meet cynthia and Amy

Cynthia Raub

My name is Cynthia and I am always hungry. I love to eat! And because I love to eat, I cook. It’s not easy on most days, especially with two preschool aged girls underfoot, but feeding my family wholesome meals is important to me. As a Korean-American, growing up in a multi-generational home - food was painstakingly prepared, and the work shared, by the women in my family. As a child, complex and varied meals miraculously appeared on the table at mealtime. I did not realize how much work feeding a family entailed until I had my own. Now, I am looking for ways to ease the burden of cooking multiple meals a day for my family. My mother owned restaurants most of my life until retiring recently, and I always found myself drawn back to restaurants and hospitality for work before having children. This may or may not have anything to do with my innate desire to feed people and make sure they are happy and satisfied! Wait, what was I saying? Is it time for lunch, yet?

Read More: The Shared Plate Began with The Shared Pie!

AMY CANTU

I’m Amy. One of my most vivid first memories is of baking banana bread with my mom. I remember cranking the old, avocado green hand mixer until my arms hurt, the intoxicating smell of bananas and cinnamon wafting from the oven, and then sharing that first piece with my mom. I thought to myself that sharing food was the best thing in the world. And I still think that’s true today. When Cynthia told me that she’s been thinking about a blog - a blog about cooking and sharing food, I exclaimed, “YES!” This is exactly what I’m about - cooking food that I feel good about eating and sharing it with my family and friends. My dad is Thai (and cooks some amazing Thai food), and my mom is Chinese, so all my life I’ve been eating food that’s a mish-mash of my dad’s childhood in Thailand, my mom’s upbringing in Singapore, and the American food that surrounded us daily. Food has always been central to my everyday life, and now I’m trying to bring that same melting pot and enthusiasm for food to my own family and friends. Being a stay-at-home mom of two boys under 5, what I’m not about is cooking fussy food that takes forever. I admit it, I’m tired. But I still really love to cook, eat, and feel good about what I feed my family. So, the idea of cooking with others who want to share too, sounds like my version of heaven. We can save time AND eat great food? Ohhhh, YES! I’m in.