About Me

Deven, me and my parents on our wedding day

I’m a writer, by profession, and I live in Phoenix, Arizona, with my husband.
In my spare time I read, hike (when it’s not 110 degrees outside), take bhangra classes, watch too much HGTV,try to learn Hindi, and volunteer for this great local group that helps refugees, Welcome to America Project www.wtap.org

When it comes to food, well… I was born and raised in Milwaukee, with a mom who made huge dinners each night — I grew up with macaroni-and-cheese, meatloaf, potato salad, and swiss steak.

But now, I’m a vegetarian. I’ve been one since 17.  No, I don’t “miss eating meat,” and yes, I do eat cheese, because I couldn’t live with out it.

My husband of a year is from Pune, India.

Deven, when he was little

He grew up eating chana, poha, rotis and spicy curries. And, as a child, he was a vegetarian. Now, as his mother says, he will “eat anything that walks.” Seriously. This guy loves meat.

Deven at Cafe Tortini in Buenos Aires, eating another steak

And him eating yet another steak at yet another Argentine cafe

So, go figure.

Anyhow, we enjoy blending the two cultures.
  
My favorite example so far was our awesome wedding cake, done by “A Piece of Cake” desserts in Mesa, Ariz. The cake was pumpkin-flavored with tiny chocolate chips (just like the cookies my mom used to make every autumn). And the design was a replica of the henna that had decorated my hands during our Indian wedding ceremony a year earlier.

Our wedding cake

My henna hands