Southern-born and farm-raised, free-range, all-natural chef and teacher… I’ve spent half my life here in Chicago and love exploring all food cultures and making different dishes from all over the globe. My philosophy about food and cooking prioritizes fresh local ingredients whenever possible, and I love to empower folks to get in their kitchens and make real food from scratch, learn about food history, and experience new flavors and learn new basic techniques to incorporate into their everyday menus as well as special-occasion dishes.
I want to teach you to cook intuitively, without relying on recipes, and set your creativity free! I also have a passion for DIY health and beauty products, making cold-process soaps, organic body products, teas, tinctures, and preserves.
I have a BA in Culinary Arts from Kendall College and have worked professionally as a chef and in catering, and with mentoring urban youth to teach them gardening, nutrition, and bike maintenance skills. I look forward to sharing my culinary adventures and DIY knowledge with you!
I grew up on small and large farms in Arkansas (with my dad) and North Dakota (with my mom), and have called Chicago home for over a dozen years.
The land in Arkansas where I spent most of my childhood has been in my family for at least 5 generations, and I learned very early, eating animals and vegetables that my family raised, where food comes from, and how important it is to take care of the place that feeds you, to build your soil, save your seeds, and teach those you encounter to respect the place they come from. Eating food that you raised connects you intimately to the place that you’re in.
Food is my obsession… growing it, cooking it, storing and preserving it. I am a careful label-reader, & I’m picky about where my limited food dollars go- what’s in it, where it came from, how and where it was produced and by whom… but also still love a classic Chicago-style hot dog, and any meal that is prepared for me with love!
I hate waste, especially food waste, so whatever we can’t eat goes to the chickens, the red worms, or the compost pile… and I try to grow as much as I can, and it’s a little more every year. My goals each year are to keep expanding the gardens, get better at rotating crops, and to can and dry more and freeze less. I’ll try to take pictures and post how-to’s so you can learn along with me. So, dust off that apron, get in the kitchen, and whip up a little bit of love!
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Filling the jars… -
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How do you like ‘dem apples? -
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