I was thrilled when Food Network Magazine asked me to be part of their Star Kitchen feature for the May issue of the magazine. I’ve been a big fan of this feature every month and always enjoy getting a peek into other hosts/chefs kitchens. (especially Ree Drummond’s kitchen and Ina Garten’s kitchen!)
A few months ago a crew showed up at my apartment and took a few photos for the magazine. Ollie was my sidekick throughout the shoot and it was tricky playing double duty as mama and cooking show host – I remember feeling so stressed about it! I was trying to time his naps with snapping photos and he was refusing sleep! The very talented Jeanne Lurvey who does the set design on my show was incredible and helped me pull a few things together to make my kitchen look polished. (Let’s be honest, there’s usually a big stack of mail on the desk that needs to be sorted through and an assortment of dishes and baby bottles hanging out on my countertops.) She also helped me with the fun apple artwork on the chalkboard, which I love so so much. More than anything, I’m grateful to have captured our home kitchen for the sake of memories down the road.
Here’s a story that’s worth sharing – on the day that the magazine came out last week I received a text message from my dad that he had taken my Grandpa Jack to Walmart that morning to pick up a copy and my sweet Grandpa told the clerk that he wanted to buy every copy that they had in the store! He bought every single one and then proceeded to hand them out to friends and family. He was particularly proud of the feature because there’s a note about my Grandma Charlotte’s Dutch oven pot that was handed down to me after she passed a few month ago. It’s a piece of her that I will always have with me and I will always cherish it. To think of my Grandpa beaming with pride while flipping through the magazine makes my day. What a guy.
…more behind the scene’s posts coming this week! Today we experienced a fire on a kitchen grill and I helped make a salt and vinegar potato chip ice cream flavor. Things were exciting and interesting to say the least. More great stories and details to come!
