I am a vegan living in the United States. I love to cook because it's like creating edible art. I was raised in a family heavily influenced by food and culture. When I went vegan in my early teenage years, my parents doubted that I would last because I was raised with goat cheese and grass fed local meats. When we moved to the US, it was a lot easier to be a vegan. I also enjoy competitive swimming and running. I love to make vegan desserts. It seriously surprises people when they find out that brownies are twice as good without milk or eggs, or that a tofu cheesecake is just as luscious as a "real" one. I also love to cook ethnic food, as well as food from my native France. My family is from the region of Bordeaux in France. I was heavily influenced by their cooking traditions. It's real challenge to prepare French fare they'll love that is vegan for me. Creating food for a large family gathering is always a great experience. Everyone is always so grateful and inquisitive. Also, I once created a 4-course Italian dinner for my family-- without using recipes. I just threw things in here and there. Everyone agreead that it was one of the most delicious meals they have ever had because, since I wasn't tied down by a recipe, the flavors came together and blended very well. Nothing really horrible-- EXCEPT for the time I was grilling up some eggplant before a party. A kitchen towel fell across the hot grill surface and flamed up immediately. My friend Robert still makes "Call the fire department, Jana's cooking!" jokes. And then digs into my vegan bread pudding like there's no tomorrow.