Shonali Thomas lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Eric and 6-year-old daughter, Shaiyla. Her love of food and cooking began in her "mud kitchen" as a child and has flourished into the kitchens of many home cooks around the country. She published her first cookbook, Shonal's Kitchen, The Eclectic Home Chef in November, 2007 and in 2009, she started SplenDishes by Shonali (now SplenDishes Kitchen) and began selling her gourmet foods at local farmers markets, gourmet grocery stores, and through her online store. She is also a caterer, personal chef, teaches cooking lessons, and is the Chef/Director of the Little Chefs After School Enrichment Program. Shonali is also a well-known local TV chef and can be seen cooking on several of Charlotte's major networks such as FOX 46 and WBTV. Sharing her love of food and wine, entertaining, and inspiring people to cook are just a few of her favorite things.