Hi, I'm BJ, and this is The Global Pantry.

I grew up around Asian food, the kind of cooking where the whole house smells like dinner hours before you eat. But I was curious about the other side of the map. One evening I decided to cook a dish from a cuisine I'd never made before. The rice burned. The sauce was too salty. I ate it anyway, and I loved every bite.

Somewhere between the second helping and the washing up, I realized something: the food was different, but the feeling at the table was the same.

That's how The Global Pantry started. I wanted a place where a Thai green curry and a French coq au vin could sit side by side, and where nobody feels silly asking, "What is lemongrass, and where do I find it?" (I asked the same thing once, too.) Every good meal starts with what's in the pantry, so I share the ingredients as well as the recipes.

I write each recipe the way I'd explain it to a friend standing next to me at the stove: simple steps, ordinary ingredients, and honest tips about what can go wrong.

I'm not a professional chef, and I don't pretend to be. I'm just someone who believes good food is one of the easiest ways to feel close to someone.

So wherever you're cooking from, whether it's a tiny apartment or a big family kitchen, welcome. Stay a while. The kettle's on, and there's always room at my table.

With love,
BJ