About

About Me
Hi there!  I’m Laurie. Planted in South Korea, grown in the Garden State and living in Philadelphia for 17 years. I’m a social media strategist and influencer, a storyteller, a content creator, a contributing blogger and photographer to the Huffington Post and the IKEA Design Blog, a travel enthusiast, an epicurean, and one of the last IKEA Backpackers in the world. In an effort to make the world a more beautiful place to live, I’m visiting faraway lands, telling stories about people who are making a positive impact around the globe, and inspiring people to break down barriers and come together by learning culture through cuisine.

I’ve lived in small towns and big cities in the US and around the world. I have visited 34 countries in the last 5 years, and was one of the last IKEA Backpackers in the world. My travel list is never-ending. Many people ask me what destination is at the top of my travel list. The answer is South Korea. One day I would like to find my birth mother and see the country I come from, but that story is for a later day.

Through my travels, what I have found that I have been most moved by, the most changed by and enriched by, was not the checks on my travel list or the steps I took on ancient grounds. It was the people I met along the way. I started seeing passed the monuments and the sites and started getting to know the people who crossed my path. With every place that I visit, and every person that I meet, a new adventure, a new friendship and a new perspective on life and the world out there emerges. I am a firm believer that with any destination you visit, what you take away from it is never really about the place, but the company you are with and the lessons you learn from the people you meet.

Allow me to introduce you to the people I have met and all the beautiful things they are doing.

About This Blog
Food is the one thing in the world that we all share in common and we don’t just need it to survive, we revel in it in our own ways. You can learn so much about a culture through its cuisine. People have been coming together over food since the beginning of time. It’s a way for us to connect with each other, teach, learn and grow, build relationships, discuss the future while paying homage to the past, conduct business, network, and celebrate life. It breaks down barriers and helps us to build better relationships with one another. You can sit down to a meal with a total stranger and come out as best friends.

This blog is a reflection of all that can come from sharing a meal with someone. It is not just a journal of the places I have visited and the tips I have picked up along the way, or just about the sites I have seen (although, you will get some of that). It’s also the lessons I have learned and want to share with others. It’s the exploration and the study of wanderlust and it’s an appreciation of how sharing one meal with someone can teach you so many things, bring you close, take you places, and in some cases if you’re lucky, change your life forever.

The Art of Breaking Bread is a series of stories, photos, tips and recommendations, lessons learned, conversations and interviews in or about faraway places, with real people who have touched my life, have had an adventure to share, are building something beautiful, or have cared to share a warm-hearted meal or two with me.

It’s a blog about travel, food, culture and creation on the surface. And a blog about togetherness, connections and life underneath.

If you’re a travel enthusiast like me, a food lover, an entrepreneur, a photographer, a dreamer, a believer, if you’re of the curious kind… if you’re someone who wants to be inspired to get out of your box and discover the beauty this world has to offer (surprise, it might be in your own backyard), I invite you to kick back, pour yourself a glass of wine, make yourself at home and join me on my journey.

Since the launch of The Art of Breaking Bread, I have grown my social network to over 50K connections and am currently looking for people who have a story to share with my growing community. I would love to hear what you are doing to make the world a more beautiful place to live.

Let’s break bread together.

A Dedication
This blog is dedicated to the people who have inspired me to be a better person today than I was yesterday and to a friend who showed me love and brought me to life in a foreign place, someone who helped me to find my creativity again and gave me the courage to chase after my dreams.

 

22 responses to About

  1. Steph Be says:

    I don’t have a WordPress so I can’t “like” it, but I do like it!
    Love your story and I can’t wait to read more from your blog!

    Like

  2. Matthew Treglia says:

    Hey Laurie, my names Matt and I am about to graduate oswego university as a communication major. I am fascinated by what you do and would like to go along the same path as you did. Once I graduate I’m moving back to NYC with no serious plans ahead. If you could email me at tregliamatthew@gmail.com and could give me a few tips that would be awesome.

    Thanks so much :)

    Like

  3. sherwin litan says:

    I want to be like you. I want to travel and take photos of every new place I discover.:) i love your stories! You’re the only blogger i follow. Haha! Might as well create an account and start blogging. But blogging is not my strength. Haha!

    Like

  4. munchiesmayhemandmanhattan says:

    Hi Laurie, my name is Alexis Priester and I’m Community Manager at Triplagent (http://www.triplagent.com/). I wasn’t able to find an email address to contact you so I hope it’s okay to contact you here. We are looking for fun-loving travelers to be a part of our great new travel app and blog. Triplagent provides fellow travelers with an alternative to the typical tourist recommendations. We started out featuring posts about New York City but in the upcoming months, we will be expanding to London, Rome, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney, Barcelona and Istanbul. So far, we have about 10,000 travelers using our travel app and we would love to feature your work.
    If you’re interested, please email me alexis@triplagent.com so I can send you some more information.
    Hope to hear from you soon!
    P.S. – I found out about you through instagram, great posts (:

    Like

  7. janeroberts8182 says:

    Hi, there!

    I’m Jane and am an avid reader and blogger, a passion which I think we share. I’ve been writing contents on the web professionally since 2010. I share my experience through articles on Travel, Culture, History, Lifestyle and many more.

    Your blog “theartofbreakingbread.com” is probably one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen recently and with due reason. I was wondering if I could do a guest post for your blog.

    I would like to write on “8 Amazing Destinations to Visit in Australia” or any other suggested topic for your blog.

    It would be an honor to see my article published on your site.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Regards,
    Jane Roberts.

    Like

  8. Medihoo says:

    Hey Lauri,

    You follow us on Twitter…Thanks!

    We followed you back and checked your website…we like what you’re doing!

    Here some info that might be interesting to share with your readers

    I founded http://www.medihoo.com

    It is a platform for expatriates and travelers. Everyone should have easy access to quality care whilst traveling. Medihoo helps travelers in need to find good health care providers abroad.

    It is a terrible thing falling sick or having an accident in a foreign country.

    With our community based tool travelers can help each other by adding/ recommending healthcare providers and rating them.

    It is free for use!! Help us to help travelers. Share if you think it could benefit your followers and readers!

    Our Motto: Let’s Share Good Care

    Cheers and THANKS!

    Jeroen

    Like

  9. Jolanda says:

    Chica! Was just browsing your blog – it is great! Easy to spend lots of time here without getting bored. Never stop writing! Cheeeers, Jolanda

    Like

  11. Roberta McDonnell says:

    Hi Laurie, I love your blog! What an exciting and inspiring life you lead, its great to hear about your adventures. I work in Ikea Belfast (Northern Ireland) and we are having a previous backpacker come talk to us next week – a Belfast guy who did a stint in Texas and now works in logistics in one of the London stores. Photography, writing and natural health practices are my hobbies and I’ve also worked in mental health nursing, psychology and anthropology research. I’m studying marketing and digital essentials part time, am married. and have four daughters. Thanks for all your interesting posts- I’m looking forward to keeping up, Roberta 🙂

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