On this episode of What Spice Means to Me, Dee and Reuben are joined by special guest Vina Patel to discuss her latest book, The Spice Collector's Cookbook. The conversation ranges from traveling for food and spices to why particular flavors evoke such strong memories to tips and tricks for home cooks to create healthy, easy, and delicious dishes. Vina's knowledge of and experience with many different cuisines shines through in this episode, and in her cookbooks. Buy Vina's books, including The Spice Collector's Cookbook: https://vinakpatel.com/books Vina's upcoming event on 5/3 at the Ferry Building in San Francisco: https://www.bookpassage.com/event/vina-thakkar-patel-spice-collectors-cookbook-ferry-plaza-farmers-market Follow Vina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vina.k.patel/ Learn more about fenugreek's uses in fighting diabetes: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10531284/ Follow The Spicecast on social media! Facebook: https://facebook.com/thespicecastpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thespicecast.bsky.social Subscribe to, rate, and review The Spicecast on your favorite podcast platform! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spicecast/id1485167581 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qL5rECbr1tWZg2KVgoJrU Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thespicecast If The Spicecast isn't available on your podcatcher of choice, email us at [email protected] and we'll work on getting it added. Feel free to email with spice questions or comments too! Credits: Cover Art - "Red hot pepper with fire vector" by freedesignfile (CC-BY) Music - "Running Out" by Patrick Patrikios (CC0)