DIY Network

Heather Jansz is from Sri Lanka. She moved here in 1974 and her tasty ethnic creations quickly made her a star of the local restaurant scene as she co-owned three restaurants. She specializes in homemade chutney and is famous for her salsa. You can find all of her wonderful recipes in her cookbook, Fire and Spice: The Cuisine of Sri Lanka, published in 1989.

These days Heather is a professional shopper but she never strays far from the kitchen. She caters dinners large and small, and she also goes on the road and holds private, group cooking classes. Heather shows homeowners how to make meals from scratch. She even grows plants in her living room, like the kaffir lime leaf, so she can incorporate the very freshest ingredients in her recipes.

The only thing Heather can't seem to make is more room in her kitchen. It's filled with carts from her old restaurants. They are loaded with super-sized pots and pans, cookbooks and dishes. She has little counter space, a small sink and a range that is not nearly as big as she needs. We're going to change all that though with an amazing Kitchen Renovation After a bit of demolition, we begin reconstruction by creating an opening into the living room. The vent is moved to accommodate the location of the new cooktop and then its on to the floor where porcelain tile is set in a diagonal pattern.