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Eat Where Your Food Lives

I had the pleasure of meeting Shubhra Ramineni at an event at my restaurant that the Bellaire, TX mothers group got together. For the last six years, I have been giving talks, cooking demonstrations and interactive cooking experiences in the hopes of spreading the word on our philosophy of eat where your food lives." This mantra has a double meaning for me: 1) obviously buy, cook, and eat local food and 2) eat food that is truly alive in flavor and nutritional density. Shubhra immediately connected with the kind of food we made and mentioned she had a cookbook so we planned to do a cooking class together, using her book and our kitchen space. Shubhra has since done two classes with us and has hosted three more events, sharing her love and knowledge of Indian cooking and more and more incorporating the local pantry

and her garden.

As we both have young daughters and are passionate about good food, we have bonded on every family's effort to keep bringing our families to the dinner table. I have had over the years many wonderful Indian cooking mentors. My first real culinary exploration was with making my own curry powder and garam masala (roasted spice mix). Having traveled extensively and also going to cooking school in London, England, it has exposed me to more diverse and wonderful ethnic foods. My hope for my own daughter is that she will be fearless in the food world and be comfortable at any dinner table in the world, eating the rich food traditions wherever she happens to land.

Shubhra's hope with this book is to encourage people to eat more healthy vegetarian foods using easy to find Indian spices to make the dishes delicious. She encourages people to shop at local farmers markets, supporting their community and local farmers that grow responsibly with organic and sustainable methods that are good for us and for the earth. Right now at the local farmers markets, we have wonderful daikon, Swiss chard, and Japanese eggplants! I love to run into people from different parts of the world and ask them what they're going to make with what they find!

Shubhra has met some wonderful farmers like Stacey Roussel from All We Need Farms and has gone to visit her farm with her daughter. Stacey is a very special mom, wife, and farmer who puts into her farm all the love and goodness she can. For me, Stacey has been a wonderful partner in growing inspiring food like fresh chickpeas, baby kale, and sweet potato vines that will easily find their way into Shubhra's recipes I'm sure!

If I had to label" my food, I would call it global comfort food with local ingredients" and I believe Shubhra's book will encourage people to discover new vegetables and fruits at the market and use her easy recipes to enjoy them. People don't always know what to do with the fresh fruits and veggies, or aren't inspired, but Shubhra's easy recipes give an option to enjoy them with easy to find Indian spices.

I've enjoyed cooking and sharing techniques and sources with Shubhra and I'm sure you will too! Enjoy her latest book and get into fruits and veggies and share with your family!

Sincerely,

Monica Pope

monicapopehouston.com