Ramin Ganeshram was born in New York City to a Trinidadian father and Iranian mother. She is a journalist and professional chef trained at the Institute of Culinary Education, and author of several cookbooks including Future Chefs (IACP Cookbook Award winner) and Cooking with Coconut which won an Honorable Mention in the Readable Feast Awards in 2017. Her writing has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Saveur, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and on epicurious.com, as well as National Geographic Traveler, Forbes Traveler, and many other publications. Ganeshram has appeared as a judge on the Food Network’s Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. For a decade, Molly O'Neill was the food columnist for The New York Times Magazine and the host of the PBS series Great Food. Her work appeared in many national magazines, and authored three cookbooks, including the award-winning The New York Cookbook.