Cooking (and Eating)

I learned how to cook from my mother and have been cooking for those I love ever since. Sometimes this is an attempt at fine dining and aspirations to create edible art, other times, it's just good old fashioned comfort food. Regardless of what's on the plate, it's always better shared with those you love. When I have time to cook, my current culinary creations can be found on display on my instagram page (see link below).

My grandparents were integral in my coming of age in the kitchen. My maternal grandparents instilled in my mother her love of cooking and thus began the chain of treating cooking as a medium of expression and not just a nutrition source. My paternal grandparents served as willing guinea pigs in my early experimental excursions into taste: they were and are very supportive (tolerant) of me.

Adventuring!

Ever since I was a kid, I have had the good fortune to be able to travel to some truly unforgettable places. So far on the list are: London ('99), London → Paris → Dublin ('01), Rome ('03), Madrid ('07), Costa Rica ('09), Hangzhou → Beijing → Xi'An → Shenzhen & Hong Kong → Shanghai ('12), Israel ('13), Athens → Thessaloniki ('13), Amsterdam → Nijmegen ('16), Montréal → Mont-Tremblant ('18), Montréal ('19), Hawai'i ('22), Charleston ('22).

Additionally, I volunteered on organic farms in Ireland and Spain in the fall of 2013 after graduating college. This allowed me not only a window into the local culture and people, but also a feasible way to bum my way through those countries for 3 months. During my journey, I visited Dublin, Galway, Cork, Málaga, Córdoba, and Granada. It was a truly transformative and once in a lifetime journey.

Music

This is another lifelong passion I inherited from my mother. Like cooking, it's better to share music with those you love, but unlike cooking, I am liable to burst spontaneously into song at any moment. During my time in college, I harnessed my musical energy enough to be a productive member of Haverford College's oldest a cappella group, eventually becoming its president in my senior year.

Starting in high school, I have written and recorded many original songs with myself on vocals and acoustic guitar. While I have stopped performing regularly since college ended, if you are interested in inquiring about this, feel free to contact me using the contact info found below.