As far as Alex Lichaytoo is concerned, you don’t need to be a chef to appreciate good food. You can even make it yourself. All it takes is a mix of the best ingredients, a bottle of the right wine to match, and knowing how to use them. But what that means for Alex is going all the way across the world—to Italy, to France, to Portugal, and the cities in between—just to learn precisely which ones these are and how exactly to use them. Alex is the owner of Bacchus Epicerie, a chain of specialty stores that supplies wines and food products, often directly from the makers themselves. He’s also the epicure and curator of its stock—each one handpicked by Alex as the best in its price range, regardless of how much it actually costs (or doesn’t cost). The years of traveling, for Bacchus, all began in Bordeaux, and it was from there that the roads to all the other places started to open.

Can you give us the most distinctive cities or towns that you have visited?

My first experiences evolved around wine and Bordeaux started it all. I met some wonderful people and realized that behind these great wines were artists, technicians, farmers and traders all working together in making Bordeaux wines very special. Next was discovering the regions of Piedmonte and Parma in italy—where the great Italian food producers were. Truffles, prosciutto ham, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and other great discoveries were from there. It was an eye-opener to look at food products with great pride and passion. From here I was hooked!

What is it like to scour the world for the best sources of ingredients, wine, and food?

We only wanted to bring products that we ourselves believed in, and to be able to teach this to others we had to experience everything and discover why these food and wines were so special. We made it a point to experience what the producers did and why they did it.

Can you tell us your best experiences while traveling for Bacchus?

One of them was visiting the Duoro valley in Portugal. We visited the Symington family, the producers of Graham, Warre, Dow, and Vesuvio port. We lived on the edge of the cliff at the Graham lodge overlooking the Duoro river. And every morning, we drove down to the bakery for fresh bread in town and they were still making flour using stone wheels, before baking in a huge stone oven. It made me realize that the simple things in life are still the best, and sometimes all this technology leads us away from what is important in life.

Any advice for people who want to travel the world for their taste buds?

Stop taking pictures of everything they eat. Focus on the smell, the flavors, and the moment. After all, you are not eating for others. It’s about creating a memory that you will internalize and remember the rest of your life. If it was worth it, that is. If not, I usually just leave the food and go somewhere else. Life is too short to eat bad food.

Photographs by Paul Del Rosario

This story first appeared in Vault Magazine Issue No. 24 2018