We started in July with "Bullet Train to Osaka," a 10-course Japanese fantasy foodie safari of small plates that also included sake, highball, beer, and sochu pairings. Then in August we hosted "An Evening in the Cinque Terre," a four-course Italian pesto feast. Next, we traveled to Greece for a six-course meze dinner that we called "Greek Sunset in Santorini." Last month, we hosted a Spanish small plates feast called "Tapas Crawl in Barcelona." The final pop-up dinner event this fall will be a "Formal French Dinner in Paris" where a classic seven-course gastronomic meal will be served on Sunday, November 12 (sorry, this event is already sold out).  We're going to be taking a break from hosting these monthly dinners, but we will be back on February 11, 2024 with a "Valentine's Dinner in Napa" special event. This romantic fantasy destination dinner will start with oysters on the half shell and end with crème brûlée.

On October 19, 2023, Terri & Carly from Explore Champaign-Urbana invited me to chat about food, cooking, international travel and more on their weekly podcast. To listen to this episode, head over to Podbean or listen on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts (search for "Chambana Proud").  The Chambana Proud podcast is a weekly show about all things Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, otherwise known as Chambana. These self-proclaimed Chambana gurus highlight everything from local businesses and events to people and must-know stories. Brought to you by Experience Champaign-Urbana and the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, these are the same people who run the Chambana Welcome Crew ambassador program for newcomers to our little community. More information about upcoming pop-up events and cooking classes can always be found at www.cooking-with-paul.com . For the latest news, feel free to subscribe to my monthly email newsletter .