Take Meowt Interview For The Gone Cat .com

The Gone Cat: What inspired you to start producing and starring in your travel documentaries, “Take Meowt”?
CC Sheffield: The inspiration came from reading Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Ive been in the entertainment industry for a long time, I’ve been talent in TV commercials and movies. You do a job and its great money but you do not create content you own. My experience as a DJ and model allowed me to be able to travel to beautiful places and experience amazing restaurants around the world. I did not know of any show that featured restaurants as a central character. also I know a lot of interesting people. So I started there as the first 10 episodes of Take Meowt. Through Instagram I found a dream company called @sailingcollective, which is a New York based luxury group travel company. Really young smart fun group of sailing captains who go on sailing trips around the world. Take Meowt and Sailing Collective came together for 3 episodes, so it opened up the fundamental format of the show.

GC: If you could choose two travel buddies on an adventure driving across Europe: …The travel buddies can be absolutely anyone on earth living or deceased, who would you choose?
CC: Ok I would travel two different trips, for two different experiences.
First one would be a girls trip with Holly Golightly, from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We would be great wing woman for each other. I feel her and I have a lot in common. There’s a class and style we would both enjoy with a sense of fun and wide eyed joy. Party girls on the loose. We would hob nob with princes in Switzerland and ski badly in beautiful fake fur coats. Take mushrooms in Amsterdam, get distracted and end up on a house boat in the canals for a gypsy guitar session. Visit some old NYC friends who are restoring a chateau in the South France and help them harvest their wine. Fall in the love with the sommelier. But then we would take off in a hurry because our friends in Monaco are having a party we must attend the next night. And all great love affairs must end. We end up on a huge Yacht in Monaco and happen to take off for a small cruise through the Mediterranean sea. With the most gorgeous Russian Elites. We would get dropped off in Morocco, because no matter how nice the yacht is it’s very confined for days and we are tired of their stories about the Kremlin and broken English. So we would get a cheap hotel in Marrakech and spend all our money on some beautiful antique silver jewelry, silk caftans and lounge around. Then we would hitch a ride on a gambling sheiks jet back to NYC to make sure Holly’s cat, “CAT” is ok.

The second would be a romantic love affair with Young Elvis we would go on tour with his band. I would be in his opening act, I would basically be as famous and sound like Patsy Cline but me. Also he wouldn’t be married to Priscilla he would be dating me. We would be chased by fans in London. Have packed shows in Barcelona. Sneak off to Moscow to hide out. It would basically be the most epic tour of every venue in Europe and we would be banking millions. Plus running around on own entire floors of the Ritz in our robes, in every city.

GC: Where is your favorite destination so far and why?
CC: It’s too difficult to name any one destination. For me a reason to like a city or country depends on my mood. Like what do want to eat and why. You might want sushi one day and you might want to eat vegan another. Just like you might want to go to Santa Barbra because the beaches aren’t crowded or you might feel like chilling in Hollywood one day. I have favorite destinations for different reasons. Egypt.. I love for its sense of adventure and mystical history that makes me feel close to the ancients. Tokyo for its future feeling and also its traditional Buddhist temples. I guess I can’t answer this question properly because I love the whole world.

GC: Where are you planning on going with Take Meowt in the near future?
CC: I am looking to feature a yoga retreat anywhere with a beach. Vietnam, Bali, anyplace like that. The wellness aspect is great to balance out the eating and food on the show. As far as an alternative location Cuba is fascinating its a time machine, isolated from America’s influence. My old boss, when I was a teenager was a member of the Hell’s Angels. He would always skip off to Cuba and stay in old Havana come back and tell me about playing Dominos and smoking cigars on the beach.
I want to feature places that have a dangerous, almost illegal or political aspect to them. So yeah, Cuba is high on my list.

GC: If you had to choose one singular favorite thing about traveling, what would it be?
CC: Traveling is a gift that as modern people we are able to enjoy because of all the advances in technology as well as the fact that there is access now to almost all classes. My favorite thing about traveling is the way I do it whether through AIRBNB or connecting with friends of friends and surfing on couches. It always expands my point of view, and understanding of how people live. That there’s no singular right way to live. Because we are all doing the best we can in our environments. Seeing the bombed out buildings in Sarajevo, or shanty towns in Mexico makes me feel empathetic, and grateful for my lifestyle in Los Angeles.

GC: If you were given the choice to travel in a circle around the world in a matter of only 6 weeks and choose only 6 cities, which would you choose:
CC: Osaka Japan would be cool to go in the mountains and the Sentos. Fly to a formerly war torn Georgia. During the war Georgia which was once a resort town on The Black Sea was abandoned. It was once called “The Russian Riviera.” Kolmanskop, Namibia abandoned German diamond mine, the 1950’s buildings are being taken over by sand and desert. Nature is now spilling out onto the whole town and its’ beautiful architecture. Then also “Glamping” safari in Namibia.
Reykjavik, Iceland… I hear the people are absolutely friendly and amazing. I’ve also heard that everyone is really young. For some reason the whole island is taken over by mainly youth, the majority of the demographics are under the age of 45. Everywhere you look around Iceland it’s all young people. Where are the elders? Obviously the blue lagoon and the natural wonders. It’s an obvious choice but I still haven’t been there. The Amazon I want to see the amazon whether its a cruise or forest hikes. Whatever is the least environmental impact. Then end in Kingston, Jamaica the music, the dance halls and the jerk chicken. I have a photographer friend that lives there I definitely want to hang with him there. Beach’s and reggae.