The border girls

work Cooking partners for 23 years, restaurateurs (Border Grill in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, Ciudad in Los Angeles), TV and radio hosts (Too Hot Tamales on the Food Network), authors of five cookbooks.

home Mary Sue Milliken: A new Los Angeles house designed by architect husband Josh, where they'll soon be living with sons Declan, 13, and Kier, 5. Susan Feniger: An ocean-view "treehouse" in L.A.'s hills, with life partner Liz (a writer), two "golden doodle" dogs and three cats.

exercise Mary Sue: I play soccer in an "old lady" pickup game, and I run around after my kids. Susan: I walk my dogs, play tennis and do a home workout. In the summer, I swim.

diet Mary Sue: I have a rich, imaginative diet. I read about nutrition and figure out what my body needs. I don't eat too much protein, because it's too satisfying and then you forget to eat fruits and vegetables.

indulgence Susan: I love avocados, cheese, olive oil. And I love salty foods: potato chips, Cheetos, popcorn. I couldn't care less if I didn't have sweets.

spirituality Mary Sue: I love to travel, and when I go somewhere I've never been, such as Ethiopia or China, that's my church. Susan: I feel most grounded when I'm with the animals at sunrise, looking out at the canyon or walking along the beach.

role models Mary Sue: People who directly affected my life--from restaurateurs I worked for to my Aunt Georgia, who had the most fabulous, loving marriage.

cooking philosophy Mary Sue: If you have fabulous ingredients, you don't have to do much. Susan: I look for balance in food; it has to have some acidity to balance the richness. Mary Sue: We should balance our lives as well as the flavors!

inspiration Mary Sue: I'm an explorer. When I was a kid, I'd take long walks and go into ethnic markets and discover things I'd never eaten. Susan: Traveling to foreign countries is inspiring. But so is going to the Central Market in L.A. and seeing so many different products.

motivation Mary Sue: It's great when people come up to me and say, "You changed my life--I've learned how to toss a salad!" Susan: The most interesting thing for me is what motivates the people who work for us. We've focused on having a work environment that feels respectful to everyone.

what makes a partnership last Mary Sue: Therapy! And it's more fun to go through the ups and downs together than by yourself.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group