MAIDA PINEDA is creatively committed to savor the golden delicious moments of life. For the past twenty-five years, she has poured her energy on her passions for food, travel, writing, and food styling. No two days are alike for Maida. She may be on a mission to capture how traditional Asian dishes are made, stalking a balut vendor, eating her way on the Orient Express or discovering new developments in the food industry. She has written hundreds of magazine articles for international publications such as Australian Financial Review, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Straits Times, SBS, CNN, Business Traveller, Reader’s Digest, Silver Kris, Timeout Singapore, Morning Calm (Korean Airlines), Fah Thai (Bangkok Airways), Jetstar Australia, Jetstar Airways, Tiger Tales (Tiger Airways), Mabuhay (Philippine Airlines), Cebu Pacific Smile, Elite Traveler Asia, Appetite Asia, Silk Winds (Silk Air), Fraser Suites’ Cachet, Turbo Jet’s Horizon Magazine, Foodservice Consultant Magazine, CEI Magazine (a publication for MICE professionals), and MIX Meetings (a publication for MICE professionals). Maida is the author of two books: “Do’s and Don’ts in the Philippines” and “Six Degrees of Expatriation: Uncovering Lives of Expats in Singapore.”

This writer has a Master of Arts Degree in Gastronomy from the joint program of Le Cordon Bleu and the University of Adelaide, and a liberal arts degree from Smith College in MA, USA. She is also the recipient of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) full scholarship for Gastronomy. Her dissertation was marked with Distinction.

Born in Philippines, she has traveled all around the archipelago and to the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Bhutan, Argentina, Myanmar, and Macau. She has lived and worked in the US, Australia, Singapore and in Hong Kong. She traveled solo all over Spain covering San Sebastian, Bilbao, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, and Madrid. Her big dream is to eat her way around the world, and blogs about the delicious adventure at maidastouch.com.

The author was also specially trained in the US for food styling. She has produced camera-ready food for the editorial requirements for Good Housekeeping Philippines, and advertising requirements for TV and print of Coca-Cola, Monde Nissin, Del Monte, and many other multinational companies. She also offers Creativity Stew, a workshop designed to nourish and inspire weary creative souls. With her diverse and in-depth experience in food, travel, and culture, she has given lectures in the National Museum of Singapore, the Asian Development Bank, the Australian International School in Singapore, and the International School of Manila.

Maida is currently based in Melbourne, Australia.

C. S. Lewis