I was born and raised in San Francisco, and moved to Los Angeles in 1983. Here I met my husband, had my son, and trained at the Keck School of Medicine at USC and completed my pediatric training at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.
I am a board-certified pediatrician and have taken care of children for over 30 years. After leaving a large pediatric group, I built a successful, sustainable private practice from the ground up, and stepped away from pediatrics in 2012 to pursue a second chapter in my life.
After retirement, I had quite a large bucket list to conquer. My love of food, and my creativity in the kitchen were honed in culinary school and by taking dozens of classes over the last 3 decades. Culinary school, although difficult, only helped me be more fearless and exploratory in the kitchen. My specialties are ethnic food, artisan breads and ice cream, but I can rise to any culinary challenge. Currently I teach culinary classes at the BLVD Kitchen, and enjoy supplying its larder with home made soups, sauces and breads.
I am an advocate. Currently I lead a national Food Allergy Awareness Committee for the National Peanut Board and have had the honor of working on behalf of America’s peanut farmers for nine years. I have worked with other commodity boards to help the public understand health and policy issues and work diligently with healthcare professionals to help them better understand food allergies and proper diagnosis and care. I also serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of United Cerebral Palsy Los Angeles -- an organization near and dear to me, as I took care of so many children and young adult with developmental disabilities.
I am an entrepreneur. I co-founded MD MOMS, makers of Baby Silk - the first pediatrician-developed personal care line for babies. The company was acquired in 2013. Owning and running this company, as well as my own practice, built my skills in business.
I am a mom and a wife. My son is grown now, and I continue to learn from him every day. I bring reality to the advice I offer that comes from parenting on the front lines!
