A Spotlight On Allrecipes Allstar: Candice Walker

Candice Walker is one of the 60 million cooks in our Allrecipes community and an Allrecipes Allstar.

What is an Allstar? Food bloggers, registered dietitians, and more home cooks (just like you!) make up our enthusiastic squad of 100+ brand ambassadors. This crew of food lovers has submitted thousands of recipes, photos, and reviews over the years, plus share their cooking expertise all over our website and social channels. In short, they make all of our cooking adventures more successful. Interested in becoming an Allrecipes Allstar? Learn more, and sign up here.

And now, let's get to know Candice!

About me: I grew up in California and now live in Portland, Oregon. I work at an aerospace engineering company—in addition to blogging at Proportional Plate—and love to cook with my sister, Chelsea. I also love painting, pottery, gardening, and rock climbing.

My dinner party vibe: I love hosting outdoors whenever I can. Many of my recipes use fresh produce and herbs from my garden, so an alfresco setting flows really well with my menus. I set the table with lots of green and natural colors, and flowers and herbs for a touch of freshness.

In my fridge and pantry, you’ll find: Homemade ingredients, including shrubs or sharbat (a Persian cordial), kefir water, and homemade hot sauce and pickles from our summer garden produce. I always have Persian pantry staples—like pomegranate molasses, dried limes, and lentils—on hand and some Persian black tea with cardamom pods.

My favorite food memories: I used to pull up my little kitchen stool and help my mom cook. I have fond memories of licking cake batter off beaters; helping my mom wash rice; and sitting on the kitchen floor with my mom, maman-joon, and sister while we prepped heaps of herbs, quince, and sour grapes for the freezer to make ghormeh sabzi (herb stew), koufteh (meatballs), khoresh ebeh (quince, plum, and beef stew), and khoresh bademjan (tomatoes and eggplant).

What I love about Persian food: Persian cooking has a concept called “garm and sard.” Garm foods are warming, while sard foods are cooling—you have to pair the right foods to create balance. For example, lentils or beans (garm ingredients) pair well with yogurt and rice (sard foods). I like the idea that foods have a natural energy that you can harness to help you pair them.

Being a home cook means: Dedicating yourself to improving your cooking with the tools and resources available. No one’s watching, no one’s judging; you have the freedom to create dishes exactly how you want (and it’s OK when they don’t come out exactly as you planned).

Current obsessions: I am so enthusiastic about tea exploration: trying new teas and different methods of preparation. I’d love to be a tea sommelier one day. My husband and I are also into pickleball in a big way right now!

Blending Traditions

Candice has always found joy and comfort in the Iranian Jewish dishes her mom and grandma made for their family. She grew up with the delicious smells of her mom’s cooking and a very early appreciation for Persian cuisine. They instilled a love of cooking and inspired her to learn how to make the dishes they were preparing. Now, she has dedicated decades to understanding the nuances of Persian cuisine— the right spices to use, how to prepare the ingredients, and how to bring out the unique flavors of each dish. Inspired by tradition, childhood memories, and classic ingredients, Candice brings her family’s recipes to your table through these two dishes: Bastani (Saffron and Rose Ice Cream), and Shirazi Salad.

Learn more about Candice Walker and what she's cooking in her kitchen!