“The main takeaway from what I’ve been doing is that food really connects people. It’s the common language,” says Aiste Miseviciute. As a food blogger, her take on the culinary world surpasses traditional content. From recommending restaurants based on the way they source their ingredients to focusing on details which are often overlooked by the average foodie, Miseviciute taps into another universe of gastronomy. There are no ‘best restaurants’ or ‘best chefs’. Whether it comes from a food truck or a three Michelin-star restaurant, the dishes are determined by who makes them. This is how she tells a story through her social media and digital platforms. 

’Who said that models don’t eat?’ This was the tag line of Miseviciute’s first blog when she started writing about food in 2007. Aiste Miseviciute is an ex-model turned food ambassador and blogger, creating Luxeat as a platform to recount her culinary experiences. Now, she spends her time traveling the world, building a network and connecting with chefs, artisans and local producers. “In the beginning it was just a hobby, a passion,” she says. She is originally from Lithuania but started here career in modeling at just 18-years-old, a path which saw her in Paris and New York. 

In her journey to finding and recounting the stories of the culinary world, Miseviciute has dedicated her expertise to Japanese gastronomy. Some of her favorite restaurants are found in Japan, together with her most influential relationships with chefs and restaurateurs. It is where she found the most authentic way to transform ingredients into a refined and worthy dish. 

“I fell in love with food when I moved to Paris,” says Miseviciute as she explains how she first started food blogging. Coming from Lithuania, she wasn’t used to the prominent restaurant culture. On top of that, blogging — especially about food — was at its infancy at the time. Overtime, she grew fond of one particular aspect of the culinary world; the art of slow-food, interacting with the producers and artisans who work in the background. Fine dining restaurants can be found anywhere around the world. For her, a clear distinction between luxury dining and mediocre restaurants is what goes on behind the scenes. 

Whilst her modeling career gave her a fortunate lifestyle, she saw a clear distinction between the fashion and food world: “Fashion is very superficial. I was looking for a deeper meaning in what I was doing.” That is when she realized the culinary world had a lot more to offer than what she initially realized. For her, luxury food is found in the story behind it, the quality and the craftsmanship. “No matter what it is, good quality of ingredients and where they come from make a difference. It all comes down to the artisans and the producers who forage them.”

Part of what Miseviciute does is to review restaurants in greater detail. In particular, she hones in on the storytelling element behind gastronomy, bringing the producers and artisans into the story. “It’s people that make the world of food,” she says, “…the little hands behind the glamorous world of restaurants.” From fishermen to farmers, she admires the way they dedicate their entire lives to one ingredient. When a restaurant takes that into consideration, it elevates a final dish, adding a new meaning to ‘made with love’. 

It is crucial that ingredients are not underestimated; the produce, the location or the seasonality. In fact, it is a detail which she thinks people often overlook when considering fine dining. “No matter what it is, good quality ingredients and where they come from make a difference,” she says. Many restaurants use “fancy ingredients” which don’t relate to that. For her, this is something which should be frowned upon. “Stay local,” she insists. 

Japan has her heart. The culinary experiences which comes with the country ticks all her boxes. “At first sight, it looks simple. But doing simple is the most difficult,” says Miseviciute. In more ways than one, chefs are able to enhance the ingredient without destroying it. For example, she recommends Kyoto Kitcho in Arashiyama for their technique in preparation: “It’s almost like a theatre.” The dishes are elaborate, reflecting not only the seasonality of the ingredients but the skills of the chefs as well. 

Whilst she dives deep into the luxury culinary world, this doesn’t mean she excludes dishes a little less…’fine’. Mexico City was almost as life changing as Japan for Miseviciute. After all, it is where she experienced one of the best culinary moments in her life — from a food truck no less. “One of the best bites of my life was a taco for 50 cents in Mexico City,” she admits, proving once again that fancy ingredients have nothing to do with the final product. “As long as the food is good, I would choose a hole in the wall over a mediocre three Michelin-star restaurant. There is food that has soul in it, and there is food that doesn’t.” 

Whilst sustainability in the world of fine dining still has a long way to go, Miseviciute points out that a lot has changed over the years for the better. “Chefs are more environmentally conscious. They care more about sustainability and where they get their ingredients. People are getting more creative,” she points out. One such chef is Angel Leon at Aponiente in Andalucia, Spain. Miseviciute recommends checking it out not only for the quality of food but for the purpose behind it. “He uses all the little fish that get stuck in the nets by fishermen which usually get thrown out. I find it inspiring.” 

There are several up and coming culinary locations around the world which we should keep an eye out for. In her opinion, Austria and Germany are rising stars. She has recently been discovering the chefs and how they source and use the local ingredients in their surrounding ingredients. Additionally, she points out that the UK is also sometimes overlooked. Miseviciute recently visited L’Enclume, a three Michelin-star restaurant in Grange-over-Sands in the Lake District: “They have an amazing garden with hundred variety of plants, vegetables and herbs.”

Aiste Miseviciute started her career as a fashion model and found herself wanting to do more with her career, something which would include the lives of other people. From representing small artisans and producers to the skills and techniques of world renowned chefs, Miseviciute has managed to give a new look into the culinary world. It is no longer about fine dining in the traditional way, but one that looks into the behind-the-scenes of creating delicious food worldwide.