About

My name is Christine. What I am is a food gypsy. What I’m not is writing an aspirational “My life is adorable” blog.

I was graced with being born a Southerner, the oldest of six kids. I have been blessed to have clocked some miles; I’ve scooted around some and, wherever I land, I find myself drawn to the places where food and people intersect. I’ve spent a few years now following my nose, experiencing cultures and dipping spoons into all manner of pots in a broad swath of places. I come from a family of artists, and this informs my love of beauty and my penchant for photography.

I’m a terrible klutz, but knife skills are my yoga and one time someone told me,

“You look like a dancer in the kitchen.”

I’m very proud of that. I’m also proud of my homebrew, my knowledge of cheese, and my wicked talent with a grill. Step back; hand me the tongs. I got this.

I’m the weirdo who likes to grocery shop. Here’s how I fell in love with food.

I believe in locally-sourced, sustainable whole foods, but I’m not going to whack you over the head with that belief. I also believe in black coffee and walking at a brisk pace, but the two aren’t necessarily related.

I am fascinated by sense memory, and how all of our senses overlap and jostle when we’re breaking bread…especially when ringed by other people. When it comes to food, we’re all different and yet we are very much the same.

I want to know people’s stories as they relate back to food; I want to know the legends behind the food itself. I want to peer into the meals we prepare for ourselves and one another; I want to translate for you the story of the cultural shifts and experiments I find there. I’m always looking to encourage people to cook, to enable them in the kitchen. In fact, Cognitive Leeks was sparked by a cooking lesson given to my sister via Skype while she was in Atlanta and I was on the other side of the world in Hong Kong.

I lived in the San Francisco area for 10 years and am now just across the river from Manhattan . Here at Cognitive Leeks, you’ll find my stories of the forks in the road, bites taken, life tasted.

Contact me at cognitiveleeks(at)gmail(dot)com