I’ve always found pairings fascinating and exciting. This year I started experimenting more myself, putting together little food-and-drink menus at home. Somewhere in that process, I’ve been building a mental graph. Set A: foods. Set B: drinks. The “edges” are whatever actually works: harmony, contrast, surprise. I used to think pairing was mostly rules but now it feels like learning which nodes in your taste map want to connect, and why.

I didn't really learn to cook from recipes. I learned from my mom & friends showing me how, from cooking shows, from all the chefs that let me experience their dishes, from that one 4-hr food tour I did in Greece. Every time I make something now, I'm thinking about someone or somewhere. My cooking style is just everyone I've ever shared a meal with and all the places I’ve eaten at, all mixed together.

You know that moment when you're craving something familiar but the menu's full of unknowns? Or when you've moved somewhere new and can't find your comfort foods? I've found a way to decode unfamiliar dishes by recognizing their hidden connections to what you already love. Through 10 paired examples — from fried plantains vs. fried bananas to empanadas vs. meat pies — I demonstrate how to read the invisible architecture beneath what we eat.