Charlotte Puckette was born in Charleston, SC.  She left the world of shrimp and grits for the first time when she was 16 and enjoyed a grand eating tour of Europe.  After completing a degree in Modern European History, Charlotte worked in investment banking as a sales trader before moving to Entebbe in Uganda with the Task Force for Child Survival for the Carter Presidential Center.  She stayed in East Africa for three years, and it was while she was traveling and working there that she developed a passion for cooking.  Charlotte moved to France where she enrolled at the prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking school and graduated in 1992 with top honors and the Grand Diplôme.  Thereafter, she briefly worked at L'Oasis, in La Napoule and later at Fauchon, before starting her own catering business in Paris, Cuisines et Traditions du Monde.  Currently, Charlotte is introducing people to ethnic cuisine through her catering. She guides tourists through Paris food markets, and is constantly on the prowl for new restaurants or sources that will provide her with necessary ingredients for her creations.

Olivia Kiang-Snaije was born in Egypt of Chinese and American parents.  She grew up in Rome and Paris and later caught the travel bug, in particular spending time in North Africa and the Middle East, where she fell in love with the food.  Olivia majored in Romance Languages at university and then worked for the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in the African division before moving on to journalism.  She has worked at Vanity Fair and CBC/Radio Canada in New York.  As editor in chief of World Media in Paris from 1995-96, she put together a magazine published by a group of 26 newspapers world-wide, including Libération (France), La Stampa (Italy), El Pais (Spain), Ha’aretz (Israel), Al Ahram (Egypt), Oslobodenje (Sarajevo) and the Tages Anzeiger (Zurich).  One of the best-selling issues was on the subject of cuisine and culture.  Olivia has freelanced for a variety of publications including The Guardian, the Financial Times, the European, the Christian Science Monitor, Condé Nast Traveler, Metropolis, the Middle East and Elle Décor.  She is currently a reporter for The Daily Star, the largest English language newspaper in the Middle East.  She was a major contributor to “Insight Guides’ Paris Museums” book, published in 2002, and “Insight Guides’ Eating in Paris,” published in 2004.