Mr Lyan turns travel adventurer for TV series
Drinks industry veteran Ryan Chetiyawardana, AKA Mr Lyan, is launching his own food and drink travel TV series.
Titled Mr Lyan’s Taste Trips, the series was developed in collaboration with ReachTV and travel media production house Ink.
The series invites viewers to join Chetiyawardana as he travels around the world visiting his favourite cities, uncovering the stories within – which are centred around food and drink.
Viewers can expect a look into some of globe’s top hospitality venues – from restaurants and world-class distilleries to historical pubs and micro-producers – and hear Chetiyawardana’s personal anecdotes, insider stories and advice on food and drink pairings, which include signature cocktails inspired by the tastes, people and culture of each destination.
Season one of the show will debut on 26 March 2025 and will comprise eight episodes, starting in Japan where Chetiyawardana acquaints himself with the country’s whisky history, eats ‘the best pizza in the world’ and delves into the story behind making traditional Japanese shochu.
Other locations will include Scotland, Mexico, London and New York.
Of his transition into travel TV presenter, Chetiyawardana said “there’ve been great shows on food, or travels, in the past but they’ve fragmented the world in a way we never experienced when we were travelling around”.
He continued: “We wanted to highlight the amazing human stories within the whole world of food (including drinks) and to show that this was such a wonderful way to connect both home and abroad. It channels so much of our philosophy and the way we travel, but the richness of TV allowed us to really bring this to life for everyone.”
The episodes will be released throughout the year and can be viewed on ReachTV for those in the US, and internationally on the show’s YouTube and Instagram pages.
Mindful consumption
While flavour and travel might be at the fore, mindfulness in consumption will also be an integral theme of the show.
This means looking into the balance between indulgence and sustainability, so viewers can ‘appreciate the deeper connection between food, drink, and the local environments that produce them’.
The link between sustainability and conscious drinking is also a big part of Chetiyawardana’s own bars and what makes them tick. Chetiyawardana’s bars are some of the best regarded in the world and include Super Lyan, Lyaness, Silver Lyan and Seed Library.
Lyaness was awarded three pins by the Pinnacle Guide last year – the first bar to receive the highest accolade – and Silver Lyan received two.
Chetiyawardana added: “I’m excited to show how this approach can add richness to everyone’s daily lives, and by bringing the world to people, not only can it hopefully inspire them to travel in a different way, it can help them see how people around the world use food as a means to have better times with their friends.
“By creating a practical guide to this, I’m excited that the show will help every person find something – a dish, a fact, an insight, a drink – to connect over.”
Related news
The Pinnacle Guide celebrates third set of Pinned bars
