Name: Lauren Wilner
Blog: My Jerusalem Kitchen
Location: San Francisco, CA

Describe your culinary style.
My culinary style relies on Middle Eastern spices, colorful fruits and veggies, and lemon. Lemon all day long. I don’t hold steadfast to recipes, and I try to “keep it real,” so my posts will likely instruct you to let the yeast proof until it looks like cellulite or include “important” steps like pouring yourself some wine. I also like to make the most of my groceries, so I’m never shy to substitute an ingredient here or there and I’ll likely encourage you to do so as well. Cooking should be improvisational, not rigidly structured.

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
When my blog began, my main inspiration was my grandmother’s irresistible Persian food. Shortly thereafter, my source of inspiration was anyone’s grandmother if she who would teach me how to make anything that tasted remotely edible. Today, “the shuk” — the Machaneh Yehuda outdoor market in Jerusalem — has is my one primary source of inspiration: loud noises, vibrant colors, unexpected combinations and affordable prices.

For someone new to your blog, which recipes do you recommend they try first?
The most popular recipe on my blog are my Trader Joe’s knock off Dark Chocolate Almond Lace Cookies. They are perfection.  

But my readers also can’t get enough of my Baked Eggs with Feta and Olives or my Mediterranean Flatbread!

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
White pomello — assuming that the rules of this desert island would allow me to bring a knife, too. And possibly a napkin. Removing the flesh of the pomello would distract me from the fact that I was alone, stranded on a desert island and the hydrating, sweetly tart fruit would quench my thirst.

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
A bag of salt & vinegar chips — popped, baked, fat-free, fat-added — I don’t discriminate. I eat the whole bag at once until my tongue and lips are kinda burny and tingling. Then I get a stomach ache and await the next occasion when I can indulge myself.

Define Yummly.
Yummly is that moment between when your eyes examine a bite of food and before it hits your tongue when the only thing you can feel is your mouth welling up with saliva.

Name: Kathy Gori
Blog: The Colors of Indian Cooking
Twitter: @kathygori
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Describe your culinary style.
My culinary style is mainly healthy, fresh, family-friendly seasonal cuisine. 23 years ago I started cooking vegetarian Indian food, (I was a vegetarian) while I was undergoing chemo for cancer. It was suggested by my doctor as a way to spur my appetite and my sister in law who’s lived and worked in India got me started. I’d always loved Indian food, but never thought of cooking it myself. I was interested in cooking with less fats and oils and organic produce. I loved making my own Indian food and luckily living in Los Angeles, every single thing I needed for a recipe was readily available. Once I started cooking, l never looked back. I’ve since expanded to adding meat and fish to my diet and recipes. Whatever cuisine I’m cooking (I’m Italian-American) I’m always interested in home-made and traditional methods as applied to an American kitchen.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
A big favorite with my readers are Baked Samosas, made easy by using frozen filo dough. The recipe below is for crab samosas, but I also have recipes for traditional potato and pea samosas on my site.

Indian Style Low Oil Fries, fast and simple.

I also  do a lot of gluten free and/or vegan baking for friends who’s diets require that. These simple Indian Almond Cardamom Cookies can be made either vegan or gluten free, or both.

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
I’m always inspired by what I see at the Farmers Market, and what’s available locally. I also shop for more exotic but locally grown ingredients at the only Indian market in Sonoma County and also find the things I need at local Cambodian, Laotian and Hispanic markets. I’ve read a lot of traditional Indian cookbooks as you can well imagine, and am constantly inspired by them. I also enjoy trying to make adaptations of friend’s favorite foods when they’ve just been diagnosed with a food allergy or medical condition. I know how that feels. One of my biggest influences locally has been my friendship with Food Writer and James Beard award winner Paula Wolfert. Paula has been a mentor to me, a wonderful advisor and has been responsible for my move to start cooking in clay.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
Just one? I would like to move to Samosa Island which I think is located a quick swim from Dim Sum Island.  Couldn’t it be a dessert island??? In that case it would be dark chocolate.

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
Good bread, any sort of great cheese, and dark chocolate. Also, eating peanut butter directly out of the container. There, I’ve said it and I’m not ashamed.

Define Yummly.
Yummly is simply freshly delicious. Mouth worthy I’d say.

Name: Jonathan Melendez
Blog: The Candid Appetite
Twitter: @CandidAppetite
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Describe your culinary style.
I would describe my culinary style as simple; no fuss no muss, comfort food. I think that when it comes to cooking or baking, recipes shouldn’t be complicated or difficult because then you end up with this unwanted stress. Being in the kitchen cooking and baking, above all, should be a fun time to unwind and enjoy yourself. I’m all for eating anything you want and I strongly believe that it is all about moderation, not self-deprivation. My culinary style is definitely developed from that mindset so you won’t find any recipes that care more about the waistline rather than taste buds on the site.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
I would recommend starting out with my Spicy Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup. It is ridiculously easy but packs quite the flavorful punch without a long list of complicated ingredients. It pretty much sums up the site, simple recipes that hit close to home. Not to mention that I’m addicted to kale right now, putting it in anything that comes to mind, and I think you should be too. I would also recommend the Pistachio Pound Cake. If you are a fan of pistachio ice cream like I am, then you will definitely enjoy this cake. Plus it’s green, and we all know nothing is more fun than eating green food. Colored naturally by the pistachios of course. I definitely need to recommend both a savory dish and a dessert. I enjoy baking just as much as cooking so I try to split the recipes on the site right down the middle, giving as much love and attention to simple and delicious dinner ideas along with decadent desserts.

Click photo for recipe

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
My family. My mom and sisters inspire everything I make in the kitchen, hands down. They have definitely been a strong support system in my life—I started cooking when I was thirteen—so I tend to come up with recipes that remind me of them. My Recipes usually reflect memories from my childhood. Whether that be dishes I’ve recreated with a twist or a certain ingredient that takes me back to my youth. Food has always been a major part of my life. Growing up, my mom made sure we knew what good food was. My recipes wouldn’t come to life without my family because they give me the thumbs up or down. They are my official taste testers. They see me through the good and the not so good attempts, and believe me those three women are tough judges.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
I would have to say bread. I’m a huge bread junkie. Any type of bread really, you name it, I can’t resist it. I don’t discriminate. There is just something unexplainable about bread that makes it so irresistible. Fill it with all sorts of goodies in the middle and you have a sandwich. Serve it with pasta or soup and it’s the perfect utensil to soak up all those wonderful flavors. What can be better than homemade bread right out of the oven? I’m trying to think of something else that might be better? Nope, warm bread is definitely hard to beat. Whenever I’m in the vicinity of freshly baked bread, I start to act like a kid in a candy store. All self-control goes out the window. Forget about the moderation rule. My name is Jonathan Melendez and I am a breadoholic. I actually want to get stranded on this desert island now if it means that I will have an endless supply of bread. Can I purposely volunteer to go?

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
I have the biggest soft spot for peanut butter and jelly desserts. I think it’s because it takes me back to my elementary school days when I demanded to have a PB&J sandwich, with chunky peanut butter, every single day. I’d open my lunch box and get really excited when I’d see my sandwich. It would make my entire day. That being said, the PB&J cupcakes on the site are probably my biggest guilty pleasure. Make me a whole batch of those treats and stand back because I will eat them all by myself, and I don’t mind hurting someone in the process. I want one right now.

Define Yummly.
A food mecca for all foodies, newbies and food lovers alike. A community of people from all around the world with different interests and tastes but with one common thread that ties us all together; food. It’s also a great adjective to use for people in the know. “That cupcake is beyond yummly!” Let’s make it bigger than yummy.