Who’s in the kitchen with Spicebox Travels? People looking for a way to eat healthfully and deliciously.  I apologize that it’s been a while since my last post (that Cancun vacation feels like it was a year ago!).  I’ve been working hard at may day job, and also at my passion project– trying to establish a teaching kitchen at my clinic.  It’s  common sense– food is at the core of health, and knowing how to prepare it at home is the best way to take control of one’s health.  Over the past year, I’ve given a series of cooking classes with the primary goal of sharing my love of fresh, flavorful food with others.  My students have included patients with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, those who are  struggling with their weight or simply trying to be healthier.  They’ve also included doctors, whom I hope will share the lessons I’ve taught them with their own patients.  While this blog focuses on food and the love I have for learning about it, cooking it, and eating it, for the most part I’ve kept that separate from my day job as a primary care doctor.  It wasn’t until last year, when I attended Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, an annual continuing medical education course held at the Culinary Institutes of America in St. Helena, California, that I realized the obvious: I could (and should) combine my vocation with my avocation.  I’ve gotten some momentum lately, and am thrilled to have been included in an article called “Food as Medicine” in Edible Silicon Valley.  Please take a look, and if you live in Silicon Valley, pick up a complimentary copy at Whole Foods and other locations– it’s a beautiful publication with many other wonderful articles.  I’ve included my recipe for Chilled Minted Pea Soup with Indian Spices, a perfect recipe to welcome spring.  Bon appétit and a votre santé  (to your health!)