About Me

I am an immigrant from the former USSR, raised in the NY metro area and now rooted in San Diego for the past decade. I learned to move in the kitchen before I could really even reach the counter. When I was little, I lived with my grandma, and whenever she wasn’t feeling well, she’d guide me by talking me through every step of a recipe, I’d climbed up on a stool to make soup on the stove. Later, in my parents’ deli on the East Coast, I learned to work a knife and how to prep quickly. I really enjoyed talking with people so that really taught me how to multi task as well.

Then thru college, I worked at a four-star restaurant and would come home wanting to recreate something I saw chef make (this is definitely where I became boogie). But my real turning point came during a spontaneous spice tasting: I lined up every jar in my kitchen and tasted them one by one, just to see what memories and feelings they stirred. That was the moment I truly fell in love with the alchemy of flavor and started cooking not just to eat, but to explore.

I’ve also realized I think in recipes for everything: a recipe for getting my kid to eat the rainbow, a recipe for a peaceful corner in my house, a recipe for helping my garden thrive, a recipe for a healthy brain. So I plan to share the little rituals, meals, and moments that help me nourish a good life — one fig recipe at a time.

These days, you’ll find me wandering the farmers market, chatting at the coffee shop, and dreaming about the next travel adventure.