And so the journey begins…

Well, I can hardly believe it, but because of the help and encouragement of so many, I have decided to take the plunge and send my videos to the Food Network, local news and producers!! This video, facebook page, youtube channel and blog would not be possible if not for the number of people who have encouraged me and took the time to assist me, especially my family and Alex Ferguson of Epic Realm Productions, who believe in me enough to walk beside me on my journey.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a merry, forty-year-old wife of Michael and mom of Nate and Alex from Raleigh, NC! I am known for my love of people and my passion for cooking which has provided me with a life filled with service, joy, laughter and purpose. I have had the privilege of homeschooling my two boys, Nathaniel and Alexander, for the last 16 years. My oldest son is a pre-med student and my youngest son will be starting college next September. My love of teaching and cooking with others has allowed me to inspire hundreds of families to get into the kitchen and cook together! You can hear more about this in my videos!

I am very passionate about encouraging families to cook together because, as a child, I was fortunate enough to live upstairs from my maternal grandmother in Fall River, Massachusetts, where we spent every day in her kitchen. Under her tutelage, I learned not only the value of being an excellent cook, but that my grandmother and I had something very special in common; we loved people and we loved to feed them! The memories made in her kitchen have stayed with me throughout the years. There hasn’t been one day that I don’t think about her and the lessons she taught me. Even though my children did not get the chance to meet her, they truly know her because of her recipes and the stories behind them!

One of the many reasons I love to cook is because food allows us to use all five of our senses. When we see, smell, taste, feel and even hear the food, treasured memories of our childhood flood our hearts like a wave from Heaven! My grandmother lives today through the legacy she so generously left behind. It is imperative that families get cooking together and begin to make memories that will outlast a lifetime!

For the last nine years I have been asked to inspire hundreds of people to get them into the kitchen cooking for and with their families through my cooking classes. It has been an incredible honor to share my love of food and family with so many. Through my cooking classes and the opportunity to encourage so many families, I have been blessed with opportunities to help make a difference in many families’ lives. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard over the years, how many wives, husbands and children thank me regularly and how many teenagers have rekindled their love for their parents in the kitchen…to God be the Glory!! But truth be told, I just love people and food. The opportunity to share my love of cooking with families has been a very humbling experience. I am blessed each and every time I get to share my love and passion with others.

Because my deepest desire is to reach many people, I see the potential to work alongside the Food Network and encourage not only hundreds of people, but millions. Oh, I can’t tell you what that would mean! SO, please follow me as I take the plunge and see where the Lord takes me! I’m excited and I hope my journey inspires you to reach for the stars, too!

My grandmother, Isabel, who emigrated from Portugal, could not read or write. None of her recipes were ever written down, but because she took the time to cook with me every day, I have been able to put some of her recipes on paper. My cookbook, Memories from the Kitchen, is dedicated to my grandmother and written for my children and includes over two hundred of my family’s favorite recipes. Many have inquired about my cookbook and I am now in the process of publishing it. I’ll have more information in the next few days! I can’t tell you how exciting it is to have some of my grandmother’s recipes in the cookbook. I know she would be more than elated!

Keep reading my blog to find our how I am progressing! Today I am finishing up writing my letters to all the individuals who will receive my DVD. Guy Fieri already has my video, but I will be sending more out to others especially producers of the FN. Tomorrow, out they go! I’ll follow up with phone calls next week1 I would covet your prayers and I’ll keep you posted!

Giving Guy Fieri my cooking show promo video