A Southern California girl who learned a lot about cooking from many years spent with her grandmother in the kitchen. She spent a large amount of time whipping up delicious meals with very few ingredients and very little money for her 13 children, grandchildren, and anyone else who wanted to join. Her care and craftiness – along with a Winnie the Pooh cookbook that I was given at age 6 – are what began shaping my love for feeding people.

While love is important, I believe in freshness: shredding my own cheese, chopping my own lettuce, squeezing my own lemons, and well… you get the picture. Though I learned a lot from family and self-teaching, I cannot discredit my 35 years in the food and hospitality industry. Those years taught me to continue giving and feeding others, even when you have nothing.