Vasantha Prasad was born in Bangalore, India, anddeveloped a passion for vegetarian cooking in her late teens. Growing up in a country renowned for its exotic spices and widevariety of vegetables, not to mention age-old family culinarysecrets, she learned to prepare healthful and tasty vegetarian delights. She came to the United States in 1972 and now lives in Mamaroneck, New York, with her family.