Who’s Behind Culinary Travelers?
Niki Davis is a food nerd who revives classic recipes by utilizing modern cooking techniques and kitchen appliances. Her husband, Chili, loves to experiment with cocktail recipes, using his own twists, and showcasing an array of spirits.
Together, they host a witty and informative cooking show - The Davises Eat - broadcast live from their home kitchen. Everything happens in real time, but we manage to put a full meal on the dinner table in about an hour.
Culinary Travelers primarily highlights recipes from The Davises Eat with occasional stories and recipes from Niki’s mom, Debbie. Articles focus on food heritage with a little history tossed in for good measure.
Why subscribe?
There are two subscription levels. Read on to see what each gets you.
Free Subscribers
We’d love to have you signed up and join the antics!
You will receive our monthly newsletter which features stories, a recipe or two, and links to other great information.
You will also receive a weekly recap of The Davises Eat with a link to the replay. If you miss the show, you can take a quick look at what we were up to, what we were cooking… and probably have a laugh or two.
Paid Subscribers
Thank you for considering a paid subscription. We love what we do. It takes time and money to put together The Davises Eat, developing the recipes, and writing the articles, so your support is immensely appreciated.
Paid subscribers receive everything above plus:
A weekly newsletter that includes a recap of The Davises Eat, information about the recipes, and a download link to recipe cards (PDF).
Occasional recipe booklets.
Free access to periodic virtual cooking lessons designed with home cooks in mind.
How It All Began
Our live broadcasts began a few weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic locked us down in March 2020. People were panic shopping where we live and the grocery store shelves were empty… very empty.
I had received an outpouring of questions about how to manage in a home kitchen, especially given the low food inventory locally. So, I got home one night, looked at Chili, and said, “grab a beer, we’re hitting Facebook.”
We had over 130 friends and family watching and talking with us about cooking. We loved being able to help folks take the first step back into their kitchens and renew a love - or at least appreciation - of cooking.
Over two years later, we’re still at it - not because we want to be famous - but because we love spending time together and with those who watch. Chili loves showing people how to mix drinks. I love talking about how cooking from scratch (or mostly scratch) isn’t as hard as it seems to be. We pull together a full dinner - and drink - in about an hour.
We’re cooking dinner, but I suppose a little fame would be okay.
The “Day Jobs”
We live in the Midwest… smack in the middle of the Heartland.
By day, I am a professor of practice and the program director of the Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management program at SIU (Go, Dawgs!). I have taught cooking, event planning, marketing, and tourism classes to college students for 20 years. I am a food nerd, history buff, tourism geek, amateur genealogist, and food writer. Scotch is my go-to drink, but Chili makes some delicious cocktails.
Chili is a math nerd, football fanatic, finance guy, fraternity brother, and the love of my life. Most importantly, he’s a great Dad to our 16-year-old daughter. Sorry - had to get a little cheeky there. He is lovingly referred to as Chili by his fraternity brothers - a nickname given him 30 years ago. He loves the chemistry that goes into mixing drinks and finds inspiration in many places. Bourbon is the name of Chili’s drinking game.
We hope you subscribe and follow along for the ride… it’ll be fun!
