About

Hi, I'm Lia. I launched This Little Piglet in 2006 to share my adventures with food, both in Brooklyn, where I've lived since 2001, and beyond. Back then, I was working full-time at Food Network and didn't have any children. I ate out a lot, hosted dinner parties regularly and was always planning trips that revolved around food. When friends and family needed to find a good restaurant, they came to me. They still do.

In April of 2008, I had my first son, Nico. I stopped working at Food Network after 6 years in February of 2009, took a break from writing, and spent awhile just being a mom. During that time, I met many parents who were new to Brooklyn and didn't know where to go or good places to eat. Wanting to bring new parents together and help them explore my favorite borough's vibrant food scene, I started leading Brooklyn food tours for moms and kids. I also happened to be 6 months pregnant with my second son at the time. Leo arrived in June and my hands have been full ever since. I'm only leading tours by request for now, but hope to lead group ones again some day.

These days, when I'm not building massive Lego villages, I'm usually cooking, baking, or writing for iVillage, Mommy Poppins and baby gooroo. I'm also hoping to spend more time right here. I still plan on writing about recipes and favorite places in Brooklyn—virtual food tours, for now I guess—but I'm sure there will be posts on lots of other stuff.

I love breakfast, never skip meals and will always go out of my way to find the very best sweets. I avoid unnatural ingredients whenever possible. I have a soft spot for dark chocolate. I think it tastes best with a slight chill, so you'll always find some in my fridge. My husband, Daniel, helped me come up with the name This Little Piglet because I have an unusually large appetite. I can eat a lot and always seem to be hungry. We both really like to cook, but he likes to keep things simple and I like to complicate things. On more than a few occasions, I've started a recipe that he's had to finish (and photograph). When we met in 1998, he wooed me with a home cooked meal. He's from Rio de Janeiro and thanks to him, I've been lucky enough to live there. In fact, I quit my very first job out of college so I could turn a 2-week vacation into a six month stay. That story is a whole post in itself, but we go back to visit every year or so which is why I write about Brazil here as well.

Now that I'm a parent, my time in the kitchen is messier and more hectic than it used to be, but no matter how chaotic my life gets or how sleep-deprived I am, I'll never stop obsessing over finding and eating the very best food. Must be the Virgo in me.

If you would like to send me an email, my address is brklynfoodie@yahoo.com.  And please, feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.