“I realized the importance of cooking when I was nine. I had just arrived in America along with my parents (and one younger sibling). My parents had to work twelve-hour shifts—six to seven days a week—just to make ends meet… At that age, you’re old enough to realize your family is struggling. Coming home from work, tired, the last thing my parents wanted to worry about was cooking for the family… My logic was this: if I kept my parents healthy, they’d continue to work and carry us through tough times. If I could make dinner a stress-free piece of their agenda, that was even better. Feeding them healthily was another bonus; while eating out was often easier, I was aware that ingredients cooked at home were healthier and cheaper… Overall, I saw my cooking bring my family together… Many diseases come from our state-of-mind—right? … At nine, I realized the power of cooking as a tool for making people better; selecting the healthiest ingredients and preparing them in the best way can go a long way. We may not all like to cook, but we all love to eat… In my family, I do the main cooking, but I get everybody involved—my children, my husband, etc. It’s a proven and convenient means of getting my family and friends to gather… Cooking helps folks to become the best dentists, too; to cook a great meal you have to know about the ingredients, how to prepare them properly, and so on—creativity is required when persuading a picky eater to eat. Cooking helps me be more creative and act more meticulously as a dentist—overall, it helps with my dexterity. Dexterity, alone, is great for dentists to have… Oral health is connected to the patient’s systemic health, too. Food is medicine, right? By understanding food and nutrition, we can coach a patient above and beyond our profession. We can work further to improve their systemic health—by relaying tips and tricks around how ingredients are connected to our overall health. It brings me a lot of satisfaction, as the dentist, to see my patient advancing in every avenue.”