09/13/2026
In May 2024 while deep in the process of writing, organizing & obsessing over all the details of publishing Bitter & Sweet, I found myself thinking about the beginning of the book. I wanted a strong foreword, something that would welcome readers in and offer a glimpse of what was to come.
I wanted it written by someone who understood the complexity of a hyphenated identity and the experience of being a person of color. Someone who could relate to the stories I was sharing, whose own work reflected integrity & creativity, and whose endorsement would bring another layer of meaning to my first book.
Through a friend's recommendation and mutual introduction, I was connected with Lauren Ko, the creative mastermind behind Pieometry & Lauren Ko.
To my delight, Lauren agreed to meet with me and hear the story behind Bitter & Sweet. What I could never have imagined was just how deeply she would understand it.
She not only agreed to write the foreword, but wrote something that, even after reading it countless times, still brings tears to my eyes. Because she got me. She got the book.
And through Lauren, I found something unexpected: a community of food & cookbook authors who continue to celebrate & support one another through her intimate Cookbook Book Clubs.
Last night's gathering, featuring dishes from Bitter & Sweet, felt like the most delicious kind of full circle.
There is something incredibly moving about watching people gather around a table, cook your recipes & share the food with such joy. Recipes that once existed as ideas, scribbles, and endless rounds of testing suddenly become food shared among people.
I got to see old friends, make new ones, and meet Martin Sorge, who is in Seattle promoting his gorgeous new cookbook, Great Bakes. Martin recently held an event with the brilliant Carlos Leon, the mastermind behind Seattle's Baking Club.
One cold-call email, one introduction, one book, and somehow a whole community grew from it. That may be one of the greatest gifts this cookbook has given me.
Food creates connection. Books create community. And sometimes, the most beautiful part of writing a book is discovering the people you meet along the way ❤
