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My Roots, My Rambles

Let's eat.....

About

My Roots, My Rambles

Hello! Welcome to my food blog; My Roots, My Rambles where I give free rein to my inner madness and absolute passion for everything food. I love mashing cultures through their culinary styles, aka Fusion Food (yep, there’s a label for it) inspired by the wonderful places I have lived in, aka, my Rambles which is currently the rich and varied California culture.

I have often been asked the question, “What is food to you?” For me,  the food you eat, should evoke a memory – images, tastes, and aromas that you remember and yearn for. Each ingredient has an individual voice and when they come together in your mouth, it’s like a celebration with fireworks! 

My love for food was born at my grandmother Chellamal’s lap and nurtured by my mother, Uma. I have fond memories of sitting next to my grandmother and making one really huge kozhukattai’s (modaks or sweet steamed dumplings), while she finished making 50 of them in that time. I was never scolded for making a mess or doing it wrong. Gentle hands used to guide me in making them the right way. 

Today, I teach my children. And the tradition continues. While my cooking has changed with every experience I have had, I go to my roots to draw inspiration. 

My Roots, My Rambles is my homage to that love.  I am from the South of India (My Roots) and my long journey from there to the United States (My Rambles) certainly reflects in my food. 

I have made my way across this country, down from the East Coast where I lived in historic Pittsburgh, PA to stunning and captivating Boulder, CO and finally call now my home in beautiful and hopping San Francisco Bay Area.

Fusion Cuisine

The world has become smaller, hasn’t it? And food has been the first to crossover barriers, form friendships, and bridge the cultural gap. My journey in life has been marked by the people and places I have lived, enjoyed and learned. And I have imbibed their teachings into my food. The more cultures I discover, the many commonalities I encounter through food.

The mingling of cultures is especially abundant in California. The population of the Bay Area mainly made of immigrants strongly influences the food culture here. With a growing number of tech giants, like Google, Apple, Facebook, and the start-up culture have made this a hothouse for people from various parts of the United States and other countries to move and settle here.

And the food here has evolved to combine the different cultures – Asian, Indian, Italian, German, Mexican, French, Japanese even Fijian cuisine. And it matches my philosophy perfectly. Here you can find food created by locally sourced, sustainable ingredients seasonally available and produce. It is low in saturated fats and high in fresh vegetables and fruits.

Why eat Fresh, Seasonal, Local Produce?

To me, eating fresh, seasonal, LOCAL produce is very important to a healthy, vibrant life. A life lesson passed down to me by the wonderful women in my family, mainly my mother and grandmother that I have embraced.

More than any city that I have lived in the United States of America, San Francisco Bay Area cities have access to the best fresh produce I have seen. To say, I love Farmers Markets here would be an understatement. I am ecstatic!!!

So come, and explore with me as I journey through delectable cuisines, wondrous places to get them and the beautiful people I meet along the way.

What you will find on My Roots, My Rambles

Vegetarian Recipes, mostly Fusion.

  • Original Recipes created by me made with fresh, seasonal produce inspired by my experiences and travel.
  • Traditional Recipes handed down for generations adapted to the produce found in California Bay Area (I continuously aggravate my friends by getting them to find out, tell me and show me how their favorite childhood dishes are made).
  • Descriptions of the places I traveled and my Rambling thoughts under “Travels and Rambles”

All the recipes on the blog have been made, measured, refined and eaten at least 5 times before I write them as a post. And they are all children tested and approved (I have two rambunctious little ones at home who are my greatest critic).

Some of my posts so that you can get an idea of the type of cooking I do;

My Farmers Markets

I am a regular fixture at the farmer’s markets. My regular haunt is the Irvington Farmers Market (Sunday 9 AM to 1 PM) in Fremont, CA, the year round. The farmers here know me. They keep special pastured eggs, smooshed fruits for my jams and new intriguing produce just for me. So I love them.

I also visit other farmers markets in the Bay. My favorite ones are

So that’s about me and the blog. Come, and explore with me as I journey through delectable cuisines, wondrous places to get them and the beautiful people I meet along the way. Thanks for visiting! Let’s eat!

About the Author

About

Ramya Ramamurthy is a Professional Chef and Entrepreneur. Her love for food had her pursuing Culinary education from the International Culinary Center after working for 10 years as an Advertising Sales Manager. She topped her class at culinary school and since worked in restaurants and catering specializing in taking fresh and seasonal, farm to table ingredients and creating wondrous dishes. She is a proud PTA Mom who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her ever supporting husband/food tester/hand model and two very active children/food critics/sous chefs. 

Other than being passionate about food….

  • She reads voraciously – cookbooks, biographies, and fiction fill her bookshelves.
  • Loves the weekend hikes with her family wearing her bright orange 2016 San Francisco Half Marathon t-shirt (she’s very proud of completing it for childrens education with Asha NGO).
  • Binge watches TV series on Netflix – The Crown, NCIS (love Mark Harmon), Madam Secretary (recent love), Greys Anatomy, Big Bang Theory, Friends (again and again), and many, many, many, more. Oh and yes, cooking shows!
  • Is addicted to Action and Superhero movies and Harry Potter!
  • Hates food waste. And curse words (very difficult being in the restaurant industry) and horror movies.
  • A huge advocate of Children’s Rights – for food, education, protection against abuse of any kind, medical treatment and is a core member of the CRY (Child Rights and You) America, California Chapter. 
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