Niki Segnit is the author of The Encyclopedia of Flavors, a reference book for chefs around the world. She has just launched the second part of her flavor catalog, Cocina lateral, with the subtitle: More combinations with vegetables, new recipes and delicious ideas.

The 57-year-old says she changed her taste overnight when her sister told her to try a fabulous food she had discovered. “At that moment I became a vegetarian, just that I didn't want to eat meat,” she says.