ABOUT THIS COOK:

In my job as a primary care doctor, I talk about food as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. But I believe that food isn’t just about nutrition, it can be inspiration. My culinary education began with learning to make quiche in an early French class when I was seven. That sparked a lifetime of curiosity in the people and cultures behind different cuisines. Since that first class, I’ve tried to learn cooking from the locals whenever I’ve traveled abroad. Highlights of the formal cooking classes I’ve taken (so far) have included a Nonya cooking class in Singapore, learning to make authentic Oaxacan mole from chef Iliana de la Vega at the former el Naranjo restaurant in Oaxaca city, making pico de gallo in a seaside class in Puerto Vallarta, and learning the secrets of baking macarons at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Informally, I have learned traditional Taiwanese family recipes by cooking with my mother and have been taught Trinidadian cooking by my husband’s family. I am always eager to try new recipes from the kitchens of friends and family. I devote my leisure time to reading voraciously, eating with gusto, traveling, and cooking meals inspired by my travels, always with my husband and little ones in tow. Please visit my food blog where I share some travel memories, stories and recipes: spiceboxtravels.com. If you're on Twitter, you can find me @spiceboxtravels. Hope to see you there!

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  Curry armadillo.

• What do you cook when home alone?
  Chinese wheat noodles tossed with oyster sauce, julienned scallions and ginger.

• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  My carrara marble countertop-- because every imperfection reminds me of a meal I cooked.

• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  6 (do you count all the little children running around?)