Hi! I’m Karen and I confess I’m pretty much always craving some particular thing to eat or cook. My appetite is sparked by the sensuality of food – color, texture and smell. That must explain why I love what I do.
What I do:
I’m a freelance editor and recipe developer. Until recently I was the food editor at the Village Voice in New York City.
I’ve trained in restaurant kitchens, and was for many years a personal chef, planning dinner menus and shopping for all the fresh ingredients needed for a day of cooking in one of my client’s kitchens.
I recharge by listening to music, spending time with my family and creating new recipes. I’m also pretty dedicated to exercise (how else to eat anything I want?!) and try to fit in time for it every day.
In late 2013, I moved from the Midwest, where I lived for more than 15 years, back to the East Coast. I’m in a great town in New Jersey, a quick trip by train into New York City. I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that I’m living in an epicenter of so much culture, history and best of all – food!
Blog:
I started publishing familystyle food in 2006, inspired by the tables of my childhood. I grew up in Rhode Island, in an old-school Italian-American family where long Sunday dinners were a ritual.
Looking back I can see that those hours spent around the table were a gift from my grandparents. It was the best way they knew to keep family bound together and nourished, as generations multiplied, kids grew up and babies were born.
I’m drawn to the simplicity of peasant food – Italian-style first of all, but also from just about any culture where dishes are shared communally, from big platters that get passed around the table.
My goal on this blog is to spark your appetite and get you inspired to cook, eat and live well. I tend to use lots of seasonal produce and what I call “real” food in my recipes, which I like to keep pared down and unfussy.
Some things I love:
- Vintage linen napkins
- The smell of a freshly-cut lemon
- A full moon shining on the ocean
- Chili peppers
- A good set of headphones and great music
- Sleeping with the window open
- The sound palm trees make in the wind
- Wood fires
- Snow
- Chocolate (darker the better)