my dad is many things: a proud gastroenterologist (or a guts and butts doc as he likes to say), a devoted chai fan, but also one of the most passionate fans of old school Bollywood movies — and more importantly the music. He is an incredible singer and it’s so rare to not hear him singing around the house, in the car, or even at Pizza Hut while waiting to order (which would embarrass me to no end as a 8 year old). I rarely get to capture him singing. He chose to be a doctor because he has always wanted to help people and he always wanted to come to America, but im glad he has never stopped singing. I had to discover the Beatles and Pink Floyd etc on my own but thanks to him I’ve always had a serious knowledge of the Bollywood greats like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar and so many more.
Truly overwhelmed by this week and finally have a moment to digest. I had the honor of naming my third (!) class of the Best New Chefs in the country @foodandwine . 24 cities, thousands of miles, hundreds of meals. It can be exhausting and lonely and sometimes all I want is my bed and a salad, but the result is always worth it. I don’t take it for granted that I have a job that allows me to celebrate the incredible talent and leadership that is out there. Genuinely obsessed with this crew of 11 human beings. A true mix of both savory and pastry chefs, they’re sharp, hilarious, big dreamers, incredible cooks, and people I have so much to learn from. I hope you get to know them, too. Link to the profiles on this years class in bio. (Thank you @notesfromacook for always allowing me runway and trusting my gut, @karemizu for your edits, and so many other colleagues without whom this package could never happen). 📷: the ever talented @aubriepick & @ihatealexlau
letter of rec: take a real do nothing vacation!! loved every minute and little detail @chilenobayauberge ☀️🌴👙truly unrivaled hospitality
I’ve joked for about a a year now that I could easily drop an entirely Filipino Best New Chefs class, there is that much talent coming out of the community right now. So I pitched this feature (and the idea for the very cool digital package that so many of my colleagues worked on) for our July issue. It’s a look at the rise of powerhouse Filipino-American chefs and their unapologetic approach to cooking. For almost a decade, media has tried to label Filipino food as the “next big trend” but it’s important to remember that you can’t reduce an entire culture down to a moment. It’s always been a movement. The feature includes sharp thoughts from @paolodungca @theduskykitchen @meltronica @purpleyamnyc and so many great recipes from chefs like @tomccunanan @spoonandporkla @kasamachicago @ulam_dallas and so many more (including my all time favorite pancit recipe from @twistedfilipino ) I just want to take a moment to also add that sometimes I forget that being able to put features like this in a national legacy food publication is a big fucking deal because I’m often focused on who else I need to keep fighting for and creating spaces for. But this is a big win and such a celebration of culture and I don’t want to forget that. Link in bio ✨
losing my mind slowly being at home with (thankfully mild!) covid so just finding entertaining ways to hydrate myself! I love drinks you can chew, so this is a blackberry lime chia agua fresca 💫
for our June issue, I got to write about one of my all time favorite restaurants @mini_kabob 💕 and the supremely charming family behind it all 💫 📷: @juliastotz
I genuinely love instant coffee!! And I basically make this riff on a greek frappe every morning: — place 1 tablespoon instant coffee and 2 teaspoons sugar in a glass — add about 1/4 cup of cold water — use a wand to make super frothy — add in ice cubes if you want and 1/2 cup of cold milk
For our March issue, I reported a feature on @yafabrooklyn and the work Hakim is doing to not only spread understanding and appreciation of Yemeni coffee and culture, but also working to actively make coffee one of Yemen’s premiere exports and a viable way for farmers to support themselves again. Being stuck in diaspora often feels like living in a no man’s land of culture and I admire that Hakim is able to engage both sides with such intention. Always an honor to report stories like this. Anyways, the food is also great and I hope you make these honeycomb buns. You can find the story online too. Photos by the crazy talented @ihatealexlau !
For our February home issue, I did a story on what the family behind @badmaashla eats when they’re off duty, just hanging out together. It always feels like there’s this expectation that if you’re covering Indian people you must also include Indian recipes and I love that this story has none of that. It’s a fish sandwich! A noodle salad only an auntie could make! And a huge hunk of beef! It might seem small but it feels like a win to be able to subvert the narrative expected of us. We aren’t a one dimensional community who only cook and eat our own cuisine! Story and recipes are now online, too. Please go make the noodle salad!! 📷: @jchongstudio
a dump of recent bites that gave me joy! Maritozzi from @warda.patisserie ; the most perfect plate of artichokes @motherwolfla ; the entire dessert spread @motherwolfla ; this plate of stunning tiny kishu mandarins @the_mandarinman ; truly wonderful tofu adobo @spoonandporkla ; a stellar pancit @spoonandporkla ; potato puffy taco @bar_ama ; brilliant congee pot pie (!!!) @yangbanla ; bolo cheese fries and deli sides @yangbanla ; a bowl of berries and thick Greek yogurt eaten on my balcony in the sunshine ☀️
obsessed with how tender the crumb is on this chocolate party cake recipe by @smallorchids ! I might have over salted the ganache but I’m not mad at it. (Recipe on @foodandwine ) #fweditors
I’ve been generally terrible at sharing my work lately, but I’ve gotten to do some fun things for @foodandwine mag’s latest issues! In Nov, I dropped a feature on all the insane work the brilliant team @sisterpiedetroit puts in leading up to thanksgiving to ensure everyone has pie on their table 🥧 🥧 For our Dec/Jan issue I wrote about microwave cooking and how you can make some seriously stunning dishes in the microwave. Kick ass recipes from @andreanguyen88 @eunjoful and @ban__be 💕💕 For the same issue I also got to chat with @djwes the salsa savant about how to basically make salsa out of anything!! (He once made salsa out of leftovers babaganoush 🤯🤯)