About Umami.Life
Have you crashed our party just for the food? Then c’mon in, you’re among friends! Let us introduce ourselves …
Umami.Life celebrates the fifth taste, umami. We offer recipes, wine pairings and other resources for people who want to explore the world of umami and create flavorful, healthy meals. Umami.Life founders Dale and Catherine Blankenship are food and wine enthusiasts who believe that food is a way to connect with people and cultures. Their mission is to help elevate your wine and dine at home giving you the tools and inspiration you need to create memorable dining experiences. Umami.Life promotes the use of umami-rich ingredients in cooking, such as tomatoes, mushrooms and fermented sauces such as soy or fish sauce. We offer recipes for classic dishes from around the world, as well as umami-inspired creations. In addition to recipes, Umami.Life also offers wine pairings and articles on the science of umami. Overall, Umami.Life is a resource for people who want to learn more about umami and how to use it to create delicious meals.
Dale Blankenship
Dale Blankenship’s passion for food and wine chemistry grew out of his childhood abroad in a military family and his mother’s cooking of the local comfort dishes. Living beyond the borders of the American mainstream, Dale was immersed in European and Asian cuisines throughout his childhood and teenage years. Those cultural influences led him to a career in the wine and spirits industry where 30+ years of exposure to exceptional dish creations, wine and top chefs has helped him refine his own cooking — creating a fusion of traditional comfort foods, Southwest, French, Italian, Asian and Middle Eastern flavors. A longtime resident of the San Antonio area, Dale regularly shares his culinary creations with his local family and friends. Besides cooking, Dale’s hobbies include windsurfing — having spent more than 15 years as an avid weekend windsurfer.
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Wine Competition Judge 2013 – 2023
View Dale’s LinkedIn profile.
Catherine Sansing Blankenship
Cat has a personal interest in nutrition-based health and wellness due to her own health tissues. Diagnosed with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) over 35 years ago, she sought to inform herself in a time when mainstream medical professionals did not recognize or understand the condition. Also a lifelong migraine headache sufferer, she found nutrition-based alternatives to daily medications. In 2010, Cat’s husband of 23 years was diagnosed with two brain tumors of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) — the highest grade of the most aggressive form of brain tumors. Reading through books and internet sources, she began a new foray into understanding factors influencing the growth of cancer. Her husband died less than six months later. Cat graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism. In addition to cooking and reading, Cat enjoys studio cycling and hiking.