Skills
Working proficiency in Italian, French, and Spanish
Recipe Developer
For over 15 years, I’ve been a professional recipe developer, having created over 1,000 original recipes for CHOW Magazine, the Food Network, Keys to the Kitchen, Salt & Wind Travel, and various lifestyle brands ranging from Bob’s Red Mill and Absolut Vodka to California Grown, KitchenAid, and Lucini Olive Oil.
Food and Wine Expertise
Between working at restaurants, cooking with global chefs, running a magazine’s Test Kitchen, hosting food-focused lifestyle shows, and getting my WSET Level 3 certificate in wine, I’ve always constantly honed my travel, food, wine, and spirits knowledge.
Travel Connoisseur
My love for travel began early as eating and cooking in places is how I best understand the world. I lived in New York, Paris, and Florence before returning to my home state of California.
I now work between California, Hawai’i, Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, researching for saltandwind.com editorial stories, travel planning clients, and hosting boutique group tours.
Business Ventures
Since 2018, I’ve worked with my business partner, Kristen Kellogg, on all things Salt & Wind Travel and our video production company, Border Free Media.
We’ve crafted quality content for lifestyle brands, including HotelTonight, Visit California, Discover California Wines, Los Cabos Tourism, Four Seasons Hotels, One Fine Stay, and Consorzio Franciacorta.
