Karen Evenden

Never in my wildest dreams, would I have ever predicted that I would spend more than 6 years sailing the coastlines of France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia - absorbing the history and culture of these countries while sharing in the lives and the lifestyle of the warm and welcoming people. But life is full of surprises and what began as a short-term holiday evolved into an incredible (and sometimes) challenging lifestyle.

Nor could I have predicted an everlasting love affair with Croatia. There is not a trace of Croatian ancestry in our family and quite honestly my knowledge of this country (once a part of the former Yugoslavia) was embarrassingly bleak when my husband Bill and I arrived in Dubrovnik in the summer of 2000. At that time, we thought we might stay a week or a month. But Croatia quickly seduced us. The Croatian cruising lifestyle was magic … a seemingly endless choice of protected coves, charming medieval villages, and a generous and welcoming people whose food was simple, delicious and rich with tradition. We stayed three years.

However good things do come to an end. As the years passed, my yearning for a land-based community drove us to search for a new home in a sunny clime. Now we’re in sun-drenched southern California where we farm walnuts, Ojai Pixie tangerines, lavender and olives – all Mediterranean-inspired crops. I love the rural, food-and-land focused lifestyle; helping to grow the crops, refining the products, developing recipes, teaching cooking classes and writing about food.