One of the oldest forms of dining. Small Plate Dining: Meze, Tapas, Izakaya, Mezethakia, Antipasto, Hors D' Oeuvre, Dim Sum and various other names, depending on where you are from, is a most diverse way to enjoy many flavors, all in one sitting.

I want it all, when I am dining, and the main course is not necessarily the star of the meal. I'm the sort of person that orders three or four appetizers at a restaurant, in preference to a main course. So, when dining at home, preparing a meal for friends, or simply eating alone, I want lots of small plates, or bites of a variety of things. Beautifully, thoughtfully planned small plates can be prepared for an occasion, or we can simply rummage around the fridge or pantry for lots of leftovers, odds and ends, pickled things, smoked things, cheesy things, and create an eclectic spread of interesting and delicious plates to linger over, well into the night.

Before Robin Daumit ever set foot on her first trip, multi-ethnic foods were already being prepared in her mother's kitchen. An American born Syrian, her mother brought a rainbow of foods to the home Robin grew up in, as she shared her kitchen with her many girlfriends of various ethnic heritages. As a grown woman, Robin discovered there were few things she couldn't cook. Her taste buds were first awakened as a child, and throughout her life, travels and intimate encounters with her curiosity, she simply built on a tongue that had already been passionately well-formed for flavor, as a child. Cooking, for Robin, has become more than food. A celebration of people, stories, laughter, flavors and techniques from a collage of life's excursions, have been richly shared with all who have had the fortuity to dine at her hand. She continues to share her effervescence through blogs, videos, television and now her first cookbook; something you can hold in your hand, dog-ear pages, and experience the heart-felt stories shared throughout her recipes as though you were sitting right there in her kitchen.