Fall in Love with My Herbal Cookbook

This book is mostly about using fresh herbs in cuisine—you’d need to go elsewhere to find uses for medicinal herbs, and there are quite a few resources for that. However, I’ve also dipped into spice territory—going ‘beyond the herb’ by using seeds and flowers of herbaceous plants in specific recipes.

Why write a book? Because I can, of course! Right before the pandemic started, I was living in Hawaii doing food photography on a sporadic, free-lance, part-time basis—and I loved it! I loved it so much that I couldn’t stop despite everything being closed. During lockdown, I found having so much time playing with food and photographing it beneficial despite the revenue loss.

Fast forward a few years, buying a home and having a garden to grow some of my food and herbs became the icing on the cake. Putting a book together is something I’ve always wanted to do, so here we are. I’ve learned to love traveling vicariously and enjoy making food from other cultures. So, yes, you will find some explorations here, though I’ve worked to find recipes that are as authentic as possible.

It is a ‘Recipe Idea Book’ because I hope that readers will take a cue and experiment with some of the ideas I’ve played with—I hope I can inspire, too. I hope you enjoy using this book as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together. I feel very fortunate for my experiences, which have led me here, and I’m happy to share. Remember, these are ideas to build upon, so have fun experimenting and happy ‘herbing’!