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Joe Hunt

@itsjoehunt

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Building @eatvoro
@shorelinecity | @ndalumni | 🇺🇸🇨🇺

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Steel, ink, and carbon taken in Dallas, Texas by @itsjoehunt

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19 days ago

Seeing for myself taken in Dallas, Texas by @itsjoehunt

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a month ago

Letters from Henrietta, TEXAS!!

Fun day out in Henrietta visiting a local Texas cattle rancher @w2rbeef who I met through a friend who met through @thefoundersclub

Great day learning about beef, ranch life, and sweet home Texas.

It’s good to be back… HOORAH taken in Henrietta, Texas by @itsjoehunt

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2 months ago

Letters from Verona and Lake Garda

Had the opportunity to stay with a friend from Notre Dame’s dad in Verona. Was an incredible opportunity to learn more about the city from a local who’s lived in Italy his whole life, and in Verona for the majority of it.

From visiting one of his favorite local restaurants that had so most beautiful bistecca alla fioretina, getting freshly sliced prosciutto from his fridge, to hearing more about how Italy shaped who he is today.

What made Verona really stand out to me was its proximity to Lake Garda. Was an unbelievable experience taking a 2 hour ferry throughout the lake to arrive at Malcesine, a small town known for its cliff jumping, although the local government strongly advise against it.

Until next time Italy taken in Verona, Italy by @itsjoehunt

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2 months ago

Letters from Florence

A memorable trip filled with unplanned experiences, inspired by the desire to be spontaneous and trust in the “wind.”

A few examples:

1. I met two brothers from New Zealand at my hostel playing cards after I asked if I could join them. We played a few hands, chatted a bit, and one of them ended up showing me a few sick magic tricks. The next day, he taught me one of them, and a few hours later, I found myself executing the trick perfectly in front of a small crowd, which was one of the most random things I could imagine myself doing.

2. I then met a cool guy from Australia who has been traveling for about 10 months all throughout the world. We met up with another Aussie and a Belgian from the hostel and had a nice dinner at a local farm-to-table restaurant. It ended up that, at that table, we had a coal miner, a finance bro, a military bomb specialist, and a restaurateur all sitting together, sharing our similar passion for backpacking and love for Italian food.

3. From this dinner, I left to go find some live music. It so happened that, less than 5 minutes away, I stumbled into a villa that had €20 tickets for a live Italian orchestra, which happened to start exactly as I arrived.

4. And finally, from there, I was on my way back to my hostel looking for a dessert and randomly stumbled into a Michelin-star restaurant called @attodivitomollica . I looked at their menu and saw that they had a €15 tiramisu that I would have kicked myself if I didn’t order. I walked in, asked if I could get seated, and, by chance, proceeded to enjoy one of the most enchanting atmospheres I’ve ever been fortunate enough to dine in. After ordering the tiramisu, my server, Danis, recommended pairing it with one of the most delicious Italian sweet wines I’ve ever tasted. As we talked, I mentioned that I’m in the restaurant business, and he shared a bit of the restaurant’s story and philosophy. Finally, when I finished, Danis invited me to tour the whole restaurant, which made an already unforgettable experience even more memorable.

These experiences reinforced my belief that trips are often enjoyed not by the experiences we plan, but by the ones we don’t. taken in Florence, Italy by @itsjoehunt

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2 months ago

Letters from the Italian Riviera

Genova, San Fruttuoso, Portofino, Santa Margherita, & Camogli

One of my favorite stops so far. From the food, the scenery, the spontaneity how the week unfolded, the 5 extended nights in my hostel, and cultural immersion with a few local friends

Journaled a lot here with notes about experience design, hospitality, fundamentals in the culinary arts, and how much my faith has been strengthened on this trip

Ciao bella taken in The Italian Riviera by @itsjoehunt

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2 months ago

Letters from Lake Como taken in Lake Como, Italy by @itsjoehunt

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3 months ago

Letters from Valencia

Note to self: Always take a restaurant recommendation from a group of locals at a flamenco show.

After a busy day of catching up on work, I decided to go to a venue that was hosting a flamenco show. There happened to be one seat left at a table with a family of five Spanish women, and I excitingly joined them.

The show ended, we chatted, and I asked them for a local restaurant recommendation. They unanimously voted for @gazuza.gastrobar

I curiously walked over, expecting nothing more than a solid dinner. I sat down in the small 22-seat restaurant, and any expectations I had were completely shattered.

I ended up having one of the best meals I’ve had in my life, I was the last customer in the restaurant, and afterward I grabbed a drink with Chef Cristian @cristianthefirst , the 32-year-old co-owner of Gazuza, a Chopped champion, and a Michelin-level chef. We talked about food, business, and the road that led him to opening his restaurant.

What I couldn’t have expected was that the next morning he invited me to join him at the market to source produce, help with prep, and shadow him until the restaurant opened for service.

These are the moments that make solo travel so rewarding. I think Anthony Bourdain would have approved.

Thank you again Chef. Until next time. taken in Valencia by @itsjoehunt

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3 months ago

Letters from Madrid taken in Madrid, Spain by @itsjoehunt

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3 months ago

Letters from San Sebastián taken in San Sebastian / Donostia by @itsjoehunt

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3 months ago

Letters from Lourdes

One of the most unexpected stops on my trip. Happened to to be the stopping point on my way to hike the Pyrenees from Paris. Little did I know Lourdes is one of the most Catholic cities in all of Europe.

Few observations I made.

1. Lourdes is home to the original Grotto, which happens to be the same Grotto that my university, the University of Notre Dame, built a replica of on its campus. I spent 17 years of my life not believing in God, and 4 years at Notre Dame not believing, and on my 8 week trip in Europe, God led me to connect with the same Grotto I spent years passing by.

2. Similarly, the name of my university is actually named after “Notre Dame de Lourdes”, or Our Lady from Lourdes.

3. After spending 10 years as a swimmer and collegiate athlete, I felt this inclination to go swim in the miraculous river, although none of the thousands of pilgrims and tourists in the city were swimming. This almost felt like God was winking at me and helping me connect with my past passion.

4. My moms birth name (now Marilu Almeida Hunt) was Maria De Lourdes Almeida Torres.

God’s works in mysterious ways. Grateful.

🙏🏼✝️ taken in Lourdes, France by @itsjoehunt

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3 months ago

Frames from Paris taken in Paris, France by @itsjoehunt

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3 months ago