CURRENT MISSION

At present, I am back in Los Angeles doing all things SLOW FOOD! Think fermentation, pasture-raised meat, local spirits and wines, food start-ups, and microbiome/mycobiome research. Enter into my world of creation where ferments exist all around. One day in my home you might smell KOJI (my latest obsession), sourdough bread, sauerkraut, kombucha, or.... maybe even some wildly fermented honey wine!
When I'm not cooking I am teaching English to Chinese students online. I like to think that one day all of this will bridge the gap between the East and the West.

ABOUT ME

I receive my B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Northridge.
After a month long program I receive my CELTA through a Cambridge University extension to teach English.
Over the past year I have traveled to a few places and have been honing in on my art of fermentation. As I continue growing and heading to new places I will be taking notes and gathering inspiration for my continued passion.

PHILOSOPHY

Drink more coffee.
Eat more dark chocolate.
Share both with your friends.

...Nature wins!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

The best part about Couchsurfing is the energy exchange that we all share with one another, the incredible community, and the insight of history from those who live in these different parts of the world.
Though what is even cooler is when you find those small degrees of separation that relate you and the surfer to the rest of the world at large.

Interests

My passions are fermenting, cooking, reading, yoga, and traveling. While cooking I like to try new recipes that will appeal to all sorts of palates. So teach me some new moves in the kitchen!

Yoga is what I call "me-time." I am the type of personality that is always on the go, and doing yoga helps to bring me back down to that place of serenity. I am currently working on developing my home practice so that I can share this passion with others. Next will be a Teacher Training...any recommendations?

• arts
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• chocolate
• coffee
• yoga
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• teaching
• history
• fermentation
• slowfood

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, 1984, Play, Essentialism, The Circle, Sex at Dawn, Junky, The Alienist, American Psycho, Snuff, Existentialism and Human Emotion, The Book of Tao, Lolita, The Stranger, On The Road, The Web of Life, The Botany of Desire, Omnivore's Dilemma, After Dark, The War of Art, Just Kids

Movies: A Perfect World, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Charade, Roman Holiday, Goodfellas, The Graduate, Amelie, Natural Born Killers, Drive, Black Swan, Scent of a Woman, Mean Girls, The Grinch, Elf, Sunset Blvd., Inception, Memoirs of a Geisha, Moonrise Kingdom

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveled Europe alone for 3 months.
Lived in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Lived in Northern Italy in a house built on Roman ruins.
Driven across the United States.
Saw the Chicago skyline at night from a balcony on my birthday.
Rode on the back of a motorcycle with a Croatian in Croatia along the Adriatic Sea.
Walked through the forest in Northern Germany.
Climbed to the top of a mountain in Killarney overlooking Ireland.
Watched the sunrise from a watchtower on The Great Wall of China.
Journeyed through the Hoh Rainforest (in the rain) on the Olympic Peninsula.
Went on a Safari in South Africa-elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, oh my!
Ate Trofie al Pesto in Genoa, Italy...along the Mediterranean!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States, Viet Nam