From Floury Mishaps to Culinary Adventures: My Journey to Kitchen Lit

I was always around when people were cooking but just never picked up a ton of skills from it as a kid. I was much more interested in the baking than the cooking. In middle school I took home economics and learned a few new recipes including the chocolate drop cookies that I still make today. I went on to join what was then called Future Homemakers of America (now FCCLA) and was a member throughout middle and high school – holding different offices in the club over the years. 

After graduating high school, I went to Johnson & Wales University (a well-known culinary school) in Providence for international business. Towards the end of my freshman year, I moved off campus and had to learn how to cook. I knew the basics of how to boil water but not much else. I can’t remember what the first cookbook I got was but I used it a lot in those first years. During this time, I also took my first cooking class, and I really loved the experience. My cooking skills were extremely basic – it seemed like I always dated guys who were excellent cooks. I loved having someone cook me a nice meal. 

Once I finished college, I spent a summer in Dallas and cooked a little more, then I came back to Georgia for a little bit before I moved to the Washington, D.C. area. Once I moved into my new apartment, I wanted to cook more so I started collecting cookbooks and cooking on a regular basis. As my 20’s went by I became more and more comfortable in the kitchen trying new recipes and techniques and became a decent home cook. Although, I still told guys that I didn’t cook – I guess I didn’t want to be the only one cooking in the relationship.