The sea and the fruit were calling and I needed a coconut for sustenance to carry on…I dare say mission accomplished and I have successfully consumed almost my body weight in fruit. Fantastically easy to do when it is so wonderful, so fresh and super cheap!

SO how did I end up in Thailand you ask? Well the tale is long and sorted with far too many details to bore you with but I will give you the although abbreviated, rather long winded version of my story so that we may get better acquainted. I write this in hopes that you can begin to understand why I am embarking on this project, and how food nourishes our bodies, feeds our souls and how it has changed the world.

I am a professional chef, foodie, travel addict, yoga devotee…I mean really no need to limit yourself to one passion when life is a banquet right? Some of my friends might also add borderline recycle/eco nazi into the mix as well. All of these things I supposed would bring me to why I am here out in the ether writing this today…

I went to a junior college culinary program for my senior year of high school. During this time I began my career as a salad gal at a joint called Mary’s Pizza Shack at the age of 17. I quickly moved up to the saute station as the only female cook in a group of 13 stores. After a year I embarked on an 11 year career in fine dining working in a restaurant named John Ash. In the 90’s John Ash was the pioneer chef for the “from the earth to the table movement”, back before “Factory Farming” and “organic were even buzz words. Here I spent 2 solid years developing my culinary skills in the fresh food motherland of California where they take all things culinary very seriously. I too took myself rather seriously thinking at the fresh-faced age of 20 that I knew everything, and there are a few people out there who can attest to that…ha! Then…I met a boy…a boy who was moving to Phoenix…and wouldn’t you know I followed him…quite the opposite environment to my California culinary mecca where I was destined for greatness (or so I thought)…we ladies are fickle lot sometimes!

This is the only beginning but I am off to practice yoga on an outdoor yoga platform overlooking the jungle then off to watch the sunset…bear with me and come back for more….