Last Updated on October 24, 2024
On a fall 2024 trip to Southern California from my home near Phoenix, my husband’s and my travels took us through the Coachella Valley and Joshua Tree National Park. Planning our road trip, I discovered Traveling Spoon, a network of chefs worldwide with a theme of ‘Travel off the Eaten Path.’
While Desert Hot Springs isn’t far off the beaten path, it is a small town between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree on a route we routinely take between Arizona and California. Known for its cold and hot mineral springs, home to one of the largest wind farms in the United States, award-winning drinking water, and resorts and spas, we were fortunate to find a private chef to create a meal to our liking.
What better way to experience dinner on the road than in someone’s home – like a family friend?
About Traveling Spoon
Traveling Spoon is a network of vetted hosts who share their cultural and culinary traditions along with a homemade meal in their home.
The Founders of Traveling Spoon, Aashi Vel and Steph Lawrence, met at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley and shared a passion for food. They designed a community of fellow food and travel lovers who seek meaningful experiences worldwide.
Selecting a Host on Traveling Spoon
Food lovers begin the process of booking a Traveling Spoon host online by entering your travel dates and completing the online reservation form along with payment information.
An email reservation confirms the host’s availability and includes details about your upcoming booking. Once you accept the reservation and confirm your payment method, you receive the host’s contact information by email, along with all the details you’ll need for your experience.
Before our visit, we communicated directly with our host by text and email.
From Albania to Vietnam and all around the globe, a travel specialist is on hand to help you find a perfect host. We were pleased to find one near our destination in Southern California.
Our Chef: Jonathan Santiago
Chef Jonathan Santiago hails from the Hudson Valley in New York and has been in the Coachella Valley for about five years. He discovered the area from a previous job working in there. On days off, he would explore, discovered he liked Desert Hot Springs, and decided to settle here.
Chef Jonathan is a private chef who serves clients at Airbnb rentals and other dining events. He is just completing his first year in this new career and many of his clients come by word-of-mouth and Traveling Spoon. He is also a popular chef at Kitchen Kitchen, a cutlery store in Indian Wells where he conducts cooking classes.
His style in the kitchen is both relaxed and informative.
On a more personal note, when at home, he shares cooking duties with his wife. Their go-to meals include chicken and rice dishes. Chef Jonathan is a big fan of sandwiches and uses halloumi (one of the ingredients in the meal he prepared for us) with marinated vegetables. There’s no need for chicken in this dish because it’s quite hearty.
Our Dinner Experience
Given the choice between Mediterranean and Italian cuisine, my husband and I selected the Mediterranean option. Chef Jonathan also prepared vegan dishes, adding Halloumi cheese for protein to accommodate my current eating style.
The Menu – Mediterranean Vegan Cuisine included:
• Falafel
• Halloumi Cheese (protein for non-vegans)
• Riced sauteed cauliflower
• Sauteed Broccolini with garlic
• Pickled onions
• Greek Kalamata Olives
• Tomatoes
• Persian cucumbers
• Hearts of Palm
• Naan with butter and Zatar
• Fresh greens dressed with a touch of Peach Balsamic vinegar
We both enjoyed watching the cooking demonstration, our conversation, and the artistic plating of our meals. Everything was colorful and amazingly fresh. For flavor and texture, we enjoyed the buttered naan with Zatar. The bread, like pita, was soft, and the Mediterranean flavor of the spices gave it a richness and unique taste.
Traveling Spoon is an excellent resource for finding unique dining experiences worldwide. If you want to make real connections with a local and have a meaningful conversation, begin your search on the Traveling Spoon website. We were happy to meet Jonathan Santiago and dine in his home.
