Maria Teresa (Tessa) was born in Mumbai in 1956. She graduated from St. Xavier’s College and soon after, married an officer in the Indian Navy. Her father, as Honorary Consul for Brazil, would often entertain at home, with one of the daughters being made responsible for the menu and overseeing the cooking. The cuisine was normally Goan. Tessa’s mother-in-law, Maria Felicia Menezes, was also an excellent cook. A lot of the recipes in this book are a result of watching Maria Felicia in the kitchen and noting down the ingredients. Although she has travelled widely and now lives in Pune, Tessa’s heart is very much in Goa.