I grew up watching my maternal grandmother serve as the Lead Cook at my childhood church. Watching her in the kitchen cooking in high volume while maintaining made-from-scratch flavor and most importantly the grace of hospitality.

I witnessed my paternal grandmother prepare holiday dinners for family, pulling on the experience of growing up with 17 siblings, then raising 9 children of her own on the south side of Chicago in a time where Black women were not fully allowed to just be, let alone be granted with fair opportunities to uplift.

I experienced my own working mother cook dinner for our family, while also meeting the demands of a 26 year long career in social work and always finding a way to make ends meet.

These experiences helped shape within me a strong appreciation for the power of food and the togetherness it creates. The ability for friends to become family; for family to gather, to celebrate, and to enjoy with love. That is my hope, for that same intention to be felt and experienced by all who are touched by my recipes.

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