Passion meets Purpose – Part 1

I remember the moment that cooking became my purpose. We had a house full
of our closest friends and family who were over watching the most recent UFC
fight. I had been cooking and preparing for company all day and was in the heart
of cleaning up and doing dishes.  We had a somewhat open kitchen and I could
see our friends and family visiting and hanging out. I can still see their faces clear
as day. Some were engaged in serious conversations and some were talking
loudly and laughing. Kids were everywhere, of all ages. Everyone was happy and
content. My heart swelled in that moment. I couldn’t have been happier and I
knew I was meant to do exactly what I was doing, bring people together and feed
them. That was the moment my passion became my purpose.  I knew what I was
meant to do, what fulfilled my soul along with being a mom and wife. It just
clicked. Giving to my family is my greatest joy and my first priority but I’ve always
wanted to find ways to give back to the world and in that moment I knew. It was
no longer just about making good food. It was about taking something that comes
from my soul, something that is a part of me and giving it to someone else to give
comfort, support, joy, friendship or whatever it is that is needed at that moment.
Even if it as simple as filling their hungry stomach. 

I have had a passion for food since I was a little girl, although I preferred eating it
over cooking it. I come from a long line of professional bakers and we have an
unbelievable amount of exceptional cooks in our family.  There is never a
shortage of good food and someone is always trying to feed you, even if you
insist that you are full and couldn’t possibly take another bite! One of my
memories as a little girl consists of my Aunt Diane putting a plate of Spaghetti in
front of me that was nearly the size of my head. I was maybe 80 lbs at the time
and there was no way I was going to accomplish eating even a fourth of it. I did
my best though as I didn’t want to disappoint her.

Growing up my parents showed me what good food tastes like and even though I
didn’t realize it as a little girl, they helped cultivate my passion for food. My mom
always had a full dinner on the table and is the reason I insist that dinner consists
of a main course, veggie, grain and often times dessert as well. She was (and is)
such a good cook that she figured out how to make Tuna Noodle casserole taste
good! Just don’t ask for my sister’s opinion on that. My dad has always made the
BEST Chocolate chip cookies and even though he lives in a different state I have
been known to ask him to make them and ship them to me.
I married my best friend at the age of 23 and quickly realized that my mom was
not going to provide me with full meals any longer. It was now my responsibility! I
was eager to fulfill that role though and with the help of many cookbooks and tips
from my mom I set out to try new recipes and attempt to provide my new
husband with tasty meals. I know some of them were terrible in the early years
but as every good husband should, he always told me they were great.

When I was in my twenties, right after my oldest son was born my mom married
my step dad who is an exceptional cook on top of being a great man. He knows
what ingredients to put together to create dishes that I had never seen before.
By watching him over the years and asking him many, many questions, I developed a passion for the art of cooking, not just eating. 

Over the last ten years I have worked hard to develop my passion by trying new
recipes, playing with ingredients, making a lot of good food and a lot of not so
good food. In 2015 I decided to pursue my passion further and attended culinary
school. During my formal education I furthered my knowledge by working with
some amazing and talented chefs and fell deeper in love with the art and ministry
of cooking. Post culinary school I continued my education by working for some of
the best chefs in Arizona and have recently decided to start my own business.
I am mom to four amazing boys, wife to an incredible and hard working man,
sister, daughter, friend, business owner and Chef. Welcome to my blog and
website.  I hope I can provide you with recipes you can enjoy and tips you can
use to advance your cooking skills but most importantly I hope to bring joy to
your day.