My mother is an excellent cook, she is the kind of person who can go to a restaurant, taste the food, and then come home and make a better version of it there. She didn’t ever really teach me her ways, because I didn’t have the time when I lived at home with school and sports to keep me busy. It was when I moved here to Utah for school that I gained my passion for cooking.  I wanted to enjoy the same standard of food I had grown up eating!

I grew up in a suburb of southern California, and my knowledge and understanding of where my food comes from was limited to my mom’s garden and the grocery store. I guess I technically knew that all food must be grown or raised, and that farmers and ranchers were the people behind my plate, but honestly, I don’t think I really thought all that much about it.

While in college, I took a food history course where I learned about the power of food. I think it was in that class that I gained an appreciation for the impact that food has on people’s lives.  I learned that It can be both divisive and unifying. Wars have been started over food (or the lack thereof), but it also brings people together.

Everyone needs to eat, and what a person eats can tell you a lot about them. Food really does have a rich history of its own. It is culture, tradition, and memories. It’s making a recipe the same way your grandma made it, because she taught you as a child, and it’s the best recipe and brings back the best memories!

Food can tell you where someone is from, sometimes down to a specific town or region. Food is family and friends, and a way to socialize--I met my husband for the first time on a blind date over tapas. Food is life, and for some, a way of life.

I feel so lucky that I get to spend my working hours helping those people who make growing food their way of life.  Five years ago, I started working at Utah Farm Bureau and have had the opportunity to learn about the way food ends up on my table.  I feel a profound gratitude for their hard work.

Throughout the years I have continued to develop my cooking skills, and while I do not have any specific credentials, I love it. I love experimenting and trying new techniques and flavors. I read cookbooks as if they were novels, and if I have time to day-dream, it’s usually spent dreaming about recipes. My hope in writing this blog is to share my passion for and experiences with food and flavors with you while helping you to understand the passion farmers and ranchers feel for growing the food we eat.