For many, the most enjoyable moments of an overland trip include learning about cultural practices, visiting new places, and tasting regional food specialties. But what if, after returning home, there was a way to campify the dishes you enjoyed so much during your travels?
Following the XOverland-produced series by Bound for Nowhere and Roam Overlanding, Karissa Hosek and Linhbergh Nguyen of Gon Dirtin’ take viewers on a culinary journey in this 6-part series, exploring each guest’s favorite comfort dish and recreating it in the great outdoors.
Hosted by Linhbergh and Karissa, “Gon Cookin’”—now available on the Expedition Portal YouTube channel—explores our special connection with food, blending rich cultural stories with practical cooking tips for camp. The LA-based couple has embraced a lifestyle that blends careers in automotive photography with a passion for overland cooking as they road-trip in a 1994 Land Cruiser Troopy with their two pups, Kyia and Stella. You’ll often see the duo serving up delicious meals at overland events across the country.
New episodes will be released weekly on the Expedition Portal YouTube channel each Thursday, beginning with Episode 1: Mom Still Schooling Son on How to Cook which goes live today.
Episode 1: Mom Still Schooling Son on How to Cook
Linhbergh learned to cook at “counter eye height” by watching his mom prepare meals for the family. In this episode, Linhbergh cooks with his mom for the first time, making the ultimate beef phở. Then, they head to the redwood forests of Northern California in a 1994 Land Cruiser Troopy, where Linhbergh cooks up beef phở for his mom, simplifying the dish for camping.
Episode 2: Not Your Typical Mexican Camp Food
In this episode, Linhbergh and Karissa go beyond the taco with Marco Hernandez (@ovrlndx). Well known in the off-road and overland communities for creating incredible not-so-usual Mexican dishes in remote places, Marco cooks one of his favorite dishes in his home in Southern California, then travels to the nearby desert to see if Linhbergh’s version of albondigas en chipotle gains Marco’s seal of approval.
Episode 3: Super Bloom Camping and Real Chinese Food
In Episode 3, Linhbergh and Karissa learn about the not-so-well-known Teochew Han Chinese people with content creator Stephanie Tea (@stephvnietea). Karissa, Linhbergh, and Stephanie experience the wildflower superbloom in central California while Linhbergh takes what he’s learned from Stephanie to prepare a tasty camp version of char kway teow.
Episode 4: A Taste of Hawaii in the Desert
Food means different things for different people. MAK of Bound for Nowhere grew up without a singular place to call home as her parents moved frequently for the US military. In this episode, we explore her roots, what it means to travel, what home means to her, and how a meal from Hawaii became her ultimate comfort dish. Visiting the desert of eastern California, Linhbergh improvises a camp version of MAK’s Kalua pork tacos.
This episode goes live on the Expedition YouTube channel on November 13, 2025.
Episode 5: Taiwanese Fun at Camp
Dan and Marlene (@mali.mish) have been traveling full-time for the past 15 years with their three kids and two cats. The world has become their home—but every so often, they make the trek back to the States to spend time with their family and eat everything they’ve missed while being away. Dan teaches Linhbergh how he makes the most famous Taiwanese dish before the crew heads to the nearby mountains for a camp-friendly version.
This episode goes live on the Expedition YouTube channel on November 20, 2025.
Episode 6: Gon Cookin’ Vietnam Special
In this long-form special, Karissa and Linhbergh travel to Vietnam, experiencing the vibrant street food culture of Ho Chi Minh City before riding motorbikes to the mountain town of Dalat, camping and cooking in the Vietnamese countryside.
This episode goes live on the Expedition YouTube channel on November 27, 2025.
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