I’ve been a plant based food lover for the last 30 something years…but even before I gave up eating animal products I was always a lover of good food.

I’m not even quite sure how my food fascination originated.  Maybe it was the home-cooked meals that my mother always served up in her English kitchen (with the help of the inimitable Mrs. Beeton).  Or perhaps it was seeing my father revel in childlike pleasure as he savored every last bit of something delicious.  The fact is, I’ve been a lover of good food since further back than my memory stretches.  I remember being in the kitchen with my mother as a very young girl; she wanted me there not just to help, but also to learn how to put a meal together.  I happily obliged, but little did she know I was only there for the pickings!  

At some point over the years, though, my mother’s teachings rubbed off and the kitchen became my friend – so much so that I had romantic visions of someday owning my own restaurant, (it was going to be a HUGE success, of course!).  So from high school, my dreams led me straight into culinary school where I studied Larousse Gastronomique and Escoffier to learn the craft and gain all of the knowledge I needed to open the next great culinary destination. 

Then came the detour that quickly brought me down to earth – my first gig as an apprentice at one of the top local restaurants! There, I discovered that a job in the culinary world came with a list of demands much longer (and a lot less appetizing) than any specials-of-the-day rundown:  I was on my feet all day (and often much of the night).  My office was a hot, noisy kitchen.  My work schedule was typically 6 days a week – and during times when the rest of my friends were socializing.  The one day I did have off was always mid-week, but no one else was around when I was free.  For me, the whole experience took the romance, passion, and curiosity out of my reason for being there in the first place – my love of just enjoying great food. 

This realization was a turning point in my life. 

I packed my bags, left England, and headed to Sydney, Australia.  There, I put myself through business school and ultimately took a 9-to-5 job (which meant free weekends…YES!).  Around the same time, my love of exploring new foods came back; I was no longer an obligated slave to the kitchen but a willing fan of delicious meals and experimenting with new world flavors.  In the city where beach, urban, and park settings coexist and complement each other, so too did three of my own core passions converge:  spending time with friends, enjoying delicious food, and thirsting for travel.

I haven’t looked back since those days in Sydney.  Through the years, I have crisscrossed the globe while sampling new flavors, smells, ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques along the way.  From my mother’s simple English kitchen, to the spices and aromas in New Delhi, to the vineyards of Tuscany, to the exquisiteness of Fauchon in the center of Paris, my culinary curiosity has taken me to fascinating places and enriched my life with unforgettable experiences.  This curiosity continues to burn, as there are still so many new places to explore, flavors to experience and new friends to meet.  As a vegan, I’m always questioned by my meat-eating friends about how I keep food interesting.  In addition, my fellow plant-eating friends are always ready to share their own recipes and experiences.  So now, through this blog site, I want to transform these stories, conversations, and culinary travel highlights into fun and insightful morsels that you can sample and share.  You’ll read about the good and delicious – and I may even share stories of the not so much – that I’ve encountered on the way.  So pack your bags, prep your taste buds, and enjoy the ride!