Simple. Delicious. Real Life. Welcome to My Chef Steph.

If you had asked me as a kid where you’d find me, it would’ve been one of two places: with my head buried in a book… or outside with my horse.

I’m the youngest of six kids, the baby of the family, and I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere—where neighbors were miles away and fast food simply wasn’t an option. Life out there teaches you self-reliance in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it. There were cows and horses to feed, fences to mend, weeds to pull, and always meals to prepare—for our family and for the hired men who worked alongside us.

Food wasn’t just something we ate. It was part of the rhythm of life.

There were everyday meals, and then there were the gatherings—birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and coffee with the ladies just because it was Tuesday and that’s when everyone could make it. From a young age, I was drawn to the kitchen. I proudly crowned myself the Cookie Queen sometime around age seven (once I was trusted to use the oven), and from there it was fudge for my dad—who had a legendary sweet tooth—then breads, rolls, and anything else I could get my hands on.

Everything was made from scratch because… that’s just how you did it.

We ate seasonally long before “farm to table” was trendy. Spring meant strawberries. Early summer meant rhubarb for pies and breads. Late summer and harvest brought zucchini in every form imaginable, green beans simmering on the stove, and deep-dish peach pie. Fall rolled in with apples, pumpkins, and winter squash. Christmas meant candies and cookies, made by hand and shared generously.

There was no fast food—just real food, made at home, shared around the table.

As life moved on and I became a mom myself, I learned something important: while I absolutely value knowing how to cook from scratch, I also understand that convenience can be a gift. Sometimes you need to grab something from the store late at night. Sometimes dinner just needs to happen. And that’s okay.

What growing up that way gave me was not rigidity—but confidence. Confidence to get back to basics when it matters. Confidence to cook with real ingredients, eat seasonally when possible, and make food that simply tastes better because it’s fresh, honest, and thoughtfully prepared.

That belief is at the heart of everything I do.

I started My Chef Steph to help busy moms like myself—people who wanted to eat better, fresher meals without making life harder than it already is. Over the years, I've learned that the need doesn't really change.

Sometimes it's a busy mom trying to get dinner on the table between soccer practice and homework. Sometimes it's a retired couple who no longer wants to cook every night. Sometimes it's a family welcoming a new baby, recovering from surgery, or gathering after the loss of a loved one. Sometimes it's a group of friends learning to cook together. Sometimes it's a long table under the stars at a Soulful Supper. Different seasons. Different needs. The mission stays the same.

Help people feed themselves and the people they love without making it complicated.

At my core, I believe a few things deeply:

• Real food tastes better than fake food.

• Simple ingredients make the best meals.

• Kindness matters—especially when food is involved.

• And life is better when we gather around the table.

  
  

My hope is that when you spend time here, whether through a recipe, a meal, a cooking class, a blog post, or a Soulful Supper, you'll leave feeling a little more confident and a little less overwhelmed.

Come join me. Let me show you the way. It's not hard, and we don't have to make it complicated.