My love for food began at a very early age, but it quickly escalated toward the end of college. So many years without a kitchen, left me enthusiastically cooking and baking during each school break. During my first few years as a special education teacher, preparing dinner became my solace after busy, stressful days. Then, I wanted to share my love of cooking and drive to use lots of fresh and healthy ingredients. So, I began teaching cooking classes locally with children and adults. Now, I am a recipe developer/writer, culinary instructor, food stylist, and photographer.

Growing up with my grandmother next door, I had a front-row seat to daily homecooked lunches, which never included a sandwich. From scalloped potatoes, chicken pot pie, and giant chocolate chip cookies, she created it all. To this day, my Dad still says she made the BEST chocolate icing! (And she wasn’t even his mom.) So, many of my skills come from her and the school of life; however, I was able to make a dream come true and received a bit of formal training. A few years ago, I attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to study pastry, you know- the croissant capital of the world. 🙂