About Me

My name is Tara Pandey. I am from Virginia. My family is made up of my sister, parents, and our playful Chesador Retriever, Bay. 

I started this blog when in my freshman year of highschool and have grown and developed alongside it for three years. I am now a freshman in a collage in Connecticut and cook whever I can.  

Outside of this website where my stories find home, I enjoy thrifting, reading a good book, traveling, watching great films, trying out new food, and listening to various genres of music. I enjoy writing --  whether it is for my school newsmagazine, or detailing my journey supporting rural women entrepreneurs in Nepal!

I’ve always enjoyed making food -- whether it is to de-stress, try out new recipes, or simply to sit down and create something. Cooking is one of many loves of my life, and I hope to share my passion for it with you!

Why did I start this blog?

This blog started on April 16, 2020, with my first post, “Taste of Thailand”, as something to do while I was quarantined.

I’d made food before: avocado toast for breakfast, brownies for friends’ birthdays, and my critically-acclaimed Kraft Mac’ and Cheese lunches and cup Ramens. But taking a chunk of time out to make dinner for family? Spending hours learning about and making and writing about food? Unimaginable! 

As sports got canceled, social distancing got enforced and schools went virtual, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. Cooking, creating and exploring cultures became a possibility. I wanted learn about world cultures through food. So I decided to officiate the marriage of the three things that I love — exploring cultures, understanding cuisine, and recreating the experience in this blog! 

Cook-in’ Quarantine was my journey exploring eclectic international cuisine from the comfort of my quarantined kitchen. With life is slowly getting back to normal, and me back in school with activities picking up, and workload increasing, it was hard to keep up with monthly posts.

Where is the blog now?

I have now transitioned my blog into something much more personal to me. My grandmother was recently diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s, a disorder that slowly eats away at her memory day by day. I grew up in my grandparents’ house when I was a toddler. My parents used to leave me and my sister with my grandparents during the day when they went to work. My grandmother introduced me to Jaulo (baby food made with rice and lentils) as my first solid food and made Mung ko roti (crepe made of mung bean), Malpuwa (banana pancakes), and Kheer (pudding) for khaja (snacktime) -- the taste of which still linger in my mouth. 

Today, my grandmother lives thousands of miles away, in Nepal, and I don't get to see her as much as I would like. Although I try to talk to her as much as possible, weekly phone calls pale in comparison to actually seeing her in person and sharing meals with her. 

As her memory quietly slips away, I wanted to honor my grandmother by learning to make the food she used to make for me. I asked her to write down her recipes and share them with me so I can recreate them in my own kitchen.

I am documenting my journey here (whenever I can) so her recipes and my memories of her will live forever.