What do you do for a living?
I have the good fortune to own, with my husband Rudy, Charlie Hong Kong an organic Asian street food restaurant in Santa Cruz.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing that?
In the fantasy realm, I’d be a performance artist. I also see myself teaching in some capacity with young women and men.
What do you do in your free time?
Currently, free time is more of a wonderful idea. But when I have free time I love to write, take yoga classes, talk with girlfriends, spend time with my family. When I have a spacious amount of free time, I schedule a silent retreat for myself. And of course I always have time to cook and share food with family and friends in my home.
What brought you to Santa Cruz?
My husband spent many childhood vacations here. Our own family continued those visits. His love of the beaches became my love as well. It was the opportunity and miracle of owning Charlie Hong Kong that finally brought us here to live.
What’s your favorite street?
I have a number of favorite streets. I judge a favorite by the ones I enjoy walking on. I like walking East Cliff Drive, Cliff Drive in Aptos and of course West Cliff. I walk my neighborhood with my husband several times a week, always under the full moon. I suppose my favorite street is turning onto the street where my home is.
Name something you’re excited about.
There are so many things that make me excited. I get excited about feeding people healthy food. The gorgeous abundance of produce at the farmers markets, organic farms and farmers make me so excited. Eating “real” organic food like the ripe avocado, dry farmed tomato, fresh cooked cannelloni beans, and butter lettuce I just ate, rolled in a sprouted corn tortilla. Bees, butterflies and humming birds in my garden make me excited.
Name a pet peeve.
People who forget to be kind and express gratitude.
What are you reading?
I just made my way through Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Every morning I read A Year of Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in the last three years?
Direct my focus to what truly matters. To soften my hold on what I think is “right.”
What’s your ring tone?
I had to call my phone to listen to it. It was on the phone I inherited from my husband.
