Appetizers

The sizzle of steak hitting the grill on a warm Saturday evening has a way of pulling everyone outside like a magnet. I wasn’t planning … Read more

Three summers ago, I found myself wandering through a bustling weekend market in Seattle, lured by the irresistible sizzle and pop of something spicy and … Read more

“It was a sweltering July afternoon, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from an impromptu tea invitation from my old college buddy, Mark. I showed … Read more

“I wasn’t expecting my tiny dorm room kitchenette to turn into a fiesta, but there I was, balancing a nearly empty cheese packet in one … Read more

“I wasn’t expecting to become the go-to picnic chef at our July 4th park meet-up,” my friend Jenna confessed last summer as we tossed blankets … Read more

Introduction “I wasn’t expecting my coworker Jeff—who’s usually all about spreadsheets and no-nonsense meetings—to become the office potluck hero. It was last July 4th, just … Read more

Introduction “You won’t believe this, but the first time I tried making Venezuelan tequeños, I had no idea what I was doing,” my friend Carlos … Read more

“I never thought a bus ride through Tbilisi would lead me to one of my favorite kitchen experiments,” I said to my friend as we … Read more

Introduction “You won’t believe where I first tasted mchadi,” my friend Luka said one chilly autumn afternoon as we sat sipping tea in his tiny … Read more

“I wasn’t expecting to learn how to make momos from a street vendor at 10,000 feet in the Himalayas,” I told my friend as we … Read more