Rising Stars: Meet Sameena Rao

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sameena Rao.

Hi Sameena, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a food blogger, photographer, and physician. My food blog, Poet and Flower started as a way to remember both my mother and her recipes. Slowly, it has become my musings on food and our lives. It celebrates my passion for Indian American cooking. I love to cook food that brings together Muslim, Hindu, and American influences.

I’m a physician, and I love what I do. Food and cooking are a good balance of medicine. I love a quote from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who said, “Each part of my life gave me respite from the other.” So with that, I’ve started writing about food and gathering the recipes that I enjoy.

I’m from the East Coast and now live with my husband and two children in Indianapolis. My parents emigrated from India, and my mother was an avid cook. She cooked for family and for friends. She came from a Muslim family in South India – and cooked both Muslim dishes and classic South Indian dishes. She taught me to cook and is a big inspiration in my life. I return to her recipes repeatedly and find that they are the foundation for developing new recipes. Without her encouraging words and fantastic food, I would not be cooking as much as I do today.

One of my fondest memories as a kid is “cooking” dinner alongside my mother. She’d give me all the leftover vegetable scraps, onion peels, potato peels – and I would make “soup.” Ultimately my mom taught me to cook and love food.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all! Medicine is challenging and demanding. It requires so much of you. As my career has come along, I slowly realized I loved to write and cook. Making time for everything is hard. It’s definitely a juggling act to work, cook, and have a family.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve slowly evolved as a food blogger. When I first started it was about writing and keeping all my family’s recipes alive. Slowly I’ve grown as a photographer and writer. My husband, G, is an artist and has pushed me to be better, at writing, and at photography.

I’ve started showing my work locally and it’s exciting to see my art grow. I’m proud of my evolution as an artist. And I’m excited to be a physician and also an artist. Practicing medicine is an art in itself and I’m happy to have another side of myself to grow and develop.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Try out a recipe on Poet and Flower!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.poetandflower.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poet_and_flower/
• Facebook: @poetandflower