About Salt & Wind Travel Boutique Agency

FOUNDER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, & TRAVEL PLANNER

Aida Mollenkamp

Aida is a food and travel expert, cookbook author, trained chef, Food Network personality, founder of the travel services company, Salt & Wind Travel. She has dedicated her career to food, travel, and hospitality and has crisscrossed the globe to uncover out the best food destinations.

After graduating from the Cornell Hotel School and Le Cordon Bleu Paris, she joined CHOW Magazine where she ran the test kitchen and was Food Editor. Aida then moved to television, hosting the Food Network show, Ask Aida, FoodCrafters on the Cooking Channel, In The Pantry on Yahoo!, and the TasteMade series, Off Menu. Her cookbook, Keys To The Kitchen, is a go-to for home cooks who want to become more adventurous cooks.

Aida speaks four languages, has passed the WSET level 2 exam in wines, and has lived across the United States, in France, and Italy. A Californian by birth, Aida lives in Mammoth Lakes and is driven by places with that share the creative spirit of the Golden State.

Her favorite places to arrange travel for our clients are in Italy's Sicily and Piedmont region, France's Rhône River, California wine country, and the Island of O’ahu. For more on Aida, visit aidamollenkamp.com.

PARTNER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, & TRAVEL PLANNER

Kristen Kellogg

Kristen is the founder of Border Free Media, a certified health coach at Mapped Wellness, and a partner at Salt & Wind Travel.

As a filmmaker, digital storyteller, and travel expert Kristen has spent her career crafting creative content for clients including Hotel Tonight, Rosetta Stone, Visit California, and Visit Los Cabos.

Kristen earned a bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies from San Jose State University. She lived on Nantucket where she learned high-end hospitality while working in food and beverage operations. Kristen has lived in California and Mexico and has traveled extensively through Hawai’i and Italy.

She melds her love for adventure travel, food, and hospitality to bring a unique perspective to itinerary planning. Kristen is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, has passed her Level 1 Exam at the School of Applied Functional Medicine where she is working toward her Applied Functional Medicine for Coaching™ certification.

Kristen lived in Mexico City for five years and now splits her time between the United States and Todos Santos, Mexico. Her favorite places to plan travel for our guests are Italy's Val D'Orcia region, California coast, Hawai’i’s Big Island, and Mexico's Oaxaca region.

Travel Planner, ItALY

Rachel Vermiglio Smith

Rachel is an Arizona-born, wanderer at heart who eventually settled down to live the pasta-eating dream in Florence, Italy. Since 2014, she has been working as an Italian culture decoder, writing articles and consulting on all things Italian lifestyle.

Rachel holds a BA in Italian Renaissance Art from Scuola Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence, Italy and a Masters in Art History from Arizona State University. As of June 2021, Rachel, her husband, Marco, their two Italian-American bambini and their dog Luigi have been living in Arizona while spending their summers in bell’Italia.

Rachel has Pugliese roots and she loves planning travel in Central Italy as well as in Puglia. Follow Rachel on social at The Italianista.

Travel Planner, CALIFORNIA & ITALY

Corey Marshall

Corey Marshall is a California-born creative who graduated with a degree in Graphic Communication from CalPoly SLO & Fashion Design from FIDM. She now splits her time between two vibrant cities – Los Angeles and Bologna, Italy.

As a digital creator, she loves to share her adventures and tips on instagram, while delving more deeply on her blog. Despite her career in the digital world, Corey still makes time for her first love of making things with her hands – painting, sewing, cooking, baking, and more.

When Corey isn't busy creating, she enjoys indulging in the local culture of her two cities. She savors the traditional aperitivo, explores restaurants, scours secondhand shops for her next epic find, and is always on the hunt for new-to-her travel destinations.Corey has expertise in California and Italy’s Emilia Romagna region.