Shawnie Kelley

Columbus-based author Shawnie Kelley is a travel and food writer who has published five books, including Discover Cape Cod, the Insiders’ Guide to Columbus (all three editions) and It Happened on Cape Cod. She is a chef-instructor for The Mix recreational cooking program at Columbus State Community College and teaches in the Teaching Kitchen at The Well in Hilliard. A passion for history, culture and cuisine underlies all of her work.

Shawnie is the owner and travel director of Wanderlust Tours, specializing in culinary and cultural travel. Her academic background is in art history; while working for Historic Scotland and English Heritage she developed an expertise in medieval and Renaissance architecture, and she has written dozens of articles about castles, cathedrals and sculpture for British magazines and guidebooks.

She lived, studied and worked in France, Scotland and England for five years, traveling extensively through Europe and Scandinavia — experiences that led to the founding of Wanderlust Tours and that still shape every class she teaches. As a food lover, Shawnie is particularly interested in regional culinary traditions and how food connects us with a culture and with each other. Cooking classes, market tours and local tastings are a key component of her tours; at home in Columbus she teaches travel seminars and travel-inspired cooking classes.

Shawnie is a regular contributor to history, food and lifestyle magazines including Midwest Living, Renaissance Magazine, Edible Columbus, Sophisticated Living and BBC History. She is currently writing The Woman’s Guide: France and a guide to America’s grand historic hotels.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Shawnie moved to Columbus in 1997. She attended Carnegie Mellon University, The Ohio State University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Nice. She is an avid home cook, runner, herb gardener and cat lover. Upper Arlington is home.