On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with food and lifestyle writer Ariel Kanter, whose Substack is called Rel's Recs, and who fell in love with food by accident.    Growing up as a ballerina, food was not part of Kanter’s lifestyle. Then in high school, she discovered the original Japanese version of “Iron Chef” on the Food Network. Kanter loved the experimentation and all of the wild ingredients. Mostly, though, it was the warmth, something Kanter was missing in ballet.    “The ballet studio is beautiful, but I always felt like it was cold, whereas in the kitchen, there is warmth, fulfillment, experimentation,” Kanter explains. “I think that's why I love cooking so much now, and writing about it.”    After college at NYU, and working in an editorial department, Kanter attended the Institute of Culinary Education. Armed with a background in food science and food preparation, she dove deep into writing about food. She has written for “The New York Times,” “Vanity Fair,” “InStyle,” “Serious Eats,” and more.    There were not a lot of food moments in Kanter’s youth. However, there was one exception: the Kanter family meringues.    “We had a family recipe passed down on my mother's side,” she explains. “These were the cookie that we made for every birthday, every Jewish holiday.”   Meringues are magical, fluffy and fun. Get the recipe at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.   “That sense of whimsy has never really gone away for me,” she says.    Ariel Kanter talks about her two childhood food memories, her career journey and food philosophy, and the love of cooking and baking she shares with her niece and nephew, and more.   Subscribe to Ariel Kanter’s Substack, Rel's Recs and follow @arielkanter on Instagram. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.