Cooking

I have been helping prepare meals since birth practically. I would frequently be passed from one person to the next who would put me to work helping them with whatever they were doing. In a family of farmers, food was always being grown, harvested, cooked and preserved. It has been a lifelong love that reminds me of my roots and the magic of community.

While I was raised on simple American food, I had plenty of ethnic foods to excite my desire for something different growing up in Detroit. As an adult I learned how to make Eastern European foods more traditionally and with flavor. I began incorporating West African, North African, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian foods into my repertoire while living in immigrant communities. As I continue to expand my knowledge, I am incorporating more dishes from the Americas.

In my culinary journey I have found that every culture has its own unique soul and flavor that is also similar to others. I have been served a Ukrainian cucumber salad by a West African man while asking how he learned to make my Polish cucumber salad. It’s a small world and good food brings us even closer together.

Making your own food can be comforting, save money and improve your health. It’s essential to life so let’s get started together!