Born in Texas and raised in Toronto, Michael Sommers grew up with travel on the brain—the result of time spent in the backseat of Oldsmobiles, Mini Mokes, and Pan Am jets under the influence of his Gourmet-addicted mother and his father's roving zoom lens.

When Michael turned 18 he took flight, setting down temporary roots in cities such as Bordeaux, Paris, Montreal, New York, and Lisbon. During this time, he earned a BA in literature from McGill University and an MA in history and civilizations from the École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, where his thesis was “The Image of Brazil and Brazilians in Hollywood Cinema.” He also worked as a writer and editor at magazines and newspapers and freelanced for publications such as The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, and The Globe and Mail.

Michael first traveled to Brazil at the age of four. His first memory of Rio de Janeiro is that of being served a glistening orange wedge of papaya in the grand dining room at the Hotel Glória. Twenty years later, he returned to Brazil, where he fell in love with the colorful landscapes, rich cultures, and warm people he found there. Michael eventually settled down in Salvador, the baroque capital of Bahia, where he has worked as a writer and journalist for over a decade. He has yet to master the art of preparing feijoada (Brazil's national stew of beans and salted beef and pork), but he does make a mean caipirinha.