Megan Blocker

When Megan Blocker was in fifth grade, her elementary school held its annual Parents' Night. Each set of parents was asked to identify their child's desk by reading the lists of clues left behind for them, which included a "Favorite Foods" section. Everyone else picked pizza or spaghetti -- Megan's parents knew right away that their daughter's desk was the one which read "strawberries and cucumbers."

She still picks the cucumbers out of the salad bowl before it makes it to the table, though this is less annoying to others now that she lives on her own in Manhattan.

A true but enthusiastic amateur, Megan is passionate about food, and spends many weekend hours trying out classic and not-so-classic recipes and trolling the city for the perfect ingredients. On nights when she is too tired to cook, she's most likely to be found with a Vietnamese delivery menu in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

A tried and true caffeine addict, she's regularly spotted vibrating back across the street for a fresh cup.