My name is Hema Gajmer. I am from Nepal and I lived in a refugee camp for almost 12 years of my life. I was born and raised there. I started cooking when I was very young. I did not speak any English when I came here, and I learned to speak, read, and write. After coming here in the US, I had a very hard time sharing my stories with others, but since I started doing cooking class with Abundance Kitchen now I get very excited to teach my cultural food and share stories with everyone. I am currently at Cleveland State University studying nursing which I am very passionate about. I pursued nursing because of my older sister who had a disability due to lack of health access in a refugee camp.  I am first in my family to go to college and to obtain a degree in health care. Eventually, I want to go overseas after I graduate where there is a lack of health care. I will be sharing more of my stories during cooking class. I am very excited to do cooking class with all of you. I will also have a printed copy of recipes in a class.

I will be teaching how to make a vegetarian dumpling called mom, a sesame dipping sauce, Samosa with their chickpea curry and rice. First I will do the demo of each dish, and I usually ask everyone to practice. This way everyone will have a chance to learn. I will be there to guide through the steps.