Hi, my name is Parnian. Welcome to Bite of Life, a space meant for learning, exploring and sharing.

​​

I was inspired to create Bite of Life by my Mamani—my paternal grandmother—whose warmth, strength and unwavering love shaped so much of who I am.

 

Born and partially raised in Tehran, Iran, it was in Mamani’s kitchen where I first learned the art of cooking, hosting, and gathering. Mamani was a hard-working and strong-minded woman who loved her children above all else. Countless were the afternoons where my mother, brother and I would drop by her house, on our way home form school, to pick up some delicious meal she had put together, one of those that would require a day and a half to cook and prepare. On these afternoons, when my father was still at work, she would invite us to go through one of her dresser drawers in the bedroom, where she would hide various snacks for my brother and me—snacks that she knew our father would not be pleased to see us eating.

 

Mamani’s home, despite being a modest apartment, was where her five children, along with their respective grandchildren and great-grandchildren, gathered to share her elaborate meals, to talk, to laugh, to celebrate, and to love.

 

Although it has been many years since she last cooked us a meal, the memories Mamani created and the lessons she taught remain ever-present.

 

From meal ideas that reflect both my Iranian heritage to writing about my latest discoveries and interests, Bite of Life is a space for exploring, learning, and, most of all, sharing. Because just as Mamani taught, food is a vessel through which we connect, tell stories and love.

​

​

​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​​​​​