Author of Porto: Stories from Portugal’s Historic Bolhão Market, Sonia has spent several years writing about the culture and cuisine of Portugal. She was born in Lisbon, but raised in a Portuguese enclave in Newark, New Jersey. Sonia’s exposure to a melting pot of cultures has honed her gift for connecting and communicating with people from varied backgrounds.

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Before moving to Portugal, Sonia worked as a journalist for newspapers, magazines and blogs. Later, she ventured into communications as a director for marketing agencies. While building her career, Sonia’s desire to share Portugal with others grew stronger.

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Fueled by vivid food memories and a passion for storytelling, Sonia moved to Lisbon in 2020, where she’s guiding food tours as well as tasting her way through Portugal as inspiration for stories and itineraries.  ​

Raising three children and running a home rental and property management biz in the Torres Vedras area, Carla has become a guru on pretty much everything imaginable in her neck of the woods. A talented home cook with a certification in cake design, Carla is on a constant quest to taste the next best thing. She’s without a doubt, a doer!

Carla grew up in a Portuguese community in Newark, New Jersey, before moving to Portugal more than 20 years ago. Her bilingual and bicultural background has been the saving grace of local expats in search of a kind spirit to help them navigate everyday life in a new country.

A nature lover with a preference for holistic medicine, Carla has developed an interest in a vegan lifestyle–a journey she’s embarking on one bite at a time. 

A self-proclaimed nerd, Savannah is equal parts foodie and equal parts gamer. She’s also quite the comedian–making someone laugh is her natural high. 

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Born in Portugal, but raised in a Portuguese-American family, Savannah developed a cultural duality that allows her to straddle both worlds. A recent graduate, she brings a fresh perspective to every project she joins. 

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Most recently, Savannah worked in the wine tourism industry, where she was involved in all aspects of brand promotion, including website management and events. 

 

With a special interest in new technologies and design, Savannah is wired to develop and create solutions wherever she lands. 

Julia is the youngest member of the Portugal Less Traveled tribe, yet her wisdom goes beyond her years. Whether it’s on the tennis court, in the classroom or at the local food drive, Julia’s determination to make a difference is admirable. Born in a Portuguese community in Newark, New Jersey, she has inherited the impeccable work ethic of her immigrant ancestors, apparent in day-to-day interactions with her. 

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Visiting Portugal often as a child, Julia quickly understood the power of immersing in a culture, developing her desire to learn about people and places through travel. On her most recent trip to Portugal, she hung out with grannies, sipping cherry liqueur that they sell from their doorsteps. She can’t wait to be back!

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Currently a student at High Point University in North Carolina, Julia is majoring in Marketing with minors in Psychology and Digital Communications.

Lynne was born and bred in the Portuguese section of Massachusetts (or what she has coined "the tri-linguica area”), which comprises Taunton (her birthplace), New Bedford and Fall River. Lynne's grandparents were born in the Azores and Madeira Island, and her mother kept Portuguese food alive with “massa sovada, malasadas and bacalhau,” while her father dug clams on Cape Cod for year-round clam boils cooked over a fire pit.

Lynne's passion for food and her career choice as a copywriter led her to organically morph into specializing in food marketing and content creation. She worked for many agencies in New York City and Boston before starting her own food marketing agency in Cambridge, MA. She also created a content platform called how2heroes with over 3,000 original videos of cooks and chefs sharing their favorite recipes, including her Mom's Sweetbread and famous Apple Pie.

Today Lynne is a Fractional Creative Director and Writer and works with food brands to tell their stories, create recipes, and develop meaningful engagement with their customers. She lives on the coast of Maine, but visits Portugalia supermarket in Fall River whenever she gets a chance to stock up on sardines. 

Jessica is a writer and photographer working in the New York Tri-State area since 2004. The daughter of Colombian/Ecuadorian parents who emigrated to the United States, Jessica was exposed to a variety of flavors early on, contributing to a love of worldly cuisines. Living near one of the largest Portuguese communities in the U.S., Jessica and her family made regular excursions to Newark’s “Little Portugal” to indulge in favorite seafood dishes, like “mariscada.” A die-hard foodie, Jessica has a passion for learning about cultures through food and travel–and sharing her gems with readers.

Jessica has worked for print and online publications including The Jersey Journal, The Hudson Reporter, hMAG Magazine, Patch.com, and Let’s Eat Magazine. Additional writing and photography credits have appeared in The New York Times, American Motorcyclist Magazine, and Raia Diplomatica.