Meet Your New Puerto Rican Friend

Wepa! I’m Zoe, taste bud stimulator by day, Puerto Rican Cuisine Explorer by night. Originally from Puerto Rico, I moved to the United States when I was 15.

Growing up my first passion was Visual Arts. I have been teaching myself how to draw and paint since I was eight or nine. When I came to High School here in the United States, I pursued visual arts with, you guessed it, a passion, but I was tried to be persuaded to focus on a career that would "pay the bills". The persuasion didn't quite work because I decided to study Theater when I went to college.

Many of my fellow Thespians were working flexible schedule jobs at restaurants. I didn't want to wait on tables, so I decided to go into the kitchen, after all, a girl must eat. Working in professional kitchens, I found my "paid the bills" job as a cook and decided to change paths, so I started to attend culinary school.

Cooking has brought me great experiences and has taken me to different places, not quite globally either, lol. I am now at a stage in my life, in which I have gathered some experiences and have considered opening my own place.

As much fun as opening my own place sounds. I don't feel that it is the right path for me. At least not now. My passion lies in wanting to teach others how to cook.

To me, cooking is about sharing. It's about showing people how much we love them through food. Food is the essence for which we survive and work so hard. I truly enjoy learning new recipes from different parts of the world and see how they use the same if not similar ingredients. I also love to see how one recipe is transformed from country to county.

Maybe one day I will open my seaside restaurant where I will serve delectable food in the most simplest presentation. Where, with roaring fires, I will cook foods to perfection, while being fanned by the briny winds of the Caribbean Sea.

Until then, this will be my practice. Would you join me?