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Nancy Mehagian has been involved with food and healing since 1969, when she opened the first vegetarian restaurant on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, she attended USC and graduated with a degree in English Literature from Arizona State University.

Since 1978, Nancy has maintained an active Massage Therapy and Jin Shin Jyutsu practice in Los Angeles, has lectured at health conventions, catered for celebrities and taught gourmet cooking classes, creating cuisine that is healthy, international and authentic. She is an avid hiker, cook and gardener and is madly in love with her three rescued dogs.

Thank you Nancy for taking the time to answer some questions for us!  To start, please tell us about the latest project you've worked on. 

My latest project is a culinary memoir, Siren's Feast, An Edible Odyssey. Quincy Jones wrote of it:  “A spicy brew of recipes and adventures.  I don’t know whether to eat this book, smoke it or make love to it.”  One reviewer called it “Sex, Drugs and Couscous.”

Have you received any awards for your work?

Siren’s Feast, An Edible Odyssey has received three awards to date:

Finalist in the Memoir category of the USA Book News Best Books Awards,

Winner in the Memoir category of the Indie Book Awards

Finalist for Best Cover Design, non-fiction, of the Indie Book Awards

Do you also do speaking engagements, or seminars?

Besides appearing at book clubs and book signings, I’ve participated in “memoir night” at public libraries, spoken to women’s groups and still teach cooking classes and self-help acupressure classes.

How has your education, profession or background helped you in your writing career? Or conversely, how has you writing success helped you in your profession?

Though studying the classics certainly inspired my love of literature, it was growing up Armenian in a family of superb cooks that has given me a passion for good food and cooking for others.  Opening my own restaurant at the age of 21, in a foreign country (the island of Ibiza, Spain) never seemed like a stretch.

What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems etc.) have you had published? 

In 1977, I authored Supernatural, a natural foods cookbook for children.  An educational version was also published and used in California schools.  It was the first vegetarian health food cookbook for children on the market, and a bit ahead of its time.

Is there any aspect to your profession that gets you in touch with your readers directly?

I’ve been most fortunate to meet many of my readers, through Facebook and emails, and as a result have developed wonderful new friendships.  Many of my book events center around food and nothing brings people closer more than cooking and eating together.

What will your next project be?

I am currently working on another memoir chronicling my 30+ year career in Los Angeles as “masseuse to the stars.”  It will also detail more far-flung travels and recipes for the food I’ve eaten or created.

Who inspires you on a personal or business level?

On a personal level, I am awed by Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama and have been privileged to see both of them in person.  They definitely have the goose bump factor.  And my Jin Shin Jyutsu teacher, Mary Burmeister, whom I studied with for over 14 years, embodied the best traits a human can have.

What type of work is the most rewarding or satisfying for you?

Any type of work that uplifts people is my reason for being on the planet, whether that is through making people feel better through healing, eating delicious food or laughing.

What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?

By all means, join a writer’s group.  The support one receives is invaluable.  Then I would say to take on any writing assignment, paid or not.  Having deadlines definitely gets the juices flowing.

How did you get started as a writer?

Even in this age of email, I still write letters and journal almost daily.  In fact, I so love the act of putting pen to paper, all my first drafts are written in longhand.  The positive responses I’ve received over the years from people I’ve sent letters to as well as reactions from other writers in classes I’ve taken encouraged me to write my memoir.  I’m also a big talker, so writing has been another form of storytelling.

Which is your favorite book/work published? Is there a favorite?

If you’re asking about my own work, it would have to be my recently published culinary memoir Siren’s Feast, that contains over 40 recipes, the ones my friends had all been asking for.  In essence, it was like writing two books in one.  If I had to name my favorite book of all time, it would be Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I only write in the mornings, before the rhythm of the day intervenes.  Most mornings I walk or hike and during that time I tend to focus on whatever project I’m working on.  Walking gets my blood flowing so when I come home I’m ready to sit and write.  During the day I’m often busy giving treatments.  By the time evening rolls around, I’m cooking and then relaxing with friends or some favorite television shows.  I’ve never been able to write after the sun goes down.

Have you ever had a mentor, or someone who sparked your passion for writing?

The first time I took a workshop with Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down The Bones, all I wanted to do was go home and write.  I love her Zen approach to writing as a spiritual practice and her method of getting rid of the self-critic on our shoulders. 

Who is your favorite writer/author?

There are quite a few favorites, but at the top of the list is Zora Neale Hurston for her honesty and passion. 

Finally, a most important question: what was the last song you sang out loud when you were by yourself?  :)

I love the standards—so it would have to be “I’ve Got The World On A String.”  But just today, it was “La Vie en Rose.”  One might say I’m an optimist.

Thank you Nancy! We wish you ongoing success with your culinary projects!