Chef Todd Mohr

Chef Todd Mohr Discover how to cook FREELY, with creativity and confidence, break free of your cooking rut forever

Most people would probably want to be the KING of the castle, but I'm only dreaming about being the king of this kitchen...
24/05/2026

Most people would probably want to be the KING of the castle, but I'm only dreaming about being the king of this kitchen.

High in the mountains of Sintra, the breathtaking Palácio da Pena was never meant to blend in. In the 1800s, King Ferdinand II fell in love with the dramatic landscape surrounding the ruins of an abandoned monastery that had been left devastated after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Rather than simply restoring the site, he transformed it into a fantastical royal retreat that celebrated Portugal’s history, creativity, and growing Romantic movement sweeping across Europe.

Every section of the palace tells a different story, combining medieval castles, Moorish arches, Renaissance details, and bright colors that were intentionally bold even for the time.

The palace also symbolized Portugal looking back proudly on its Age of Discovery, with Manueline elements inspired by the country’s great maritime past.

Surrounded by exotic gardens filled with plants collected from around the world, Pena Palace became less of a fortress and more of a dreamlike escape for Portuguese royalty.

Today, it remains one of the most recognizable and magical landmarks in all of Portugal, where history, architecture, and imagination all collide above the clouds of Sintra.

15/05/2026

Eating our way through Portugal starts in The Algarve, the resort town and marina of Vilamoura where we've had our taste buds permanently altered by the incredible combination of flavors we've found.

Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato are some of the best olive oil, garlic, lemon and parsley clams I've ever had (and I grew up on Long Island digging clams as a kid).

Cataplana is the cooking vessel and the dish that comes from it, a stew of seafood, potatoes and a rich tomato paprika broth that needs endless loaves of bread to soak it up.

Arroz de Mariscos is brought to your table in a large iron pot, simmering with seafood, vegetables and rice. It's like the richer cousin of Paella and Risotto.

Frango Piri Piri is the traditional roasted chicken that has a mouth busting rub of citrus, peppers, and vegetables.

After two weeks of studying Portuguese cuisine and history, I'd make the argument that THIS country and their explorers and adventurers are responsible for just about EVERY food innovation on the planet.

The Portuguese can be credited with creating the foundations of South American, Central American, Indian, African, Philippine, and "the new world" cuisines.

Does it get any better than Spanish Food in San Sebastián? Perhaps not.As Heather and I continue our European tour and ...
03/05/2026

Does it get any better than Spanish Food in San Sebastián? Perhaps not.

As Heather and I continue our European tour and discovery of global foods, we've fallen back in love with Spanish cuisine, especially the idea of Pintxos in what the locals call "Donostia".

Pintxos are like tapas, but slightly bigger, always served on bread, and have an endless number of variations.

NEW DISCOVERIES FOR ME:
1) I actually LIKE olives now because here they aren't in a sour heavy brine.

2) Anchovies, anchovies, and more anchovies - they're salty, umami, and sometimes sweet when they aren't soaked in a can.

3) The Olive Oil is incredible - soft, smooth, fruity and sweet. There's no problem with SOAKING bread with it here.

4) The famous Gilda! - Spicy peppers, olives and anchovies soaked in olive oil on a slice of bread. Three things that I never liked separately, but together they're fantastic!

5) The Basque white wine - Txakoli is poured from above your head with the glass at your hip to aerate and release flavors

Next stop - Bilboa! Let's see how the food differs there.

If you're a member of my Care Free Cooks Insider Cooking Club, you are traveling along with us each month and enjoying FOUR live classes from our location.

We're learning together all about the geography, history, culture, ingredients, cooking methods, and typical dishes of the country we visit each month, and then we COOK together on Zoom using all we've learned.

It's an amazing immersive experience, and it's great to be an INSIDER!

A Quick Stop In Wine Country!After seven months wandering through Asia, we’ve landed in Bordeaux, France and suddenly th...
27/04/2026

A Quick Stop In Wine Country!

After seven months wandering through Asia, we’ve landed in Bordeaux, France and suddenly the wine glass feels a little fuller—and the bill a lot lighter.

There’s something magical about sitting here with Heather, sipping wines that people back home save for special occasions, while here they’re just…Monday wines.

It’s not just the price, it’s the way wine lives in the culture—unfussy, generous, meant to be enjoyed rather than admired from a distance, sitting in the wine rack, waiting for that special occasion.

Safe to say, we’re settling in just fine—one glass at a time to begin our next European adventure!

19/04/2026

Cooking over an open flame is the most challenging control of heat possible.

If you ever want to remind yourself what cooking over fire is supposed to taste like, this place does it right.

Every dish at Barkar in Kuala Lumpur feels like it was designed to showcase what flame can actually do—deep char, smoky edges, and that kind of flavor you just can’t fake on a stovetop.

The grilled squid had that perfect balance of tenderness and bite, the burrata naan was rich, warm, and just indulgent enough, and the 14-day aged duck…that’s the kind of dish that makes you stop talking for a minute so you can really pay attention.

This is fire cooking with intention, a Malaysian treat with the respect for ingredients, technique and the traditions that precede it.
Barkar KL

I'm winding down my time in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and it could not have been more interesting and delicious. At the G...
30/03/2026

I'm winding down my time in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and it could not have been more interesting and delicious. At the Gaya Street Api-Api Night Market, I learned about the national dish of Malaysia and the most iconic plate in the state of Sabah, including the sweet dessert pancake that made me dance in the street.

I'm so grateful for my Care Free Cooks Insider Cooking Club who gets to virtually travel with me every month to a new location so we can discover how geography, history, and culture that always dictates the ingredients, cooking methods and typical dishes of the region.

Once we learn THAT, then we cook together every fourth Saturday of the month and make them for ourselves!

24/03/2026

I'm dancing in the streets in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia because I just ate THE most amazing item from the Gaya Street Api-Api Night Market.

It's another month of global travel for me and my Care Free Cooks Insider Cooking Club. This month we're examining the street markets of southeast Asia and it's blowing my mind and my tastebuds.

The Insiders know what I'm talking about because they get four LIVE classes each month from a new country or region. We examine the food history, ingredients, cooking methods and traditional dishes. Then we take a food tour or cooking class, and putting it all together in a 3-hour LIVE cook along class on Zoom each 4th Saturday of the month.

If you've ever considered really taking your cooking around the world, there might be an opportunity to join the Insiders coming soon.

18/03/2026

Can you name this Asian fruit I've found again in Malaysia?

(Read the entire post to find the answer)

Throughout southeast Asia and here in Kota Kinabalu, during my food tours, I've run into it many times because the fruit is currently in season.

They call it "The King of Fruits".
I call it the STINKY King of Fruits because it smells really, really BAD but it tastes really, really GOOD.

They use it to make pastries, ice cream, and mix it with cheese as a filling for Apam Balik, another fantastic Malaysian treat.

The Care Free Cooks Insider Cooking Club is traveling the world with me, and this month we're in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia for our FOUR monthly classes there.

We examine the geography, history, culture, ingredients, cooking methods, and typical dishes in class 1 which is LIVE in our private Facebook community.

Then the group gets to (virtually) come on a food tour and/or cooking with me to see EXACTLY how what we've learned in class number one winds up on a plate.

Each fourth Saturday of the month, we cook LIVE on Zoom together, making the international cuisines we're learning about.

The final class of the month is a LIVE Q&A session on Zoom where we wrap up the month and get all questions answered in real time.

It's great to be an Insider if you want to learn WHAT and HOW the rest of the world cooks, because I'll be there to show you the secrets.

The Insiders group is currently closed to new members, and has been for the past 10 months, but I've got a feeling we may have a FEW openings soon.

Be sure to LIKE and FOLLOW my page to be among the first to know about the few slots when they become available.

To Your Cooking Success!

Chef Todd.

(Answer: Durian)

How many of these top seven tastes on my Bali Bites Street Foods Tour in Bali, Indonesia have YOU had?The month of Febru...
09/03/2026

How many of these top seven tastes on my Bali Bites Street Foods Tour in Bali, Indonesia have YOU had?

The month of February was an exciting 28 days for the Care Free Cooks Insider Cooking Club because we traveled to Bali, Indonesia together to discover the foods and cooking methods used there.

It's a vibrant, colorful, zesty and flavorful combination of foods with multiple influences from many countries.

The Insiders Club gets FOUR classes per month from a different location that examines the geography, culture, history, ingredients, cooking methods, and typical dishes of that region.

Then, we take a food tour or cooking class together to see exactly how these foods are prepared.

Class number three is a LIVE 3-hour cooking event on Zoom every fourth Saturday of the month.

And we wrap up the month with our LIVE Q&A session on Zoom.

It's fun, fascinating, and furiously flavorful to spend a month as a Care Free Cooks Insider.

The group is currently CLOSED to new members, but when we have some new openings, you'll be the first to know if you LIKE and SHARE this post with your friends.

Be sure you LIKE or FOLLOW this page for the latest updates.

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