Rupa Bhattacharya

Visit our blog for a behind-the-scenes look into Food Network Kitchens.

Title: Writer

Year you started at FN: 2005

Path at FN: I got here; I stayed. It's like the Godfather around here, except with pie.

Culinary education/background: French Culinary Institute; Yale before that. In between: food magazine; wine magazine; cookbook publisher.

Cuisine you're known for: Whole roast animals (I got a Caja China for my birthday last year; at this point, my butcher recognizes my voice on the phone).

Favorite food: Vietnamese sandwiches, moules frites, bourbon

Food you won't go near: Dill, but it's not that I won't go near it; I spent years living in its immediate vicinity (northern Germany and Eastern Europe). I just kind of hate it is all.

Culinary inspiration: Heston Blumenthal (for bringing brilliance to the everyday); La Grande Bouffe (because I believe strongly in decadence); Julia Child (for being awesome).

Favorite show: I make my officemate turn on the TV every afternoon for Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.

Do you prefer sweet foods or savory: Savory

If you were a condiment, what would you be: Mango pickle: it's ethnic, with limited, niche appeal but a fiercely devoted fan base.

Funniest behind-the-scenes story: I'm so far behind the scenes that I'm behind the behind-the-scenes. I could tell you some amazing stories about the Kitchens, though...

Charities or organizations you work for/with: The Street Vendor Project, I'm on the board of their annual fundraiser, the Vendy Awards; it's an annual Iron Chef-style street vendor cookoff and quite possibly my favorite thing about New York.