Category — Apropos - Michele Kayal

I’m just a girl who can’t say no – to grape leaves or tamales or kimchi or korma or….you get the picture.

I’m also a reporter and food writer published in The New York Times, Gourmet (may it rest in peace), Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Associated Press, National Public Radio and the other usual suspects.

But it’s my identity as a hyphenated American married to another hyphenated American (Indian guy) that drives my passion. I’ve lived and traveled around the world, from England to India, Prague to Hawaii, from Syria, Singapore and Seoul to Jakarta, Japan, and Jordan, eating, meeting and writing. For me, a “juicy” story is literal: the way Thanksgiving turkeys are cooked underground in Hawaii; Hawaii’s fascination with Spam and the festival that honors it.

Now those stories have spurred The Hyphenated Chef. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.

– Michele Kayal