Guides
Writing: Miriam Manning Sauls (left) is a writer, teacher, and documentary filmmaker who specializes in arts and culture and food. She has published in newspapers and magazines across the United States, and her documentaries have been shown in venues across the country as well. Her memoir/essay, "Remembering Daddy," was featured in Best Food Writing of 2003 (Marlowe and Company, New York). She has taught all over the world and has led groups on tours to destinations including Haiti, Northern Ireland, Russia, and Kenya.
Visual Arts: Vernessa Riley Foelix (right) is a painter and works in ceramics. She holds a Masters Degree in Art Education and has taught, exhibited her work and organized creative workshops for more than thirty years both in the United States and Europe. Currently she is living in Aarau, Switzerland. In addition to her career in art, she is trained in Marion Woodman's "Body Soul" work and followed Gabrielle Roth's "5 Rhythms Dance" for many years. She is known for bringing people together of various backgrounds and ages for creative experiences that are both dynamic and spontaneous.
Oaxaca Specialist: Jane Saxe Robison (left) and her late husband Thornton came knocking at the Casa Colonial door during a visit from the US and fell in love with the place, which was owned by Jane's cousin Mary. Mary taught them how to lead tours, and they bought the Casa from her in 1987. Jane's devotion to both the Casa and Oaxaca is apparent, and she gives a memorable tour of the city she has loved for so long. Along with her extraordinary staff and her wonderdog Reggie, Jane offers exceptional hospitality to her guests. Her love of local art means you are immersed in the spirit of Oaxaca throughout your stay.
Guest Chef: Bill Smith (right) served as chef of the beloved Chapel Hill, NC restaurant Crook's Corner for more than two decades. His essays have been featured in magazines and on radio and television and his recipes have been selected for 150 Best American Recipes and Food & Wine Magazine's Best of the Best. He has been nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast and won the James Beard Foundation Award for America's Classics. He is a lover of Oaxaca and a whole lot of fun. And he is not known as the "impresario of people's good times" for nothing!