Mia Liefeld
Bike
Over the Danube River to Margaret Island’s parks and baths in Budapest
Eat
Burritos in San Diego and fresh-caught ceviche on Grand Cayman
Drink
Dry, easy whites: Vinho Verde, Grüner Veltliner, and Arneis, to name a few
Sleep
A lakeside cabin in Maine to the sound of loons
Originally from Southern California, Mia was raised on visits to Gilroy to taste garlic ice cream, drives up the California Coast for olallieberry pie in Cambria, and impulse trips to Mexico’s Rosarito Beach inspired by her dad’s sudden lobster cravings. When she found herself in Massachusetts for college, she soothed the culture shock with rides on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and an introduction to wine by way of Boston’s thriving culinary scene.
She traveled the US as a college recruiter, becoming familiar with cities from Seattle to San Antonio. Work trips fueled the desire to explore more distant shores: first came the town squares of Prague, then the Mayan ruins of Copán, and the countryside of southwest France where she learned to love Armagnac and ate her fill of cherries right off the tree.
Whenever she plans her next trip, she starts with what and where to eat, finding that the character of every destination closely follows its food. It’s a philosophy perfectly aligned with DuVine’s—the pasta with anchovies truly tastes like Cinque Terre, and the txakoli poured from above shows what San Sebastian is all about.