What is your favorite city?

It is so hard to pick just one! I have had the great privilege of living in some of the best cities in the world - Paris; New York; Florence; San Francisco; Los Angeles - as well as some of the most charming small towns - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Santa Cruz, California - and they all have their pros and cons. I think the key to a good city is not only diversity, but the opportunity for diverse populations to interact with one another. Public transit is not only an efficient mode of transportation, but it is also an opportunity for people from disparate backgrounds to coexist, creating a sense of community and connection to a city. Culture is born out of those interactions, and every good city builds its identity out of that connection. That said, don’t sleep on Budapest. 

Favorite Trips?

When I moved from the East Coast back to California, my partner and I drove cross country visiting friends in Nashville, Dallas, Marfa, Taos, Albuquerque, and rock climbing in Joshua Tree. Once we landed in Los Angeles, we flew to Peru where we spent three weeks studying Spanish, hiking Rainbow Mountain and Machu Picchu, and eating all the lomo saltado our bodies could handle. It was a really amazing way to experience the cultural and ecological diversity the U.S. has to offer, and to take that with us to a country and culture that was entirely new to us. 

What is your favorite thing to cook?

I’m just starting to get comfortable with cooking, and most nights I’d rather outsource making dinner. But baking is a different story. I love the science behind baking, and the structure of a recipe. I’ve been trying new recipes, but my tried and true treats are my chocolate babka, and my rhubarb strawberry pie.