My name is Jacqueline (Jackie) Pham, and I started PhamFatale.com as a way to interact with other foodies.  I am not a professional cook, I've never attended any cooking classes, but I just love to cook for my family and friends.

For me, cooking is an expression of love. I love to cook and I cook for the ones I love. Great food is nourishment for the body and soul. Whether it's a savory entrée, a refreshing drink or a decadent dessert, we all have those favorite dishes that take us back in time.

I was born in the City of Lights, Paris, France. My parents emigrated from Saigon, Vietnam in the mid 70s. From early on I was exposed to both cultures and cuisines. I love delicate French pastries and crave all the traditional Asian seafood dishes. In my mid-twenties, I moved to the sunny San Francisco Bay Area to be with my husband. Like me, he is the child of immigrants, though his parents are from India and he was born in the US.

We have a big family here, so there are always plenty of mouths to feed. My husband has four little sisters, ranging in age from 4 to 12. My husband and 2 of his sisters are vegetarians. My father-in-law is a vegetarian but he only likes spicy Indian food and is allergic to mushrooms. My husband's 8-year-old sister is deathly allergic to eggs and all nuts (except peanuts, go figure!). And the rest of us are carnivores.

Dinner is always a production at home because of everyone's dietary restrictions. I've learned lots of tricks and techniques to create easy, flavorful veggie and meat dishes, as well as desserts to satisfy my hubby's sweet tooth. Phamfatale.com is my way of sharing my passion with all the other foodies and femmes fatales out there who want to put great, memorable meals on the table for their loved ones.  I know a lot of people guard their cooking secrets like they are a matter of national security, but I'm a believer that knowledge is meant to be shared.  So I'll be sharing all my secrets, and those of the best cooks I know.

I hope you join me on this new adventure and share your tips and secrets with me.

All the photographs are taken by me. I took a photography class last Fall. Thanks, Kate for all your help. 

UPDATE: A huge thank you to Carole Florian. Carole's been editing all the recent posts on PhamFatale.com. I make a lot of spelling and grammatical errors and because English is not my mother tongue, my idioms are sometimes idiotic. Carole, thank you so much for making me sound good!

See the last post:

Recipes by Ingredients