It was confusing and weird. Mostly because I didn’t know how to cook. At the time I had three little kids and I mostly “cooked” out of cans and boxes.

I learned from the pros

All of a sudden I had to learn about ingredients, shopping, baking, preparation, cooking, and nutrition. I couldn’t eat what was on the shelves at the store. It was difficult to go out and eat in restaurants. Store-bought loaves of gluten-free bread were like bricks back then. I had to help myself.

I’ve turned myself into a food researcher and learn about food, ingredients, and cooking every day so I can share my knowledge and experience with you.

I have a decade of experience working in a professional kitchen and another decade writing recipes and sharing them here. I love it so much, I started more blogs: My Plant-Based Bowl, and Forking Flavorful.

I’ve studied professional cooks, taken cooking classes around the world, watched videos, and read books. I continue to do this daily. Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Enrique Olvera, Laura Vitale, and Nisha Vora, are some of my favorite chefs and cooks.

And if I can learn, you can too! We can do this. Trust me. And it doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. I try to use simple, fresh ingredients and make pretty much everything from scratch – but I’ve got lots of great hacks if to speed things up in the kitchen.