AUTHOR:Ammini Ramachandran is the author of Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts: Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy published by iUniverse in March 2007. The book was upgraded and re-launched as a Star Edition by iUniverse in November 2008.

Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts received a very favorable review in the New York Times. In her article Translating India, Sometimes Fluently, Anne Mendelson wrote - "The purpose of this modest no-frills book is to place a region, its history, and its family and cultural heritages into a coherent context for understanding food. Other books have ably explored India’s far southern territory, but Ms. Ramachandran reveals amazing range and depth in Kerala’s Hindu vegetarian traditions".

Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts was among the four self published cookbooks that ranked #76 in Saveur's Tenth Annual 100 List in 2008.

In the San Francisco Examiner Patricia Unterman wrote "Few cookbooks in English have covered Kerala Vegetarian cooking, with much depth or authenticity. Last year Ammini Ramachandran came out with a book that fully explains the magic behind this seductive cooking". In The Art of Eating, Winnie Yang cited "I Like this book not just for Ramachandran's practical-minded approach but for her enthusiasm, which translates into thoughtful, encouraging instructions".

Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts also received favorable publicity in various other publications including The Daily News Record, Modern Luxury Dallas, Austin Chronicle, Plano Profile, Globe and Life (Canada), India SE (Singapore), Madras Plus, Economic Times (India), Mumbai Touchdown (India), Timeout Mumbai (India), Timeout Delhi (India) and various food blogs.

Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts was the winner of 2007 Cordon d'Or International Cookbook Awards; First Place Winner -Self Published Cookbooks and Overall Winner in cookbooks.

PUBLIC SPEAKER:Ammini was a presenter at the tenth annual Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival - Rise of Asia - presented by The Culinary Institute of America in November 2007. She was a featured presenter for The New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, American Institute of Wine and Food, Dallas and the Houston Culinary Guild. She was a presenter at the Celebration of our members held by Culinary Historians of New York.

PRINT & INTERNET MEDIA: Ammini's recipes appear in the recently released book The Flavors of Asia published by the Culinary Institute of America. Her recipes have also appeared in the Providence Journal and the James Beard award winning food web site www.leitesculinaria.com. She has written a column on spices along with recipes for www.Sallys-place.com, the premier Web site for food, beverages, and travel.

Ammini’s articles have appeared in Flavor & Fortune, a quarterly journal dedicated to the art and science of Chinese cuisine. She contributed to Sacred Waters, a collection of articles and stories published by Adams Media, Food History Primer published by International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Super Bowl-an Encyclopedia edited by Melitta Adamson and Francine Segan.She is a correspondent for Heritage India, a magazine on Indian heritage and culture. For the past eight years Ammini has devoted her time to researching and writing about the ancient Indian Ocean spice trade and its influence on her home state Kerala's (India) cuisine and culture on her website www.peppertrail.com.

CULINARY EDUCATOR: She has taught Indian cooking classes at Central Market Cooking Schools in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, Texas and the Institute of Culinary Education, New York.

IN THE WORKS: She has contributed to the upcoming publications Storied Dishes edited by Linda Berzok and the Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism edited by Margaret Puskar-Pasewicz.Her next project focuses on the ancient recipes of south India.

She is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP)), Slow Food USA, and Culinary Historians of New York. She holds a diploma in article writing from the School of Careers, Berkshire, UK; a BSc in chemistry from Kerala University; and an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Ammini was born in Kerala, India and moved to the United States in 1971. Before becoming a freelance food writer, Ammini was a financial analyst in international banking. She lives with her husband in Plano, Texas.