I want to explore why some regional cuisines are more internationally known and have international presence than others (think for instance Cajun, Tex Mex, etc.)
Blanca, If you want an historical perspective on these issues in addition to the more mainstram marketing approaches, I'd suggest looking at the work of Angela Tregear on regional foods, such as: Tregear, Angela. "From Stilton to Vimto: using food history to re‐think typical products in rural development." Sociologia ruralis 43.2 (2003): 91-107.
The following articles may partially shed light on your questions:
Fields, Kevin. "Demand for the gastronomy tourism product: motivational factors." Tourism and gastronomy (2002): 36-50.
Wang, Hsiu-Yuan. "Exploring the factors of gastronomy blogs influencing readers’ intention to taste." International Journal of Hospitality Management 30.3 (2011): 503-514.
Kim, Yeong Gug, Anita Eves, and Caroline Scarles. "Building a model of local food consumption on trips and holidays: A grounded theory approach." International Journal of Hospitality Management 28.3 (2009): 423-431.
Marino, Michael P., and Margaret S. Crocco. "Pizza: Teaching US History through Food and Place." The Social Studies ahead-of-print (2015): 1-10.