About Me
Welcome to Woke Up & Made, a food and culinary history blog. It’s my goal to inspire you with unique recipes that celebrate the tapestry of cultures in America and the history of the foods we eat.
Food has been my passion since as long as I can remember. On Saturday mornings when I was a kid, I used to wake up and watch all the cooking shows on TV instead of cartoons. Shows like Jacques Pépin, Julia Child, Martha Stewart, Dessert Circus with Jacques Torres, The Frugal Gourmet, Great Chefs of the World, and America’s Test Kitchen. Food for me is not only nourishment, but love, memory, tradition, creativity, and connection.
My family is from India, I was born in England, and grew up in California eating breakfast burritos & tacos, my mom’s biryani & chicken khorma, and trifle with a side of apple pie for dessert. The classic immigrant experience of keeping the traditional foods alive while introducing and creating new ones along the way.
Most of what we eat in America was brought over by immigrants and these are the stories I’d like to tell through my food. Follow me on this journey, try some of my recipes, and tell me about your unique food story!
-Zarreen