Source & Standard

The Tasting Impact

Every great meal tells a story. Here, we delve into the origins of our food, the passionate people behind it, and our adventures tracking down the finest ingredients and culinary traditions around the globe.

The Tasting Impact
Butter, Beef, and the Start of Source & Standard in Ireland

From timeless restaurants to gluten-free gems, here’s where you’ll find the best of the best — thoughtfully vetted for selective palates.

Sourcing & Standards

Source & Standard is a food and travel editorial series exploring how sourcing standards, environmental policy, and place shape what we taste. What began as a personal food journal—following a lifelong picky eater in search of the perfect bite; evolved. Around the world, food does not taste the same by accident. Flavor aka the Source and Standard, Tasting Impact- is shaped long before it reaches the plate— whether that plate is in a Boston neighborhood restaurant, an Irish pub, a Balinese eco-lodge, or a heritage hotel halfway across the world.

Sourcing & Standards have a Lasting Impact.

While the Picky Eater Boston perspective remains personal and experiential, the focus has evolved. Through global and domestic travel, I study how countries and regions structure their food systems—and how those choices show up in markets, kitchens, restaurants, and everyday meals. From heritage hotels and eco-lodges embedded in local ecosystems to modern luxury resorts and points-funded stays, the places we stay are part of the story. Lodging isn’t reviewed for thread count alone, but for how it connects—or disconnects—travelers from local food economies.