Why I Love to Cook

I love cooking because it feeds my endless curiosity about the world.

I started getting curious about cooking in high school. I particularly loved going over to my friends’ houses to see what their moms were cooking. I’d offer to help so that I could learn their ways. I grew up in Texas but there were a lot of Louisiana transplants in our area, so Cajun cooking was the first ‘new’ culture that piqued my interest. 

I decided to go to college in New Orleans, Louisiana -- which is of course renowned for its culinary scene, but I was on a student budget so I did most of my own cooking. For the first time in my life, it was 100% up to me to decide what to eat and get food on the table. This is the point in my life that I really started to prioritize healthy living. I got certified as a personal trainer so that I could work at the gym throughout college. The gym where I worked was right next to the city’s first Whole Foods Market. Even though I had a pronounced interest in health and fitness, I remember feeling quite befuddled by all the fad diets and not getting a clear sense of what it meant to eat healthy until later in life. 

While I was away at college, my family moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, so Europe became my home base for the next 5 years. I have fond memories of cycling to the market square with my Mom near my parents’ home in Hellerup. We would load up our bicycle baskets with just whatever we would eat in the next 1-2 days because the refrigerators are much smaller over there. There were so many factors that inspired my culinary curiosity at that formative age: getting to travel outside the US for the first time in my life, the quality of the produce in Denmark is amazing -- the entire country is 100% organic. And this was also right around the birth of the internet, which opened up my world to new culinary adventures and ideas.    

The summer right after I graduated from college, I got to spend a month in Central Mexico. One of my best friends grew up in Durango, and her family owned a popular restaurant in the center of the city. Growing up in Texas, I’d had Mexican food before, but this was the first time that I was immersed in Latin culture and I loved learning about Interior Mexican cuisine firsthand from the pros.  

My first job out of college was an AmeriCorps position at a middle school in Austin, Texas. This was back in 2006 when my rent in Austin only cost $350/month, so I could actually afford to live in town on AmeriCorps wages, but just barely. I started mostly eating vegetarian because it was more affordable and also because I’d recently been introduced to the idea that plant-based was better for the environment. One of the first places I went out to eat after arriving to town was Casa de Luz, a Macrobiotic restaurant in South Austin run by hippies who set it up as a non-profit so they could serve high quality food at affordable prices. It was also on the Casa de Luz campus that I would get connected with the Natural Epicurean Academy, the small Macrobiotic culinary school where I got my chef’s certificate. The person who really encouraged me to go to school at the Natural Epicurean was my friend Naoko.

My appreciation for Japanese cuisine emerged from my friendship with Naoko -- a friend who I met completely by chance while volunteering on a vegetable farm in my early twenties. Naoko grew up on the other side of the world in Izu, Japan, and she wowed me by showing me so many new ways of preparing all the vegetables in our CSA boxes.  Before long, we got into a fun habit of going to Naoko’s apartment after we left the farm to make the best use of our bounty by preparing meals for the week. Gradually, by following Naoko’s lead week by week, I got into the rhythm of Washoku, and I realized it was the middle path to all the fad diets that had me confused in college. 

Washoku (和食), a word that encompasses all of Japan’s culinary heritage, also refers specifically to the Japanese practice of using five colors, five tastes, and five techniques to prepare a meal. What began as a fun creative challenge to cook with all the colors, tastes and elements grew into a fascination as I realized what a reliable formula it was for making meals that were equally delicious and healthy. 

As I continued to put traditional Japanese foodways into practice in my own life, I found more joy and creativity in the process of cooking, plus my moods enhanced, my mental clarity improved, and my cravings diminished. These unexpected results that initially piqued my curiosity would lead me to spend months at a time in Japan with Naoko’s family and eventually open my own bento restaurant back in Austin, Texas.  

By following this principle of Washoku, I’ve discovered the foundation for my personal culinary philosophy, which is not subject to the ebb and flow of fad diets, but rooted in ancestral awareness of how to honor life’s delicate balance — the environment all around us, and the ecosystem within us — while creating delicious meals with the constraints of a craftsperson. 

Cooking remains one of my favorite ways to learn about new cultures. With the ancestral wisdom of Washoku as my north star, I’ve continued to explore foodways from around the world. After 20+ years of cooking every day, I am still learning new recipes and/or refining my skills every time I cook. Each meal continues to shape my repertoire and appreciation for the craft.

Whenever I have the opportunity to travel, I choose my destinations by searching for places with vibrant agricultural scenes, ongoing artisanal practices, farm-to-table restaurants and/or cooking classes. I find beauty in the diverse culinary cultures around the world because they are each a unique expression of the relationship between the land and its people.

Suffice to say, my life has been one long, windy journey fueled by curiosity and a healthy appetite.

I’ll end with this quote because it speaks to the creative spark that makes home cooking such a rewarding ritual for me.

“If you have a somewhat routine life, cooking dinner is the one thing that can really change it up. You can have the same job, the same four walls, the same people you’re with, but dinner could take you anywhere!” - Molly Stevens, Everything Cookbooks (Episode: April 19, 2023)

Here’s some Photos of what I’ve been cooking lately!

Homemade Indian recipes have been on repeat since getting back from India! Pictured here is: Carrot Mung Bean Poriyal with Rice, and Roasted Okra & Potatoes with Raita. Poriyal is a Tamal way of preparing any kind of vegetable with Toasted Coconut, Mustard Seeds, Curry Leaves and Fresh Herbs.

New Potatoes with Creme Fraiche & Chives, Shiitake Mushrooms, Scrambled Eggs, and Bibb + Melon Salad. This is something Charlie and I whipped together for brunch after a fruitful trip to Mueller Farmers Market (@texasfarmersmarket)

Homemade Hummus topped with Good Olive Oil and Farmers Market Greens. In the background are the Marinated Feta and Marinated Artichokes from Kismet (@kismetlosangeles) which I have been making at home and keeping on hand since I got their new cookbook!

Squash Blossom Enchiladas featuring some of my fav @texasfarmersmarket vendors: @animalfarmtx squash blossoms, @motherculturesa yogurt to make the enchilada filling, @mesocanofoods “no seed oil” tortillas, and enchilada sauce made with @texasfoodranch tomatoes and @geosmin_regenerative chicken bone broth

Rachel aka @racheldrinksgold and I made Spanish Tortilla to celebrate her homecoming from the Camino. I was inspired by my recent visit to Casa Dani in Madrid (@casadanimadrid) to caramelize the onions, and it turned out SO good!