Lucie
McLaughlin

Growing up in a small town in South Carolina, the youngest of 4 daughters, life was wonderful

but simple. We are extremely close as my parents always instilled in us the importance of family.

We were the average family that took the family vacation to the same beach every summer,

ours was Mexico Beach, FL but it was some of the best memories. Grandparents, Aunts,

Uncles and all the Cousins, who all slept on blankets in the family room which looked like a sea

of bodies. .We occasionally took the big trip and one of the biggest was cross country trip with

all 6 of us packed in a station wagon pulling a pop up camper to the Grand Canyon. We were a

southern cooking and grill out on Saturday night family as we didn’t have many restaurant in our

town. One of my favorite smells to this day is the smell of a charcoal grill and fresh cut grass.

After college I took a job with a Fortune 500 Co. as a corporate recruiter and this is when the

love of food, wine and travel became a passion. Traveling all over the country for work, I was

exposed from fine dining experiences to the local food trucks to experience the local flavors of

the area. it open my palette to a whole new world of culinary delights. I then met and married a

man who was in the restaurant business and then eventually get in the Wine, Beer and Liquor

Business, who also shared a love of travel. Because we still lived in the town I grew up in, the

first thing I would do when we knew we were traveling was make dinner reservations. I would

spend hours looking at reviews, asking friends if they could recommend if they had been there

and scouring the internet. The majority of the time my search was a success however, we had

some experiences that would not be so special and I would be disappointed from all the time I

would have spent doing my research. I will never forget the time we went to a highly rated

restaurant in Amelia Island with another couple. We left with an $700 tab and drove through a

Taco Bell after we were done because we were still hungry. We still laugh and talk about it to

this day. As our business grew and we gained some success, it opened up a whole new world of

culinary experiences. We broke bread with dishes prepared by world famous chefs where it was

more like a theater production paired with world class wines that would last for hours. It was

dining to a whole new level. We then moved to Charleston, SC in 2007 which is a top culinary

destination. I knew then I wanted to raise my children with a broader palette for food and travel

then I had growing up. We would take them to restaurants where we would not allow them to

order off the kids menu. They would have what we ordered and if they didn’t like it they could

make a peanut butter and jelly when they got home. It was very rare, if ever, they made a PB

and J. We also took family trips around the world and would buy a Christmas ornament for each

place we visited. We now have a separate tree we put up with all the places we have been with

a globe as a tree topper.

My children have now flown the nest and i find myself in a New Era of freedom. A New Chapter

that I need to find a purpose after being the family CEO for over 20 years. The answer was

simple.. become a Luxury Travel Advisor specializing in culinary and wine-focused journeys.

What better purpose than to share my passion and knowledge of wine and food through

destinations all over the world. I believe travel should feel as effortless as it is extraordinary —

every journey curated to your palate, your pace, and your passions. Through partnerships with

the world’s most knowledgeable travel experts in their area, together we can create itineraries

that immerse you in the culinary heart of each destination. Trusting the process of proven

experiences and not