My name is David Shalleck. I am a chef, author, instructor, and television culinary producer. Having spent many years visiting, living, cooking, and teaching throughout the Mediterranean I am hugely inspired by the food of the region. It’s fascinating how a palette of cuisines that have evolved over thousands of years are similar and diverse yet have always remained accessible for everyone to make, especially at home.

With Mediterranean Summer^® I offer entertaining stories, valuable insights, practical information, and encourage culinary travel to nourish the benefits of eating well and living better under the halo of what we know as the Mediterranean Diet.

Early in my career, while doing internships in many of Italy’s Michelin-starred restaurants, I was the summer season chef for a prominent Italian family on board their private sailing yacht. While constantly trying to please the palates of my bosses, working in a small galley, and managing a demanding schedule, this rare opportunity helped formulate the way I approach cooking: use great ingredients, stick to basic techniques, and keep it simple.

I can tell you many stories about my experiences on board the yacht and I did in my culinary travel memoir, Mediterranean Summer. With glorious backgrounds and colorful characters, from cover to cover you’ll get a behind-the-scenes account of what goes on in the mind of chef to get delicious food from the market to the plate. You can learn about my book and purchase a signed copy here.

At the beginning of my first season on the yacht the owners requested all of the menus had to reflect the flavors of each port of call. Not only did they want to see the places visited, they wanted to taste them. This directive forced me to constantly shop for local ingredients while we sailed. By virtue of origin it didn’t take long to discover the offerings were within easy reach everywhere we went. Working this way became one of my greatest takes from that experience and is one of the inspirations for Mediterranean Summer^® cooking.

Right now it’s time to get into the kitchen. Great things happen in life when you cook at home. From celebrating the seasons and sharing with others or making the best of a daily routine, quality time in the kitchen is very rewarding. For inspiration, information, and recipes visit the FOOD section here.