I fell in love with cooking as a little girl, barely tall enough to see the top of the counter. My Dutch Indonesian mother used to create fantastic, delicious dishes from ingredients brought over in my Oma´s suitcase from the Netherlands. Cooking seemed like some sort of mysterious magic, created by colorful produce, packages of meat in butcher’s paper and of course lots of laughter and discussion. I wanted to be part of that fun.

After attending university I spurned a teaching career and plunged enthusiastically into the fast paced environment of an upscale restaurant. I never looked back. Through the never ending cleaning and prep work, heat and sweat, long hours, intricate menus, and genuine friendships I´ve never lost my passion for cooking. I even ventured overseas to North Africa to hone my skills. I then plunged into my own catering business and discovered the joys and tribulations of the small business owner. I’ve catered for 500 children for Johnson and Johnson, done 7 course meals in the middle of a forest on two six foot barbeques and created a fairytale style wedding cake with 1024 hand crafted dogwood blossoms made out of sugar for a New York Ranger and his bride. I still felt the magic.

I have been a working chef now for 20 years and a vegetarian for most of that time. I am currently working on my Masters in Nutrition and feel that eating a healthy wholesome diet is crucial to mental and physical wellness. Being a vegetarian should be fun, include wonderful delicious food and I hope to provide everything required to embrace this lifestyle choice.

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