ABOUT THIS COOK:

I'm a lifelong vegetarian (but not a preachy one). I love cheese, chilies, pistachios, and spices. And lots of other things, but, I can't emphasize enough that cheese is my true love. Although I love to bake, I don't have a sweet tooth. I prefer working with chocolate and sugar to eating them. If I could eat only one cuisine for the rest of my life, it would be a tight race between South Indian, which I grew up eating, and Thai (hold the fish sauce). I get annoyed by people who drink coffee solely as a vehicle for caffeine - it's no better than drinking cheap booze just to get drunk. My burr grinder and French press don't get used every day, but when they do, I'm very happy. I care deeply about food policy and fixing the broken American food system in which a hamburger at McDonald's costs less than a bunch of kale.

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  Velveeta. Although technically it is "cheese food product," not food, so I guess the strangest real food I've eaten is durian.

• What do you cook when home alone?
  I'm lazy and make quesadillas in the microwave or eat random things out of the fridge - a handful of olives, a few spoons of jam, a glass of wine, a chunk of sourdough baguette. I don't like cooking for myself.

• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  My violet KitchenAid mixer, which, unfortunately, has been acting up lately.

• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  8