Hawaii/Colorado native and DC transplant, I am a frequenter of farmers markets, a vegetable enthusiast and I am constantly lusting after the perfect French fry. When I am not cooking or exploring the city's thriving restaurant scene, I work at the DC-based public affairs firm The Glover Park Group. As a strategic communications professional on the Energy and Sustainability team, I focus on food policy, corporate social responsibility, crisis management and sustainable agriculture.

My love affair with all things edible started at a young age. Growing up in Honolulu - a culinary and cultural melting pot - fostered my interest in food beyond just sustenance and instead as a source of independent expression. To this day nothing tastes more like home than Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice.

True to my competing roots, my favorite place is a constant duel between the North Shore of Oahu and on the slopes at Winter Park - the mountain in Colorado where I learned to ski and where my parents met.