It’s funny how perspective changes as you evolve through life.

I vividly remember sitting at my Grandfather’s (Poppy) table as a child helping him and my Grandma prepare food to eat. We would go into the garden, that he tended to daily, to harvest fruits and vegetables. As the kitchen would fill with the noise of stories told, and the air would be consumed by the flavors of rich spices and decadent or savory food, I recall just wanting to be outside, running with the butterflies instead.

Poppy would explain to me why this task, cooking, was important. Explaining how people show love through their food, a lesson I wouldn’t understand until I became a Mom. As a wife and Mom of three, it is not lost on me what he taught me as a child. Food is life, and what you put in it needs to be intentional and pure. More than that, sharing it is the truest gift because it is transformative.

This journey is inspired by and dedicated to my Poppy. The joyful soul he had was present in everything he did, and I feel his presence the most when I’m in the kitchen.

I welcome you on this journey with me as we tell stories about family and food.