marti buckley in El pais

I'm Marti Buckley, and this is my blog.

I am an award-winning author, culinary expert, TV host and freelance journalist based in San Sebastián, Spain. I am the author of two books about Basque cuisine— The Book of Pintxos and Basque Country (Artisan). Basque Country is also available in Spanish as La Cocina Vasca (cómpralo aquí). I am the host of the four-part documentary Rioja Paired. I have also given talks at prestigious platforms such as TEDx, the Oxford Food Symposium, and at universities including Emory.

I started this blog from my Alabama kitchen in 2007.  Since then, I've worked and written at a national publication, given birth to two daughters, cooked a couple of years under one of Southern cuisine's founding fathers, and pounded out freelance food writing. I am the author of the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide for Bilbao/San Sebastian and a writer for outlets such as Condé Nast, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet, Food & Wine, The Telegraph, Decanter, Travel & Leisure, AFAR, just to name a few. I am a correspondent for The Telegraph, AFAR, and Essentialist.

I also do Spanish-English translation, specializing in food and wine, such as this book I translated.  Currently, I spend my time photographing, teaching cooking classes and various other culinary endeavours in San Sebastián, doing marketing for CounterCraft, and writing about all of it in both print outlets and on this blog.

I created a little thing called the International Society for the Preservation and Enjoyment of Vermut, which is going strong worldwide (you can even read about us in the New York Times!). And makes me an official expert on vermouth by sheer quantity consumed.

My personal projects include a 2014/2015 artisan popsicle business, called Pololo; a  2013 pop-up ice cream sandwich bakery bicycle called The Cookie, where I sold my artisan ice cream sandwiches, cookies, and donuts to unsuspecting Basque people.  You can read more about it in my interview with La Ser, Spanish radio, or via video on Basque television.

contact: martibuckley (at) gmail (dot) com

advertising/pr:  please email me for terms and more information.

camera:  All photos are currently taken with either my Lumix or Canon 20D.

photos: photos are copyrighted. please do not use any of these photos without my permission.

emails: Love your emails, keep them coming! If it's a question about "best places to eat in San Sebastian," I have boundless knowledge but little time to share it beyond the blog. Use the tags to search for "pintxos" or "michelin" starred restaurants. Or just email me :) I may work on a list of the best of the best.

Until then, you can check out:

Who knows where next?

Non gogoa, han zangoa.*

*ancient Basque proverb: Donde van los pensamientos, van los pies/ Wherever your thoughts go, your feet will follow.

Want to see me on TV? Here:

NO es país para sosos 

One of two judges on a national cooking show.

Vagabrothers Travel show

For you English speakers...

Basque country news

Giving my piece on the state of young entrepreneurs in Spain.  (subtitled in Basque)