Matt Kirouac As a freelance travel and food writer with nearly 15 years of experience, Matt Kirouac has contributed to numerous publications and websites, including Travel + Leisure, Thrillist, Eater, Condé Nast Traveler, Culture Trip, KOA, Plate, Zagat, and Outside.• Co-hosted a national parks-focused podcast with his husband on iHeartRadio called Parklandia, which became the number one most downloaded travel podcast after its debut in 2019• Became the first gay writer to ever have a cover story on The Oklahoman, the most widely read — and longest-running — newspaper in Oklahoma• Authored two food-focused travel books, "The Hunt Guides: Chicago" (2016) and "Unique Eats & Eateries of Chicago" (2017)• Received a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts from Robert Morris College in Chicago in 2008 About Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is a top travel media brand with a mission to inform and inspire passionate travelers. Our expert team includes a network of hundreds of writers and photographers across the globe, all providing a local eye on the best places to stay, eat, and explore. We reach an audience that takes 76 million round trips annually, offering valuable travel tips, ideas and inspiration, and products you need to get you to your destination — whether it’s a small town or big city, beach or lake, national park or theme park, road trip, cruise, or long-haul flight, and everything in between. Learn more about us and our editorial process