In my 40 plus years of cooking, I’ve had the great fortune to travel extensively. That journey afforded me a unique opportunity to collect authentic recipes right from the source. I was able to watch food being prepared and learn techniques firsthand from chefs and home cooks alike. Whenever I enjoyed a dish, I always asked if they would share the recipe. Since I was just a passing visitor—and no competition—they almost always obliged!
My passion has always been comfort food and authenticity. It’s worth remembering that I’m a home cook, not professionally trained. I’ve been fortunate to spend time around professional kitchens and some remarkable restaurants, but my goal has always been to recreate dishes that anyone can prepare in their own kitchen. If I make a dish, I want it to be true to its history. I want it to be as authentic as possible while still being practical for the home cook.
Basically, I want to make the kind of food that people around the world eat at home. I believe that’s where you truly discover the heart of a culture—around the family table. People truly connect through food, and every recipe has a story worth sharing.
Years before The Pasadena Chef, I self-published a hardcover cookbook, Longitude and Latitude: A Culinary and Photographic Journey. Instead of photographing finished dishes, I paired my recipes with photographs I had taken while traveling throughout Asia and Europe.
That same philosophy continues today. Long before digital cameras became commonplace, I carried a Nikon N90s loaded with Fuji Velvia slide film on my travels throughout Asia and Europe. Many of the photographs you’ll see throughout The Pasadena Chef are my own, taken while exploring local markets, neighborhoods, temples, and the places where these recipes were born. Photography has always been as much a part of the journey as cooking, and many of those images have found a new life here alongside the recipes they inspired.
I still try to photograph every dish I cook. Some recipes on the site date back many years, before smartphones made food photography practical, and in a few cases those original photographs were either low quality or no longer available. When necessary, I occasionally use modern image tools to create a realistic representation of the finished dish. Whenever possible, however, you’ll find my own cooking photographs and step-by-step images throughout the site.
I hope you enjoy my blog and find these recipes interesting, approachable, and easy to follow. I always try to explain which techniques are essential to a dish and where substitutions can be made without losing its character. Whether you’re preparing your first Thai curry, mastering a classic French stew, or simply looking for a great weeknight meal, my goal is to help you cook with confidence while learning a little about the people, placesand traditions behind every recipe.
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Travel widely. Cook authentically. Teach generously.