I was born and raised in Phoenix, and have been a lover of food my entire life. I am an avid home cook. I have no formal training really, just years and years of practice. Starting with mud pies in the backyard at 3, and getting my first cook book from my dad at 9, I have been making up recipes, trying new things and tinkering in the kitchen ever since. Food makes my soul happy and I love to see it bring joy to the people around me. After college, I held jobs in a few different industries but nothing really struck me as my calling. All the while though, I nurtured my culinary skills and learned about myself, nutrition, health and the American food system. I came to realize that what I eat makes a huge difference in who I am. At the age of 29, inspired by the farmer’s market I love and looking to start the next phase of my life, I quit my job and started The Gardener’s Kitchen. Sure it was a huge risk I mean, what did I know about running a business? It has been a long road with many hurdles but ultimately, as everyone who believed in me said it would be, it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I had
shopped regularly at the downtown market for
months. There was something so satisfying
about being able to introduce myself, look in the
eyes and shake the hands of the people who were
growing my food. I loved the feeling of
supporting my local community, its agriculture, its
economy, and my fellow cooks, artists and
gardeners.
As I
wandered around one chilly Saturday morning, I
found myself thinking, “This is totally my
scene. These are totally my people. I
want to be
here, how do I get in on this?” I began to
fantasize about being a part of the market I had
come to love so much. Walking the aisles, I
wondered what this market didn’t
have.
It seemed to have a little bit of everything.
Then it dawned on me. It didn’t have anything
that would last longer than about a week.
Undoubtedly, part of the whole
point of
shopping at the farmer’s market is the
freshness. But what about those weeks when
you just couldn’t make it down
here?
Now,
I’m a thrifty girl and I LOVE to cook. I come
by it honestly; my Grandma Vesta, a product of The
Depression, instilled in me the virtue of being
frugal. I can stretch a dollar, create
something delicious from almost nothing, and morph
leftovers into a completely new meal. It’s
somewhat a point of pride for me. So I
thought about what I do at home. Not wanting
to eat lasagna for the next five days in a row
after taking the time to make a pan from scratch,
and certainly not wanting it to go to waste, I
would portion out the leftovers and stash them in
the freezer for a rainy day…or next week’s lunch at
work.
For a
recent Christmas, I had received a Food
Saver. I fell in love with it
immediately! By vacuum packing, leftovers
lasted seemingly forever and I was able to make up
extra batches of things that I could bake
later. Days that I just didn’t have it in me
to cook, I’d just pull something out of the freezer
and put it straight in the oven. An hour
later, the chicken enchiladas I made 6 months
before baked up gooey and delicious; just like I
had made them that day.
I
thought to myself, “I love this so much, I’m sure
other people would love it too, right?”
So I went home and started listing the
recipes that I make that I know freeze and bake
well. I made some samples and handed them out
to people who had never tasted my food.
Family and friends aren’t always the most objective
critics. ; ) I got great feedback so, I
quit my job and started out after my
destiny.
The
Gardener’s Kitchen is my fantasy come true.
Offering the comfort foods I love, made with fresh
and healthy ingredients, providing people with the
freezer to oven convenience that I enjoy, and
contributing to my local community…what’s not to
love?