My passion is cooking to inspire people to eat and be well in their bodies and hearts using what is simple, seasonal, sustainable, and fresh. After studying nutrition from San Jose State University I began my career in recipe development with clients including Del Monte Foods, S&W Foods, Foster Farms, and Spice Islands .  I studied French Cooking during this time with Josephine Araldo, an old Cordon Bleu Chef, who taught me to cook with fresh herbs, cook from what you have on hand and not measure so my food would have the flavor of originality.  I opened a French-California fusion Cafe in Aptos, California.  There I served as proprietor, chef, and maitre d’ while raising two children.  In the midst of this busy operation, I met Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, who became my Buddhist meditation teacher and inspired me to slow down my life and begin to investigating the intersections of meditation, cooking, and compassion. After selling Cafe Sparrow, I immersed myself full-time in the study of Western and Chinese herbal medicine, food theory, and acupuncture from Christopher Hobbs and Michael Tierra.

Eventually I moved to France and began traveling the world, where I honed both my culinary skills and my meditation knowledge cooking fresh, simple, meals for many of the great Buddhist Masters of our time.  After living in Portugual, I returned to the states, Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Here I launched the book, One Taste, Vegetarian Home Cooking From Around the World, Provecho Press.  I continued my cooking career with catering, cooking classes and private chefing for Shirley Maclaine, and other movie stars and clients.  When I am not cooking from the garden, I like playing tennis, hiking, dancing, pilates, being with my grandkids and family, and drinking wine with friends.