I don’t often think about travel as being a noteworthy part of my career; it’s just something I’ve always done. From my first job working for a woodworking magazine, I’ve spent the last 17 years traveling around the country — occasionally internationally, too — to sit down with my story subjects and learn about what they do.
Admittedly, my career has given me some tremendous opportunities. I’ve seen baseball games in more than a dozen stadiums and spent way too much money in some truly excellent record stores. When I’ve been on the clock, I’ve toured a lamb farm in California, played with baby quail in South Carolina, and for this cover story on D’Artagnan, enjoyed a luncheon spread that was beyond compare. I’ve walked through brand new, state-of-the-art facilities and 100-year-old buildings that had been retrofitted and jerry-rigged to make do. I’ve come to appreciate the craftsmanship apparent in the smallest of production rooms, and I’ve been amazed by the massive plants that can process thousands of chicken.