Welcome to Cardamom Magazine! Our focus is the world of food and travel. Through our global network of contributors, we share international recipes, culinary travel tips, restaurant guides, chef profiles, and much more!
Founding Cardamom enabled me to combine the best of both worlds — my life-long interests in food, travel, and foreign cultures with my professional experience in journalism, web design, and social media.
Message from the Founder: The Personal Story Behind Cardamom Magazine
The inspiration for Cardamom Magazine dates back to my childhood, baking with my mom and Swedish grandmother in her cozy kitchen. I was a picky eater at that time but loved my grandmother’s delectable recipes for Swedish bread and pastries. Her secret ingredient? Cardamom, of course!
From those early experiences, the kitchen always represented a place of cozy comfort and family bonding, not to mention delicious food. As I grew up and started traveling around the world, my taste buds expanded and I began experimenting with many different ethnic cuisines. I still loved cardamom, but then it also represented something else: a world of spicy, exotic flavors.
This blend of the cozy comforts of home and the excitement of exotic new flavors around the globe sums up perfectly what Cardamom Magazine is all about.
Meet the Founder
Fast facts about Cardamom Magazine founder Patrice Rutledge:
- World Traveler: Traveled around the world for vacation, work, and education. Favorite countries: Sweden, Italy, France, Ireland. Favorite city: Paris.
- Global Foodie: Avid baker and fan of Mediterranean and Scandinavian foods. Completed cooking classes in France, Italy, and California. Favorite foods: quiche, risotto, and paella. Guilty pleasures: Pain au chocolat, macarons, and cardamom cake (nana’s recipe!).
- Geek: Managed global communications and training for one of the world’s leading technology companies, Oracle.
- Author: Published numerous books on social media, web design, and digital productivity for leading international technology publisher Pearson.
- Journalist: Contributed to publications in the US, UK, and Canada on topics ranging from food and travel to technology.
- Linguist: Native speaker of English. Good knowledge of French, Italian, and Spanish. Can order a meal in German, Swedish, and Portuguese.
Media
Cardamom Magazine founder Patrice Rutledge has been quoted in dozens of media outlets around the world including CNN, Inc. Fox News, ABC News, MSN, AOL, Orange County Register, ZDNet, USAA, CareerBuilder, Simpatico.ca (Canada), Correire della Sera (Italy), and more. Her areas of expertise include:
- Trends in culinary travel and global cuisine, particularly spices, tea, and the culinary scene in California and Paris
- Leaving the corporate world behind to create a lifestyle business focused on your passions
- Social media, branding, marketing, and web design
- Blogging, book publishing, and digital journalism
Patrice is available for media interviews in English (phone, podcast, email) and French, Italian, and Spanish (email only).
Cardamom Magazine Contributors
Here are some of our talented contributors to Cardamom Magazine:
Joan Carlson Bardin loves exploring her Nordic heritage, anything chocolate, and all things Paris. As our research editor, Joan enjoys researching the latest global culinary trends and products. She holds degrees in music and healthcare and has taught voice and piano at the college level.
Anela Tripkovic Anela is an avid home cook, writer, and health junkie. Anela loves the challenge of cooking for people who are committed to eating delicious and healthy food. She finds her inspiration everywhere and in everything, but especially in quality ingredients. As a devoted cook, she brings us the most delectable recipes from her country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also from the Balkan region.
Javier Rincón is an international chef with a Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Entrepreneurship from FERRANDI-PARIS. His previous experience has included working for a Michelin star restaurant in Paris, as well as opening his own restaurant in Colombia. His current job consists of creating gourmet recipes and teaching cooking classes.
Jessica Scipioni was born in Rome, Italy and lived in the US for 10 years working as a neonatal intensive care nurse. She’s now volunteering at refugee camps in Naples, Italy and is passionate about cooking (especially Italian food!) and traveling.
Lee-Anne McQueen is a writer, digital marketing nerd, and devoted foodie living in Cape Town, South Africa with her busy young family and a vast collection of beach gear. She loves learning new things, trying new experiences, and meeting new people, and can’t stop herself from writing about all three.
Maria Calafati is an experienced journalist, reporter, and photo-reporter for newspapers, magazines, and websites, in Greece and internationally. She loves to travel around the world and “taste” the history and culture of places, through their food and traditional products.