At the tender age of twelve, Deva Mirel awkwardly stage dove at her first punk show–the Circle Jerks–and with that singular leap ventured forth into the alternative sub-cultures that continue to color her life today.
Her commitment to vegetarianism, including its positive effect on the environment as well as consciousness, deepened during her college years as she pursued course work in post-colonial and women’s studies.
Just after turning 22, she ran away from home and joined the Hare Krishnas, receiving culinary training in ashrams throughout America and India. Traveling allowed her to learn from chefs across the globe and Deva rapidly gained recognition for her cooking throughout the international vegetarian and yoga communities.
In 1998, Deva became the personal chef to an African High Chief of Warri, Nigeria. She worked alongside African women in the kitchen for a few years before buying a small fruit farm in central Pennsylvania, succumbing to the temptations of jam making.
Deva’s jam business ended when she and her husband sold their land in Pennsylvania–leaving behind her beloved gooseberry bushes and crab apple trees–for warmer, sandier pastures in central Florida. In 2008, she resumed work as a personal chef, although this time her clients were a tad bit more pedestrian than in the past.
Food & Wine Magazine, January 2011, "Suburban Chic"
Kicking off 2011 with the birth of her third baby + her kitchen remodel featured in the January issue of Food & Wine Magazine, Deva’s unique, keen eye for style has lead to a second career blogging about kitchen design.–an opportunity that gives her access to some of the top names in the industry.
Of course, Deva continues to cook, finding inspiration on the web, around her 8′ long dining table with friends and family, and in her beautifully functional kitchen. When not snapping pictures of food or drooling over slabs of marble, Deva is usually coaching youth soccer, thrifting in Gainesville for vintage milk glass, or visiting the Gulf Coast beaches with her husband and 3 kids. When not pretending to be the perfect mother and wife, Deva can be found at her computer, working on her cookbook manuscript. Or, most likely, in the kitchen. Making a huge mess.
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I just discovered your blog via KAF on twitter and have happily lost an hour wandering my way through. You have officially made my regular reading list :)
Leah the Nosher recently posted..Four Steps for a Successful CSA
Your blog is just awesome. Love the pics and recipes, and I love the banner! As a mom of two I really got a kick out of that :)
thanks so much!
It’s so nice to meet you! :) Love your blog!
xoxox
Kathleen
Need an update on this page!! The new bambino is not here!
updated ;)
I just saw you were mentioned in Food and Wine Magazine! Congratulations! Fun site, I’m excited to read more.
Thank you squashblossom. I am excited to check out your blog!
Hi, nice to meet you !
Mataji:
I was wondering if you know of Mother Kaulini’s latest health status?
I found a bunch of your posts – all over the Internet! – about Gita-nagari and those about Mother Kaulini.
It seems you and your family became quite fond of the farm. It holds a very deep and meaningful albeit a distant past time for me. By Krishna’s grace I was afforded the service of finding the farm back in 1975 when I was a brahmacari in the Brooklyn temple. I traveled all over the eastern U.S. farm regions, by myself in a white Ford Bronco, for weeks and weeks until I finally came upon the farm – then owned by a Mennonite farmer named Jake Zook. His family welcomed me into their farm life during the time that we were negotiating the real estate deal. I ended up living on the farm after getting married to a nice devotee woman from the Brooklyn temple, Usha Devi, and we conceived our first son, Adiraja, in a small trailer down by the river and the old cabin. I also traveled throughout the Northeast and mid-west searching for and buying the original brown swiss cows of the farm.
Anyway, its been a long time since those days but I thank you for reminding me!
Hari!
Krsne matir astu.
Janesvara dasa
a/k/a Joel Fairbank
LOVE the pic.
Congrats on your site. You have a beautiful family! I agree with your general philosophy on food.
Hope you are well. Take care.
J
jarrett? is that you? are you freaking kidding me? oh how awesome!
what about me?
yes.