Nafy Flatley was born in Senegal, but, she says, “I was looking for my American dream.” She came to America for college, settled here, married and raised a family here, and thanks to La Cocina, has her own business here. La Cocina, the Bay Area incubator kitchen, empowers low income home cooks to launch women-owned…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Jamie Schler
I first heard about Jamie Schler a few years ago from culinary colleagues. They spoke of her with a sense of awe — come on, run off to France, fall in love, open a hotel? Who gets to do that? Even her blog Life’s a Feast bespeaks a charmed life. Then this summer, I got…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Robin Asbell, Back by Popular Demand
Chef, cooking instructor, television personality and author of 11 cookbooks, Robin Asbell is a chronic overachiever. She is also a steadfast and magnificent friend. Robin brings both her warmth and her impressive organizational talents to her new book, Vegan Meal Prep. “Meal prep is all about making sure you have really useful, delicious prepared ingredients,…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Aglaia Kremezi
I dream of running away to the Greek islands. Aglaia Kremezi and her husband Costas Moraitis actually did it. They left Athens in 2001 for the idyllic island of Kea, in the Cyclades and never looked back. If I ever get to Kea, I may never leave, either, especially knowing I’d be near Aglaia, cookbook…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Marisa McClellan
I hate food waste, and so does Food in Jars blogger and cookbook author Marisa McClellan. You may know Marisa as your go-to guru for canning, pickling and preserving, but with her new book Food in Jars Kitchen, she takes the food out of the jar and puts it to work. “My goal with this…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza
Five-time James Beard nominee, Lesbian, Mexican, vegan and above all chingona (rough translation — badass), Phoenix chef Silvana Salcido Esparza is not only a master interpreter of Mexican cuisine, she’s a social justice warrior. “I come from generations of advocates for those who cannot advocate for themselves,” she says. I had the pleasure of meeting…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Andrea Nguyen
You don’t need to be a pro to create authentic Viet dishes. James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and instructor Andrea Nguyen Nguyen isn’t. She’s been demystifying Viet cuisine with clarity, cheer and fabulous recipes since her 2006 cookbook Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. She does a deep dive into Vietnamese classics with books like Asian Tofu,…
MY FAVORITE PEOPLE, MY FAVORITE RECIPES: Miyoko Schinner
“The way I work, I’m all in,” says Miyoko Schinner and let us say hallelujah. Dubbed a vegan revolutionary by UN Women, Miyoko is the author of four cookbooks including her most recent, The Homemade Vegan Pantry. She her husband Michael founded Rancho Compasión animal sanctuary. You probably know, though, her as the force of…
MY FAVORITE PEOPLE, MY FAVORITE RECIPES: Jason Wyrick
The Vegan Taste’s Jason Wyrick wants you to know there’s more to Mexican cuisine than Taco Tuesdays. “People think Mexican cuisine is one thing,” he says,“but Mexico is almost as big as the United States and it’s as varied as the cuisine we have here.” That includes tacos, and Jason wrote the book on them,…
MY FAVORITE PEOPLE, MY FAVORITE RECIPES: Linda Watson
As Hurricane Florence made landfall in the Carolinas, I contacted Cook for Good’s Linda Watson and urged her to stay safe. Her My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes guest post could wait for a better time. Linda came through anyway, despite rising flood waters, her local environmental advisory board meeting and hosting a screening of…
